Composer, Conductor. A protege of Franz von Suppe, he became a popular creator of Viennese operetta. Millocker's fame rests on "Der Bettelstudent" ("The Beggar Student", 1882), a witty concoction of romance and politics based on a play by Sardou. It was performed over 5000 times in Europe and the United States and is still a fixture of the German repertoire. His other major hits were "The Enchanted Castle" (1878), "Die Dubarry" (1879), and "Gasparone" (1884). Millocker was born in Vienna, and studied at the Conservatory there. At 16 he joined the Josefstadter Theatre Orchestra as a flautist on the recommendation of Suppe, who later got him a conducting position in Graz. His first operetta, "Der tote Gast" ("The Dead Guest"), was performed in 1865. He was closely associated with the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, serving as its associate conductor from 1869 to 1883, and where 14 of his 20 light operas were premiered. Millocker wrote "Der Bettelstudent" to a libretto previously rejected by Johann Strauss, Jr., and its success enabled him to quit conducting and compose full time. In 1894 he suffered the first of several strokes that eventually forced him into retirement. He is buried in an honor grave at the Zentralfriedhof, near Suppe and Strauss.
Composer, Conductor. A protege of Franz von Suppe, he became a popular creator of Viennese operetta. Millocker's fame rests on "Der Bettelstudent" ("The Beggar Student", 1882), a witty concoction of romance and politics based on a play by Sardou. It was performed over 5000 times in Europe and the United States and is still a fixture of the German repertoire. His other major hits were "The Enchanted Castle" (1878), "Die Dubarry" (1879), and "Gasparone" (1884). Millocker was born in Vienna, and studied at the Conservatory there. At 16 he joined the Josefstadter Theatre Orchestra as a flautist on the recommendation of Suppe, who later got him a conducting position in Graz. His first operetta, "Der tote Gast" ("The Dead Guest"), was performed in 1865. He was closely associated with the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, serving as its associate conductor from 1869 to 1883, and where 14 of his 20 light operas were premiered. Millocker wrote "Der Bettelstudent" to a libretto previously rejected by Johann Strauss, Jr., and its success enabled him to quit conducting and compose full time. In 1894 he suffered the first of several strokes that eventually forced him into retirement. He is buried in an honor grave at the Zentralfriedhof, near Suppe and Strauss.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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