Ferdinand Kauer

Kauer was born in Klein-Thaya (today Dyjákovičky) near Znojmo in South Moravia). He studied in Znojmo, Tyrnau, and Vienna, and later settled in Vienna around 1777. In 1781 he joined Karl von Marinelli's newly formed company at Vienna as leader and conductor of the orchestra. From 1782 he also composed music for the theatre, including Singspiele, operas, and incidental music and songs, mostly to texts by the house poet Karl Friedrich Hensler. Their first major success was Das Faustrecht in Thüringen (The Law of the Jungle in Thüringen, 1796–1797), which was eclipsed two years later by the success of Das Donauweibchen (1798). He was Kapellmeister of the Theater in der Leopoldstadt and Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna and also in Graz. He directed the Leopoldstadt Theater Music School and by the 1790s had become known for his popular Singspiele. In addition to his successful stage works he composed several tutorial methods for violin, flute, piano and singing (c. 1790). A tragic flood in 1830 destroyed all Kauer's possessions, including most of his scores. He continued to work as the second viola player at the Theater in der Leopoldstadt orchestra until his death in Vienna a year later.

• Title — Genre — Sub­divisions — Libretto — Première date — Theatre (in Vienna) • StreitDer Streit zwischen dem Zauberer Scionco und der Fee Galantina, oder Kasperl bleibt Kasperl — comedy with machines and music — 3 acts — — February 3, 1784 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • unschuldigeDer unschuldige Betrug — Kinder-Operette — 1 act — HuberL Huber — June 22, 1790 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • Bastien und Bastienne — Operette — after French work — August 18, 1790 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • SerenadeDie Serenade, oder Der gefoppte Alte — Singspiel — 2 acts — — June 4, 1792 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • Faustrecht1Das Faustrecht in Thüringen part 1 — Schauspiel — 4 acts — HenslerKarl Friedrich Hensler — April 7, 1796 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • Faustrecht2Das Faustrecht in Thüringen part 2 — Schauspiel — 4 acts — HenslerKarl Friedrich Hensler — June 28, 1796 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • Faustrecht3Das Faustrecht in Thüringen part 3 — Schauspiel — 4 acts — HenslerKarl Friedrich Hensler — January 17, 1797 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • Donauweibchen1Das Donauweibchen part 1 — romantisch-komisches Volksmärchen — 3 acts — HenslerKarl Friedrich Hensler — January 11, 1798 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • Donauweibchen2Das Donauweibchen part 2 — romantisch-komisches Volksmärchen — 3 acts — HenslerKarl Friedrich Hensler — February 13, 1798 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • LöwenritterDie Löwenritter — Schauspiel — 4 acts — HenslerKarl Friedrich Hensler — September 5, 1799 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • SternenmädchenDas Sternenmädchen im Meidlinger Walde — romantisch-komisches Volksmärchen — 3 acts — HuberL Huber — October 20, 1801 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • Telemach Prinz von Ithaca — travestirtes Singspiel — 3 acts — HenslerKarl Friedrich Hensler — April 29, 1801 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • Philibert und Kasperl, oder Weiber sind getreuer als Männer — Zauberoper — 3 acts — HenslerKarl Friedrich Hensler — February 7, 1804 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • Faschingswehen — Lustspiel — 3 acts — KringsteinerJ F Kringsteiner — March 4, 1805 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • KreutzerkomödieDie Kreutzerkomödie — Posse — 3 acts — KringsteinerJ F Kringsteiner — June 21, 1805 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • travestierteDer travestierte Telemach — Karikatur — 3 acts — PerinetJoachim Perinet — August 29, 1805 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • Heinrich der Stolze, Herzog von Sachsen — Schauspiel — 3 acts — GleichJ A Gleich — October 5, 1806 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • Orpheus und Euridice, oder So geht es im Olympus zu — mythologische Karikatur — 2 acts — MeislK Meisl — February 20, 1813 — Theater in der Leopoldstadt • Antonius und Cleopatra — Posse — 1 act — PerthM F Perth, after August von Kotzebue — February 25, 1814 — Theater in der Josefstadt • MusikantenDie Musikanten am Hohen Markt — Posse — 3 acts — GleichJ A Gleich — March 28, 1815 — Theater in der Josefstadt Ferdinand Kauer’s keyboard "Sonata militaire" was mistakenly attributed to Joseph Haydn as Sonata D major, Hob. XVI: D1.