Franz Doppler

Franz Doppler (b Lemberg [now L'viv], 16 Oct 1821; d Baden, nr Vienna, 27 July 1883). Flautist, composer and conductor.

He was taught music first by his father, the composer and oboist Joseph Doppler, and made his début in Vienna at the age of 13. After several concert tours with his brother (2) Karl Doppler he settled in Pest, where he was first flautist in the German Town Theatre from 1838 and in the Hungarian National Theatre from 1841. His first opera, Benyovszky, was produced at the National Theatre in 1847, and four further Hungarian operas were staged there during the next ten years, all with considerable success; they combine Italian influences (e.g. Donizetti) with elements of Russian (Benyovszky), Polish (Vanda) and Hungarian music. Again with his brother Karl, he took part in the foundation of the Philharmonic Concerts in 1853 under the conductorship of Ferenc Erkel. The two brothers continued to make successful joint concert tours throughout Europe, including a visit to the Weimar court in 1854 when they met Liszt, and a tour with the violinist Karl Hubay to London in 1856. Franz moved in 1858 to Vienna, where he worked for the Hofoper as first flautist and assistant (later chief) conductor of the ballet. Most of his ballet music, which was widely popular, dates from this period and his only German opera, Judith, was performed at the court in 1870. From 1865 he taught the flute at the Vienna Conservatory. He was a skilful orchestrator, and his transcriptions of some of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies became well known.