Michael Krasznay-Krausz

Michael Krasznay-Krausz
Michael Krasznay-Krausz
Born	11 April 1897 Pančevo, Austria-Hungary
Died	3 November 1940(1940-11-03) (aged 43) Budapest, Hungary
Resting place	Kozma Street Jewish Cemetery
Alma mater	Budapest Academy of Music

Michael Krasznay‑Krausz (also known as Michael Krausz, Hungarian Krasznai Krausz Mihály; born April 11, 1897, in Pancsova, Austria-Hungary (today Pančevo in Serbia) – died November 3, 1940, in Budapest) was a Hungarian–Austrian composer.

Born into a Jewish family. His father owned a gramophone factory. He began composing at age 13. Studied counterpoint and composition at the Budapest Academy of Music under Victor von Herzfeld (as one of his first students) and also with Zoltán Kodály. In 1919, his opera Mariká premiered at the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest. He then moved to Vienna, initially focusing on symphonic and operatic works before turning to operetta in 1923. His first operetta, Bajazzos Abenteuer (Bajazzo's Advantures), premiered on December 22, 1923, at the Johann Strauss Theatre in Vienna. Another operetta, (A Woman with Style; starring Fritzi Massary), was a hit in Berlin in 1927.

In the early 1930s, he moved to Berlin, where his works continued to be staged until he was forced to leave in 1933. In May 1934, he was accused of plagiarism by Paul Abraham over his piece Die gelbe Lilie (The Yellow Lily). Krasznay‑Krausz proved he had composed it back in August 1932, and the case was resolved amicably. The work premiered in Budapest on January 5, 1934, and in Vienna on May 24, earning 20 performances in Budapest.

In 1938, following the success of his "musical crime novel" Dixie (premiered February 8), he began rehearsals for a new operetta, Mädel in Gefahr (Girls in Danger), at the Theater an der Wien, with radio broadcasts planned—only for the Anschluss to put a halt to the production and flood the theater on March 17, forcing him to flee to Budapest.

His final operetta, Marion, premiered on March 23, 1940, at the Budapest City Theatre but did not succeed; the lead role, Marion, was played by Emmi Kosáry, who then retired from acting.

Krasznay‑Krausz died on November 3, 1940, in Budapest at age 43 and was buried in the Kozma Street Jewish Cemetery.

In addition to his operas and operettas, he was well known for composing many popular songs ("Schlager").

• 1916: Haynald Prize in Hungary for the best Mass

• Marika (libretto by Imre Földes), premiered May 22, 1919, at the Hungarian State Opera, Budapest.
• Táncosnő (Dancer), after Melchior Lengyel, premiered in 1921.

• Bajazzos Abenteuer (Nur ein Bajazzo!) (text: Ludwig Staerk and Adolf Eisler, premiered December 22, 1923, Johann Strauß-Theater, Vienna)
• Pusztaliebchen (text: Wilhelm Sterk, 19 December 1924, Johann Strauß-Theater, Vienna)
• Glück in der Liebe (text: Julius Horst and Peter Herz, February 25, 1927, Johann Strauß Theater, Vienna)
• Eine Frau von Format (text: Rudolph Schanzer and Ernst Welisch, September 21, 1927, Theater des Westens, Berlin; French version (La Femme sans voile): Robert de Machiels and André Mauprey, March 3, 1931, Théâtre des Célestins, Lyon; Hungarian version (A fenséges asszony): Andor Szenes, January 31, 1934, City Theatre (later: Erkel-Theatre), Budapest)
• Yvette und ihre Freunde (text: Rudolf Österreicher and Wilhelm Sterk, November 18, 1927, Bürgertheater Vienna)
• Die Frau in Gold (text: Leopold Jacobson and Bruno Hardt-Warden, February 28, 1929, Neues Operetten-Theater, Leipzig)
• Der treue Musikant (Das Herrgottslied) (text: Bruno Hardt-Warden, song texts: Fritz Rotter and Bruno Hardt-Warden, November 21, 1930, Neues Wiener Schauspielhaus)
• An arrangement of Sigmund Rombergs The Student Prince as Der Studentenprinz (German text: Rudolph Schanzer and Ernst Welisch, October 22, 1932, Großes Schauspielhaus, Berlin)
• Die Lindenwirtin (based on the sound film of the same name; text: Rudolph Schanzer and Ernst Welisch, song texts: Bruno Hardt-Warden, March 30, 1933, Metropol-Theater, Berlin)
• Papucs (after Pantoufle by Marcel Gerbidon and Paul Armont, Hungarian text: and Andor Szenes, November 18, 1933, Pesti Színház, Budapest)
• Sárga liliom (after Sárga liliom by Lajos Biró, text: Géza Herczeg in cooperation with and Karl Farkas, premiered January 5, 1934, Stadttheater (later: Erkel-Theater), Budapest; German version Die gelbe Lilie. Ungarische Rhapsodie — premiered May 24, 1934, Theater an der Wien, Vienna)
• Eva im Pelz (text: Ludwig Herzer, June 14, 1935).
• An arrangement of Leo Fall's Der süße Kavalier als Der junge Herr René (text: Ernst Welisch, 1935)
• Eső után köpönyeg (Cry Over Spilt Milk) (text: Mihály Szécsén and Stephan Békeffi, November 6, 1936, Andrássy úti színház, Budapest)
• Black Butterfly (after Melchior Lengyel, text: Géza Herczeg and Henry Gilbert, song texts: Robert Gilbert, 1936)
• Verzeih, daß ich dich lieb' (text: Stephan Békeffi, Karl Farkas and Ludwig Herzer, song texts: Karl Farkas, March 1, 1937, Scala, Vienna)
• Dixie: ein musikalischer Kriminalroman in fünf Kapiteln. (text: Karl Farkas und Adolf Schütz, February 8, 1938, Theater an der Wien)
• Mädel in Gefahr (text: Karl Farkas and Adolf Schütz, 1938)
• Marion (text: Maurice Dekobra, Hungarian version: Attila Orbók, March 23, 1940, City Theatre, Budapest)
• Der heimliche Casanova (Musik von Michael Krasznay-Krausz (compiled posthumosely) and Bruno Uher, text: Karl Farkas and Ludwig Herzer, April 10, 1956, Deutsches Theater, Munich)

• Nonet for strings and winds

• Der Kaufmann von Venedig (The Merchant of Venice, 1923)
• Die Lindenwirtin (1930)
• Panic in Chicago (1931)
• Girls to Marry (German: Mädchen zum Heiraten, 1931–32) (song texts: Robert Gilbert and Armin L. Robinson)
• Marry Me (British version of Girls to Marry, 1932)

• Hugo Riemann: "Krausz, Michael" in: Musiklexikon, 11th ed., Max Hesses Verlag, Berlin 1929, p. 951
• Elisabeth Th. Hilscher-Fritz, Monika Kornberger: "Krausz, Michael" in: Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon, Vienna 2002, ISBN 3-7001-3045-7
• Károly Kristóf, Péter Ujvári (eds.): "Krausz, Michael", in: Magyar zsidó lexikon (Hungarian Hebrew Dictionary), Budapest 1929, p. 514
• Aladár Schöpflin (ed.): "Krausz, Michael" in: Magyar Színművészeti Lexikon [Hungarian Dictionary of the Performing Arts], Országos Színészegyesület Nyugdíjintézete, Budapest 1929–1931, vol. 3, p. 54 (Online )
• Article about Michael Krausz in: Der Humorist, nr. 24, vol. 44, Vienna, December 24, 1924, p. 2
• Kurt Gänzl: The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre, 2nd ed., Schirmer Books, New York 2001, vol. 2, ISBN 0-02-864970-2, pp. 1008, 1114–1115.
• Amadé Németh: A magyar operett története [History of the Hungarian Operetta], Anno Kiadó, Budapest 2002, ISBN 963-375-080-6, p. 104.
• "A vitás négy taktus" [The controversial four bars] in: 8 Órai Ujság [8 O'clock Paper], 17 May 1934, p. 9.
• Budapester Zeitung, 1934, citation after: café momus, November 5, 2016

• Media related to Michael Krasznay-Krausz at Wikimedia Commons
• Michael Krauss at IMDb