Léopold de Wenzel (23 January 1847 – 21 August 1923), also known as Leopold Wenzel, was an Italian-born conductor and composer, known for his ballets and contributions to Edwardian musical comedies, who spent most of his career in Britain.
Biography
Born in Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Wenzel spent most of his career working in London, with the exception of some years spent in Paris.Opera Glass Wenzel was appointed as musical director, music arranger and ballet composer at the Empire Theatre of Varieties in London in 1889, where he wrote and arranged numerous ballets. Later, he conducted at the Gaiety Theatre in London until 1913."Retirement of Gaiety Conductor", The Observer, 23 February 1913, p. 10 In addition to ballets, his many works include art songs, orchestral works, and operas in the late Victorian era and early Edwardian period. Some of his songs were incorporated into Edwardian musical comedies.Richards, Jeffrey.Imperialism and Music: Britain 1876–1953, pp. 258–60 (2002) Manchester University Press He died in Asnières, near Paris, on 21 August 1923.Profile of Wenzel
Selected works Ballets with choreographer Katti Lanner at the Empire:Guest, "Appendix A: Ballets Produced at the Empire Theatre, 1884-1915" A Dream of Wealth (1889) Cécile (1890) Dolly (1890) Orfeo (1891)Guest, "Appendix C: Some Empire Ballets: Selected Scenarios" By the Sea (1891) Nisita (1891) Versailles (1892) Round the Town (1892) Katrina (1893) The Girl I Left Behind Me (1893) Brighton (Paris Olympia music hall)Poster from "Grand Ballet: Brighton" at the Olympia Monte Cristo (1896) Under One Flag (1897) The Press (1898) Alaska (1898) Round the Town Again (1899) Sea-Side (1900) Les Papillons (1901) Old China (1901) Our Crown (1902) The Milliner Duchess (1903) Vineland (1903) High Jinks (1904)
Operas Le Chevalier Mignon (1884, Paris) L'Élève du Conservatoire (1894, Paris)
Other works Cinder Ellen up too late (1891), a burlesque on the fairy tale Cinderella (additional numbers) An Artist's Model, an Edwardian musical comedy (1895) (additional numbers)Johnson, Colin, M. Links to Midi files for songs in An Artist's Model, including the songs composed by Wenzel, The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive, accessed 31 March 2018
Notes
References Guest, Ivor. The Empire Ballet (1962) London:Society for Theatre Research