The organisation of theatres in the German Empire is quite different and
widely different the results! Let us take only the Court theatres
(Hoftheater), such as the opera houses of Berlin, Munich, Dresden,
Wiesbaden, Stuttgart, Carlsruhe and Darmstadt in Germany, those of
Vienna and Prague in Austria, and the municipal theatre of Frankfort.
These theatres are under the general direction of Court dignitaries,
such as H.E. Count Hochberg in Berlin and H.S.H. Prince von Lichtenstein
in Vienna, and under the effective management of Imperial "Intendants"
in Vienna and Berlin, a Royal "Intendant" at Munich, Dresden, Wiesbaden,
Stuttgart and Prague, Grand-Ducal at Carlsruhe and Darmstadt, and
municipal at Frankfort.
The "Intendants" do not participate either in the risks or profits of
the theatre, but receive a fixed yearly salary varying between 20,000
and 30,000 marks (L1000 to L1500). They have absolute freedom in the
reception of works, the engagements of artists, the selection of
programmes and repertory, and are answerable only to the Sovereign,
whose Civil List provides the subsidy, balances accounts, and
contributes to the settling of retiring pensions of the _personnel_.
The Berlin Opera House receives a yearly subvention of 900,000 marks, or
L45,000.
The Vienna Opera House has 300,000 florins (about L25,000) for a season
of ten months. The deficit, however, if any, is made good from the
Emperor's Privy Purse.
The King of Saxony puts 480,000 marks (L24,000) at the disposal of Count
Intendant Seebach. It is interesting to note that in 1897 only 437,000
marks were actually spent. The orchestra of the Dresden Opera House does
not figure in the budget, its members being Royal "servants" engaged for
life and paid by the Crown.
At Munich it is the same, the orchestra being charged to the Civil List
of the Regent of Bavaria. The cost is 250,000 marks (L12,500), and a
similar sum is granted to Intendant Possart for the two theatres he
manages (Hof and Residenz). The season lasts eleven months.
Wiesbaden comes next with a subvention of 400,000 marks, (L20,000)
granted by the Emperor of Germany as King of Prussia. The season is of
ten months' duration.
The Court Theatre at Stuttgart is open for ten months, and the Royal
subvention to Baron von Putlitz, the Intendant, is 300,000 marks
(L15,000).
The same sum is granted by the Grand Duke of Baden to the Carlsruhe
theatre for a season of ten months.
The subvention of Darmstadt is only 250,000 marks (L12,500), the season
lasting but nine months.
The States of Bohemia grant a sum of 180,000 florins (L15,000 odd) to
the theatres of Prague for a season of eleven months. 100,000 florins
(L8000 odd) of this sum are destined for the National Tcheque Theatre.
Frankfort, as an ancient free city, does not enjoy the privileges of
princely liberality, and has to put up with municipal help, which
amounts to a yearly donation of 200,000 marks (L10,000) for a season of
eleven months, and then the Conscript Fathers contrive to get one-half
of their money back by exacting a duty of 30 pfennigs on every ticket
sold. A syndicate, with a capital of L12,500, has been formed to help
the municipal institution.--Mr Claar.
The chief advantages of Court theatres consist in a guarantee against
possible deficit, and freedom from taxes; and this enables the
Intendants to price the seats in their theatres, in a manner which makes
the best opera accessible to the most modest purse. The prices of stalls
in German theatres vary between 3 and 6 marks or 3 to 4 florins. (3s. to
6s. or 7s). Other seats are priced in proportion, and a considerable
reduction is made in favour of subscribers. These are simply legion, and
at Wiesbaden the management have been compelled to limit their number.
The table below, shows at a glance the price of stalls in some of the
chief German theatres. I give the average figure, the price varying
according to the order of the row.
Vienna 4 fls. (about 7s.)
Berlin 6 mks. (6s.)
Munich }
Wiesbaden } 5 mks. (5s.)
Frankfort }
Prague (Nat. Th.) 3 fls. (about 5s.)
" (German Th.) 2.50 (about 4s.)
Dresden } 4 mks. (4s.)
Stuttgart }
Darmstadt 3.50 (3s. 6d.)
Carlsruhe 3 mks. (3s.)
The subscriptions are divided into four series, giving each the right to
two performances weekly, but of course anyone can subscribe for more
than one series. A yearly subscription comprises--at Berlin and Prague,
280 performances; at Vienna, 260; at Munich, 228; at Wiesbaden, 200;
and at Frankfort, 188. To subscribers the prices of stalls are as
follows:--
Vienna 3 fls. 7 kr. (6s.)
Wiesbaden 5 mks. (5s.)
Berlin 4.50 (4s. 6d.)
Frankfort 3.51 (3s. 6d.)
Munich 3.47 (3s. 6d.)
Darmstadt 2 mks. (2s.)
Prague 1 florin (1s. 9d.)
These figures suffice to prove the colossal benefit princely patronage
and subvention bestow on the theatre-goer, in putting a favourite
entertainment within the reach of the masses. Moreover, the German
opera-goer is catered for both in quality and quantity.
As regards quality, he has the pick of the masterpieces of every school,
nation and repertory. Gluck, Spontini, Cherubini, Auber, Herold,
Boieldieu, Mozart, Beethoven and Weber hobnob on the yearly programmes
with Wagner, Verdi, Mascagni, Puccini, Giordano and Leoncavallo, to cite
a few names only. As regards quantity, the following details speak for
themselves--I take the theatrical statistics for the year 1895-1896:--
The Berlin Opera House produces 60 various works--52 operas and 8
ballets.
The Vienna Opera House 74 works--53 operas and 21 ballets.
The New German Theatre at Prague--45 operas, 11 light operas and two
ballets.
The Frankfort Theatre--60 operas, 11 operettes, 4 ballets and 13 great
spectacular pieces.
At Carlsruhe--47 operas and 1 ballet.
At Wiesbaden--43 operas and 6 ballets.
At Darmstadt--48 operas, 2 operettes and 5 ballets.
At Hanover--37 operas.
At the National Theatre, Prague--48 operas and 6 ballets.
At Stuttgart--53 operas and 5 ballets.
At Munich--53 operas and 2 ballets.
At Dresden--56 operas, 5 ballets and 4 oratorios.
These are splendid results of enterprise properly encouraged, and I am
giving only a fraction of the information in my possession, for there
are no less than ninety-four theatres in Europe, where opera is
performed in German, and of these seventy-nine are sufficiently well
equipped to mount any great work of Wagner's, Meyerbeer's, etc.
Most of these theatres produce every year one new work at least, and
thus the repertory is constantly renewed and augmented.
Every German theatre has attached to it a "choir school," where girls
are admitted from their fifteenth year and boys from their seventeenth.
They are taught _solfeggio_ and the principal works of the repertory.
The classes are held in the early morning, so as not to interfere with
the pursuit of the other avocations of the pupils; but each receives,
nevertheless, a small yearly salary of 600 marks (L30). These studies
last two years, and during that time the pupils have often to take part
in performances, receiving special remuneration for their services. When
they are considered sufficiently well prepared, they pass an
examination, and are appointed chorus-singers at a salary of 1000 to
1800 marks (L50 to L90) a year, and are entitled besides to a special
fee (_Spielgeld_) of 1s. 6d. to 2s. 6d. per performance for an ordinary
chorus-singer, and 2s. to 5s. for a soloist. If we reckon that a
chorus-singer, can take part on an average in some 250 performances in a
year, at an average fee of, say, 2s. each, we find that his income is
increased by a sum of L25, a very decent competence. Nor is this all. In
the smallest German towns, in the most modest theatres, there exist
"pension funds" for all theatrical artists and _employes_. These funds
are fed:--
(1.) By a yearly donation from the Sovereign's Privy Purse.
(2.) By retaining from 1 per cent. to 5 per cent. on the
salaries of members.
(3.) From benefit concerts and performances.
(4.) From all kinds of donations, legacies, fines, etc.
At Stuttgart the King takes charge of all the pensions, except of those
of widows and orphans, who are provided for from another fund.
At Munich the King furnishes the original capital with a sum of 200,000
marks (L10,000), and to-day the fund has over 1,000,000 marks at its
disposal. Eight years' service entitles a member to a full pension.
At Prague six years' service gains a pension, but the average period
throughout Germany is ten years.
There are scores of additional points of great interest, in connection
with the working of German subsidised theatres. The above suffices,
however, for the purpose of showing the immense advantage of a system of
State-aided Art, a system that might serve as a model to a country about
to embark on similar enterprises. I will add one detail more. There
being no author's society in Germany, as in France, the theatrical
managers treat with music publishers direct for the performing rights of
scores which they own. The old repertory costs, as a rule, very little,
and the rights of new works are charged generally from 5 per cent. to 7
per cent. on the gross receipts. Moreover, band parts and scores are not
hired, as in Italy, but bought outright, and remain in the library of
the theatre.