LEHAR, FRANZ

born April 30, 1870, Komrom, Hung., Austria-Hungary died Oct. 24, 1948, Bad Ischl, Austria Hungarian composer of operettas who achieved worldwide success with Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow). He studied at the Prague Conservatory. Encouraged by Antonn Dvork to follow a musical career, Lehr traveled in Austria as a bandmaster from 1890. In 1896 he produced his operetta Kukuschka. In The Merry Widow (1905), with libretto by Viktor Lon and Leo Stein, Lehr created a new style of Viennese operetta, introducing waltz tunes and imitations of the Parisian cancan dances as well as a certain satirical element. Its success was such that two years later it was played at Buenos Aires at five theatres simultaneously. Many other operettas by Lehr followed and became well known in England and the United States under their English titles. Among them were The Man with Three Wives (1908), The Count of Luxembourg (1909), Gypsy Love (1910), and The Land of Smiles (1923). Several of his works were filmed, including The Merry Widow and The Land of Smiles. He wrote a single grand opera, Giuditta (1934), which was less successful.