Lincke, Paul
Biography
Paul Lincke (1866-1946) is the German composer of light music, the author of the march "Berlin Air" (Berliner Luft), which became the unofficial anthem of the German capital.
Paul Lincke studied bassoon, French horn and percussion instruments, then played in different dance orchestras in Berlin, sometimes performed as a conductor, was composing small pieces. In the early 1890s he gained popularity as a composer of popular songs and romances, since 1893, he conducted in variety theatres, including “The Apollo” in Berlin. Real popularity came to the composer after his operetta "Frau Luna" premiered in 1899, followed by other scenic works of the same genre. The orchestral fragments and songs from these operettas, filled with lightness and elegance, melodic simplicity, quickly became known not only in Germany, but also beyond its borders that made it possible to address Paul Lincke as the main creator of operetta music in Berlin, similar with Offenbach in Paris or Johann Strauss in Vienna.
After World War I, the music of Lincke music became an integral part of musical performances in cabaret and other "light" music venues. In 1941, the composer received the title of an honorary citizen of Berlin. Among the operettas that he composed were "Venus on Earth" (Venus auf Erden) (1897, Berlin); "Frau Luna" (1899, Berlin); "Lysistrata" (1902, Berlin); "Casanova" (1913, Darmstadt), etc.; songs, romances, marches and other orchestral works.
