Franz Wild

Franz Wild (31 December 1791 – 1 January 1860) was an Austrian operatic tenor. In a very successful career he appeared in operas and in concerts in Austria and Germany, and was engaged for many years at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna.

Life Early life and career Wild was born on the New Year's Eve of 1791 in Niederhollabrunn, near Vienna. From 1799 he sang in the choir of Klosterneuburg Monastery, where his musical talent was noted. In 1804 he became a singer in the Wiener Hofmusikkapelle, sent there by Antonio Salieri from whom he received lessons. He attended the Schottengymnasium in Vienna, and was a member of the chorus of the Theater in der Josefstadt, the Theater in der Leopoldstadt, and later in the Theater am Kärntnertor (the Royal Court Theatre) where he was given small solo parts.

Through the mediation of Johann Nepomuk Hummel he was engaged in 1810 with the court orchestra of Nikolaus II, Prince Esterházy at Eisenstadt. In 1811 he was engaged by Ferdinánd Pálffy at the Theater an der Wien, where his debut was as Ramiro in Cinderella by Nicolas Isouard. From 1814 he was also in the court theatre. He had success in many operas including Mozart's The Magic Flute (as Tamino) and Don Giovanni (as Don Ottavio, later as Don Giovanni). In 1814 he married Maria Josepha Theresia von Kirchstetten, an actress at the Theater an der Wien.

Meetings with Beethoven In his autobiography Blätter der Erinnerung, published in 1860, Wild reminisces about encounters with Ludwig van Beethoven. Wild's performance of Beethoven's song "Adelaide" impressed him such that he was willing to accompany him, and intended to orchestrate the accompaniment; instead he composed for Wild the song "An die Hoffnung" ("To Hope") Op. 94, which he accompanied at a concert.

Description His biographer in the Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich (1888) wrote: "His sounds were praised for rare tonal beauty, strength and fullness; they always flowed easily, naturally and unforced from his mouth. Although not tall, he was handsome and firmly built, he had eyes full of fire, an expressive face and all the capabilities necessary to make his movements effective, which in themselves were always natural, full of life and quite without exaggeration."