Boccaccio, Act II, 1924 (pastel on paper)

Performance of Von Suppe's Boccaccio at the Großes Schauspielhaus. In parallel with, and often rivalling, the younger Strauss, a constellation of other composers active in Austria and Germany continued the trends originally set by Offenbach, introducing ad hoc in response to popular demand more of the traditional ‘Viennese’ elements of comedy and Singspiel. Among the most prolific of these was Franz von Suppé (really Francesco Ezecchiele Ermenegildo, Cavaliere Suppé-Demelli, 1819-1895). An aristocrat-turned-conductor of Dalmatian origin, Suppé penned more than 200 works for the stage, including thirty-odd light operas and operettas of which several enjoyed high popularity in Vienna. His 1860 work Das Pensionat has, rightly or wrongly, been pinpointed as ‘the first Viennese operetta’, but his most enduring success was Boccaccio (1879), from which comes the superbly lyrical Hab’ ich nur deine Liebe, seamlessly delivered by Vienna-born star tenor Julius Patzak (1898-1974).