BACKGROUND TO…

Franz von Suppé (1819-95)

Born in Dalmatia of Belgian descent (he was christened Francesco Ezechiele Ermenegildo Cavaliere Suppé-demelli), Suppé learned to play the flute as a boy. After his father’s death, he went to Vienna with his mother and studied at the Conservatory. He was a conductor at various theatres, and himself sang in opera, making his debut at Ödenburg in 1842 as Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore. He composed several serious works, including a Requiem (1855), but is most remembered as the composer of tuneful operettas.