Ascher, Leo

Ascher, Leo, Austrian composer; b. Vienna, Aug. 17, 1880; d. N.Y., Feb. 25, 1942. He received training in law and music. The success of his first operetta, Vergeltsgott or Der Bettlerklub (Vienna, Oct. 14, 1905), encouraged him to devote himself to composing for the theater. His first major work, Die arme Lori (Vienna, March 12, 1909), was followed by his first notable success, Hoheit tanzt Walzer (Vienna, Feb. 24, 1912); then followed the highly successful scores Was tut man nicht alies aus Liebe (Vienna, Dec. 17, 1914), Botschafterin Leni (Vienna, Feb. 19, 1915), Der Soldat der Marie (Berlin, Sept. 2, 1916), Egon und seine Frauen (Berlin, Aug. 25, 1917), and Bruder Leichtsinn (Vienna, Dec. 28, 1917). Among his later works were Der Künstlerpreis (Vienna, Oct. 1, 1919), Was Mädchen träumen (Vienna, Dec. 6, 1919), Princessin Friedl (Berlin, May 14, 1920), Zwölf Uhr Nachts! (Vienna, Nov. 12, 1920), Baronesschen Sarah (Berlin, Dec. 25, 1920), Ein Jahr ohne Liebe (Berlin, Jan. 12, 1923), Sonja (Vienna, March 6, 1925), Das Amorettenhaus (Hamburg, Jan. 1926), Ich hab’ dich Lieb...(Vienna, April 16, 1926), Ninon am Scheideweg (Berlin, Dec. 27, 1926), Frühling in Wienerwald (Vienna, April 17, 1930), and Bravo Peggy! (Leipzig, March 27, 1932). He also composed film scores for Purpur und Waschblau (1931) and Mein Leopold (1932). His last stage work was Um ein bisschen Liebe (Vienna, June 5, 1936). With the Anschluss in 1938, Ascher emigrated to the U.S.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire