At the Überbrettl
Berlin, January 1901: Ernst von Wolzogen founded the first cabaret theater, the "Überbrettl," located at the Alexanderplatz and modeled after the Parisian "Chat noir." One of his later fellow-militants, Otto Julius Bierbaum, characterized the vision of the modern cabaret in his novel "Stilpe" as follows: "We intend to overthrow this absurd world! We are going to hail the indecent as the only decent thing. [...] We are going to make this morally clattering world merry, and even merrier, merry and insolent!" Wolzogen"s much idolized Friedrich Nietzsche, whose "Über-mensch" stood godfather to the naming of the cabaret, because Wolzogen"s cabaret was meant to be more than just a variety theater or glittery nightclub, but rather a "Überbrettl" ("super-theater"). The opening program, in which Christian Morgenstern, among others, recited an imaginary critique by Alfred Kerr about the actual evening, and Bierbaum"s scene "Der lustige Ehemann" ("The jovial husband"), with music composed by Oscar Straus, had to be repeated three times, turned out to be a huge success. While on tour at a guest performance at Vienna"s Carl Theater in the summer of 1901, Wolzogen met Arnold Schönberg. Schönberg showed him some songs he had composed between April and September of 1901, with texts he had taken from an anthology of "German Chansons," which also contained the texts from the "Überbrettl." For his 1901/02 season, Wolzogen obtained the "Nachtwandler," ("Night Wanderer"), based on a text by Gustav Falke, which he found to be "highly original and musically delightful," as well as "Jedem das Seine" ("To Each His Own"). The "Brettl-Lieder," named after the place for which they were created, led to Schönberg"s appointment as conductor of the "Überbrettl," which he assumed on 16 December 1901, and also to his first move to Berlin. At this time, Wolzogen had just moved to a new theater in the Köpenicker Straße that he had had built for him by the Jugendstil architect, August Endell. The interior, from the rows of seats to the aprons worn by the ushers selling programs, was done in pain- stakingly harmonized, pastel colors, while the ceilings were painted in pointilistic fashion. Soon after the première on 28 November, the establishment called "Wolzogen"s Buntes Theater" ("Wolzogen"s Colorful Theater") became the favorite meeting place for the elegant crowd of Berlin. However this was not Schönberg"s world. Already in April 1902, Schönberg had asked his friends to try to secure him a position in Vienna. Despite the initial popularity of "Wolzogen"s Colorful Theater," the enterprise soon fell into a financial crisis: for those who came for art, there was too much song and dance, for those seeking entertainment, it was too literary. Heavily in debt, Wolzogen abandoned the business in 1902, and Schönberg"s contract, which was to extend to July 1902, was not renewed. In his "Brettl-Lieder," Schönberg composed the characters of the songs in a satiric vein, often intensifying them to the point of being grotesque. Presumably the musical quality of the "Überbrettl" orchestra was not exactly the best. Schönberg"s "Night Wanderer" failed at its world première, since the trumpeter was not up to the difficulties of the score.
