Developments in Viennese operetta in Johann Strauss, Franz Lehár, and Robert Stolz.

The first immensely popular composer of Viennese operetta was Johann Strauss. Later composers, including Franz Lehár and Robert Stolz, became famous and wealthy for continuing the traditions of the genre as codified by Strauss. The most notable works of these composers either became part of the standard repertory or are considered historically important for the development of light opera and musical theater in some way. Therefore, I studied the most important elements of the genre, namely the waltz, exoticism, and local color, and compared how each composer used these common building blocks in their most successful operettas.