1807.] Pezzl's Sketches of Vienna in 1808. 329 
eution) attacking poor Thespis, who, with 
a@ most deplorable face, stands in the 
middle, at a loss which way to turn, and 
is rescued from this perilous situation by 
a little genius with a flaming sword, 
The ‘amphitheatre has a pleasing ap- 
pearance ; it is sky blue with silver. It 
contains eighteen boxes, two pits, and 
four ealleries, one above the other. In 
order to gain room, the seats are placed 
rather closer than is convenient. Upon 
the whole, the theatre is better planned 
than the others of this city. 
Schikaneder gave pantomimes, come- 
dies, and tragedies, and occasionally 
erand heroic operas, as they were called, 
principally of his own composition. In 
two years a merchant, of tle name of 
Zitterbart, who had taken agreat part in 
the erection of the theatre, purchased the 
patent, the theatre itself, the wardrobe, 
together with all the scenery and decora- 
tions of M. Schikaneder, for the sum of 
100,000 guilders, and thus became the 
sole proprietor. Schikaneder was obliged 
to resign the management, retired to the 
country, and came but very seldum to 
perform some of his old parts. 
This state of things was not of long 
continuance. Schikaneder had such at- 
tractions for a certain class of the public, 
that they soon missed him, and so loudly 
expressed their wishes for his return, that 
Zitterbart was obliged to recall the indis- 
penusable man, and reinstate him in the 
management of his theatre. 
Zitterbart augmented the number of 
his performers, paid them good, nay, even 
extravagant salaries; contrived even to 
gain over some of the actors at the court- 
theatres, and paid particular attention to 
engage good singers of both sexes. Be- 
sides the favourite pieces peculiar to his 
stage, he now began to give chiefly operas 
borrowed from the theatres of P aris, 
which, in general, were executed ik 
great ability, and were so frequently 
changed for new ones, that his house was 
always well filled. 
The theatre on the Wien, which at 
first had rivalled only the Leopoldstadt 
theatre, now successfully vied with the 
court-theatres in the city. 
Among all the actors and singers be- 
longing to it, there is not, however, a 
single individual that is distinguished for 
superior talents; but chey have become 
s0 accustomed to each other, that they 
perform many piecesvery tolerably. This 
is the utmost that can be said of them; 
but yet they have among the inhabitants 
ef Vienna a whole host of enthusiastic 
admirers, both young and old, who like 
nothing that is acted at any of ‘the other 
theatres, and trudge hither, panting, in 
the heat of the dog-days, as through the 
snow-storms of January, to ‘sce the La- 
byrinth or the Walltron. 
Among the poets of this theatre, at 
least during the time of Schikaneder and 
Zitterbart, the principal were the ma- 
chinist, the decorator, and the tailor; 
and to the actors belonged a company of 
fusileers, and a squadron of cavalry ; for 
the encomiums so lavishly bestowed on 
those pieces generally begin with com- 
mendations of the beautiful decorations, 
the ingenious metamorphoses, and splen- 
did dresses. If a piece furnishes plenty 
of work for the infantry and cavalry, its 
success is certain; at such like represen- 
tations the cashiers have not hands 
enough to take money, and two or three 
hundred spectators are obliged to return 
home for want of room. 
itis absolutely necessary that it should 
be so, if the theatre is to be oon open. 
Under Zitterbart, the regular salaries of 
the persons belonging to it amounted to 
2,000 guilders per week, or 104,000 guil- 
ders a year. ‘To this must be added the 
expence of the decorations and ward- 
robe, the machinery, the lighting of the 
house, the mutes, a prodigious number of 
whom are constantly employed; the pay 
of the poets, translators, and composers; 
the maintenance of the building, &c. 
Reckoning all these at only half the 
amount of the salaries, the total annual 
expenditure of the theatre will amount 
to 158,000 guilders. 
Another change took place in the year 
1804. Baron Peter von Braun, patentee 
and vice director of the two court- 
theatres, purchased Zitterbart’s. interest 
im that of which I am speaking, for the 
round sum, as 1¢ is reported, of a mil- 
hon of guilders. He retained the whoie 
company except Schikaneder, who imme- 
diately seceded. The representations 
continued to be given on the plan adopt- 
ed by Zitterbart; and the French ope- 
ras in particular were kept up. 
Thus rea halfa year, when, wonderful 
o tell! the Baron von Braun again re- 
led Schikaneder, who had so suddenly 
jel and placed him, at the be- 
ginning of September, at the head of his 
so recently and dearly purchased theatre 
on the Wien. 
Thus it seems as though it were writ- 
ten in the book of fate, that Schikaneder 
should not exist without this theatre, nor 
this theatre without Scbikaneder. 
For 
