Wiener Theaterzeitung

Cover "Wiener Theaterzeitung"

Wiener Theaterzeitung 1806 – 1860
ed. by Alfred Estermann

a total of 49,077 pages and about 800 supplements on 532 microfiches
1998, ISBN 3-89131-296-2

Diazo (negative): EUR 3,480.– / Silver (negative): EUR 4,176.–

There are three remarkable things about the Wiener Theaterzeitung, which appeared for more than half a century – between 1806 and 1860.

The first aspect concerns its title: the only thing which is correct is the naming of the place. However, it is not a paper of which one could expect political news and commentaries, because these topics (except for a short intermezzo in 1848/49) were excluded from it. Instead, it was more of a periodical, even for the fact that it appeared several times a week.

Furthermore, the editorial staff did not focus on theater alone. Already in its second year of publishing the periodical's title had changed to Zeitung für Theater, Musik und Poesie (Periodical for Theater, Music, and Poetry). From then on its pages were filled with reports on cultural and entertaining news from the metropolis Vienna and from all other major European capitals.

Secondly, even though it changed its title as often as 20 times within only 54 years (no other paper is recorded to have done so), the paper had an extraordinarily loyal readership. In addition to that, its circulation climbed into the 5,000 to 6,000 – a remarkable result for that time. In addition to that, the periodical was distributed in the entire German speaking area.

And thirdly, the Wiener Theaterzeitung was the leading paper what journalistic innovations are concerned: it gradually enlarged its format, it introduced high-speed printing machines, it set up its own net of correspondants, and it also added copper-colored supplements.

For its publisher and only editor, Adolf Bäuerle, the periodical meant his life's work. (Do to the many title changes his contemporaries already called the paper Bäuerles Theaterzeitung.) Without doubt the Wiener Theaterzeitung counts as one of the leading European papers of the «pre-March» period and after. Its massive material of historical sources is invaluable for theater, music, literature, fashion, and social life. It can also be regarded as a cultural-historical thesaurus full of theater reviews and essays, including texts of drama, prose, and lyrics, but also matters of topical interest in any (mostly short) form.

Today, hardly any library is in possession of the entire periodical. Therefore, this complete microfiche edition manages to give a fair picture of the paper's achievement.

Alfred Estermann