Franz Lehar

Franz Lehár was born in Komáron (now in Slovakia) as eldest son of a bandmaster in the Austro-Hungarian army. He studied violin en composition but was told by Antonin Dvorak that he'd better give up playing and focus on writing music.

He died in Bad Ischl.

Operettas

• The Merry Widow[?] (Die Lustige Witwe) (1905)
• The Count of Luxembourg[?] (1909)
• Frederica[?] (1928)
• The Land of Smiles[?] (Das Land des Lachelns) (1929)

Individual songs from some of these have become standards, notably "Vilja" from The Merry Widow and "You are my Heart's Delight" from The Land of Smiles.