Paul Lincke

Carl Emil Paul Lincke (7 November 1866 – 3 September 1946) was a German composer and theater conductor. He is considered the “father” of the Berlin operetta. His well-known compositions include “Berliner Luft” (“Berlin Air”), the unofficial anthem of Berlin, from his operetta Frau Luna; and “The Glow-Worm”, from his operetta Lysistrata. Early life Lincke was born on 7 November 1866 in the Jungfernbrücke district of Berlin. He was the son of magistrate August Lincke and his wife Emilie. His father played the violin in several small orchestras. When Paul was only five years old his father died. Emilie moved with her three children to Adalbertstraße, and later to Eisenbahnstraße, near Lausitzer Platz. Lincke’s early musical inclinations were towards military music. His mother sent him after the completion of secondary school education to Wittenberge. Here he was trained in the Wittenberg City Band under Rudolf Kleinow as a bassoonist. He also learned to play the tenor horn, the drums, the piano and the violin. Career Performance and early compositions Instead of pursuing a career as a military musician, Lincke secured employment as a bassoonist at Berlin’s Central Theatre, under Adolf