Musicatlas
Music
Composer of operetta. He was famous in Berlin where his operettas Toni From Vienna, Katharina, Münchhausen, Agri, Das Milliarden Souper were first perfomed. His new version of Karl Millöcker’s operetta Gasparone was also first performed in Berlin. His song Dunkelrote Rosen became a wellknown hit.
Life
Ernest Steffan was born in Vienna in 1896. He moved to Berlin in the 1920s. There he became successful and popular in the world of operetta. When at the peak of his career, with three operettas showing in Berlin’s West End, he left Germany for England to escape from Hitler. In London he worked teaching singing, writing film music and later musicals. He was married twice and had three daughters. Two of his six grandchildren carry on his musical talent, studying piano, violin and flute.