Fritz

A young struggling composer from the opera Der ferne Klang (The Distant Sound) by Franz Schreker. Although Schreker started it in 1901, it did not premiere until 1912.

Fritz (no last name given) is probably Austrian, like Schreker. He and Grete Graumann are young, poor, and in love. Fritz wants to marry her, but first he thinks he must go compose a great work, the "distant sound" of the title he hears in his head. Unfortunately, this has Grete ending up a courtesan in Venice ten years later when they next meet. Fritz sought her out to ask her to marry her, even though he has not yet found that distant sound. But when he finds out about the courtesan thing, he leaves disappointed.

Five years later, Fritz's opera, Die Harfe (The Harp), is premiering. The audience likes the first half, but then riots cause it hates the second half and audiences took their opera seriously back then. Grete, back in town, hears about the riot and finds Fritz, who just realized he shouldn't have pushed the only woman he ever loved away twice and wasted fifteen years of his life. They embrace and finally Fritz hears the distant sound! He rewrites the end of the opera, pausing only to die in his love's arms before he can finish. Doh.