Hansel and Gretel (opera) Hansel and Gretel (opera) Hansel and Gretel (German: ) is an opera by nineteenth-century composer Engelbert Humperdinck, who described it as a "" (fairy-tale opera). The libretto was written by Humperdinck's sister, Adelheid Wette, based on the Grimm brothers' fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel". It is much admired for its folk music-inspired themes, one of the most famous being the "" ("Evening Benediction") from act 2. The idea for the opera was proposed to Humperdinck by his sister, who approached him about writing music for songs that she had written for her children for Christmas based on "Hansel and Gretel".
Wilhelm Busch unknown artist without regular income. In his early Munich years Busch's attempts to write libretti, which are almost forgotten today, were unsuccessful. Up to 1863 he worked on two or three major works; the third was composed by Georg Kremplsetzer. Busch's "Liebestreu und Grausamkeit", a romantic opera in three acts, "Hansel und Gretel" and "Der Vetter auf Besuch", an opera buffa of sorts, were not particularly successful. There was a dispute between Busch and Kremplsetzer during the staging of "Der Vetter auf Besuch", leading to the removal of Busch's name from the production; the piece was renamed "Singspiel von Georg