Franz Xaver Gerl low vocal range; Branscombe (1991) observes that the very low notes that Mozart included in the part of Sarastro have been "the despair of many a bass singer since." By 1787 he had joined the theatrical company of Emanuel Schikaneder, for which he sang the demanding role of Osmin in Mozart's opera "The Abduction from the Seraglio" and other roles. In 1789 the troupe settled at the Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna. Gerl participated in a system of joint composition used by Schikaneder's troupe, in which "Singspiele" were produced rapidly by having several composers collaborate. As such, Gerl may
Vladimir Rosing he directed "Tosca", "The Barber of Seville", and "Faust" in 1947 with an up-and-coming young bass named Jerome Hines. In 1948 the National Opera Association of Los Angeles, under his direction, presented "The Beggar's Opera", "The Abduction from the Seraglio", "Pagliacci", "Rigoletto", "Faust", and "La traviata" with soprano Jean Fenn. Productions of "The Marriage of Figaro", "The Queen of Spades", and "Don Giovanni" with the American Opera Company of Los Angeles completed 1948. For KFI-TV in 1949 Rosing presented 46 weeks of live televised opera sequences on Sunday afternoons which were voted Outstanding Musical Program of Local Origin by the