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
Kurt Rydl "The Abduction from the Seraglio". He debuted in 1976 at the Vienna State Opera as Ferrando ("Il trovatore"). From there he went on to sing Colline ("La Bohème"), Pimen ("Boris Godunov"), Grand Inquisitor ("Don Carlo"), Commendatore ("Don Giovanni"), Osmin ("The Abduction from the Seraglio"), Rocco ("Fidelio"), Daland ("The Flying Dutchman"), Roger ("Jérusalem"), King Henry ("Lohengrin"), Raimondo ("Lucia di Lammermoor"), Geronte ("Manon Lescaut"), Talbot ("Maria Stuarda"), Veit Pogner ("Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg"), Bartolo ("Il Barbiere di Siviglia"), Titurel and Gurnemanz ("Parsifal"), Sparafucile ("Rigoletto"), Fasolt ("Das Rheingold"), Hunding ("Die Walküre"), Fafner ("Siegfried"), Hagen ("Götterdammerung"), Ochs ("Der Rosenkavalier") Morosus ("Die schweigsame Frau"), Landgraf