During the first half of the 1840s, Suppé composed about 25 scores for the director of the Theater in der Josefstadt and also worked as a singer. These scores were generally for provincial theaters in and around Vienna, and in Bratislava and Sopron. Not really full-scale operettas, they are best regarded as plays with songs, usually with an overture. One of these was Ein Morgen, ein Mittag und ein Abend in Wien (Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna), which opened at the Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna on February 26, 1844. The play closed after three nights, but the overture was a huge success.

As in many of Suppé's early scores, the overture to Ein Morgen, ein Mittag und ein Abend in Wien is infused with a lyricism developed from the composer's study with Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) and rhythmic manipulation learned from his perusal of works by Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868). Like Rossini, Suppé repeats eight- or 16-measure melodic ideas, adding instruments and volume each time to increase intensity. Essentially an ABA structure, this overture contrasts a slow, lyrical middle section with boisterous music that both opens and closes the piece.

An attention-grabbing bang begins the overture. The first theme then sounds quietly on pizzicato strings before a ponderous brass chorale takes over. After a seemingly random outburst from the strings, the opening bang sounds again, followed by the pizzicato string melody. Thus far, the orchestration has been very colorful, shifting from dense to thin textures before the full orchestra closes the opening section with a firm cadence.

All of the preceding music turns out to be the introduction to an extended cello solo, featuring a plaintive melody over a waltz accompaniment on pizzicato strings. The pleasantly rounded melody happens twice before the full orchestra takes over, providing a new closure to the tune in the high strings. The cello takes over once again, ending its passage with an expressive, rising line that stops abruptly when the opening bang returns. Once again, the pizzicato theme follows, but this time it is interspersed with more outbursts and leads to a moment of total silence.

Unexpectedly, a new, very active tune begins and moves along with increasing intensity. Yet another new melody, built on a dotted figure reminiscent of Rossini, enters and initiates the repetition of short melodic fragments as the dynamic and rhythmic intensity grows. Finally, a reference to the opening bang closes the piece.



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