About the work
Flotte Bursche (Jolly Fellows) is a comic operetta in one act by Franz von Suppé, with a libretto by Joseph Braun. It premiered on 18 April 1863 at the Theater am Franz-Josefs-Kai in Vienna; its overture is built entirely from Heidelberg student songs.
Plot
A group of Heidelberg students help the young craftsman Anton marry his beloved Lieschen after his miserly guardian Hieronymus Geier refuses to release his father's inheritance. Disguised as an Italian painter, an English lord and a servant, the students trick Geier into buying a worthless painting and give the swindled money to the couple for their wedding.
Cultural significance
According to contemporary accounts, “almost every number” had to be repeated at the premiere, and Suppé carefully documented the origin of every student song he used. The work is an early example of his skill in weaving popular tunes into operetta form.