Teri Noel Towe <[log in to unmask]> asked:

>Then he told me that the announcer had said that the composer of this Valse
>Triste had committed suicide by jumping from the roof of the Zagreb Opera
>House.  I have never heard of any composer or performer for that matter who
>ended his or her life by so dramatic a means.  Any idea who this might be?

Sure:-) This was Oskar Nedbal, a Czech composer (1874-1930).  He is best
remembered as one of the first major composer of "pantomimes" (mimes),but
also wrote an opera, six operettas, piano pieces,...  His "Valse Triste" is
an exquisite piece indeed, hauntingly nostalgic, typical of Central Europe.
Actually the tune is rather well-known here in France, since it was used in
an TV commercials for cars, but probably very few people know who composed
it!

The reason why Nedbal committed suicide was that he was held responsible
for financial problems encountered by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra,
of which he was the chief conductor.  This situation probably was due to
global economic crisis, but one can assume that he was deeply affected by
the criticism.  As for the location, Zagreb is the capital city of Croatia,
but one has to remember that there were close connections between Croatia
and Prague at that time.  Fran Lhotka, who composed the first major
Croatian ballet, was of Czech origin, and he is not the only instance
of this.

I hope this helps,

Best wishes,

Thanh-Tam Le
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