Charles Klein

The Music Master Charles Klein

Charles Klein (1867 - 1915) was an English-born playwright and actor who emigrated to America. Klein moved to New York City in 1883 and began his theatrical career by appearing in Little Lord Fauntleroy and other juvenile roles. Among his works was the libretto of John Philip Sousa's operetta, El Capitan. He came into prominence as a dramatist in 1897 with the Charles Frohman production of Heartsease. Klein's melodramas focused on contemporary life in America and were among the most successful of the first decade of the twentieth century. The Music Master (1904) was a huge success. The Music Master tells the story of a successful father who, when his wife "elopes" kidnapping their daughter, drops everything to devote his life to finding his little girl. Detectives take advantage of him and he ends up broke. He eventually accidentally finds his now adult daughter.