Franz Schalk (1863-1931) was an Austrian conductor, closely associated with the Vienna State Opera and the Vienna Philharmonic. He was one of the major Viennese conductors of the early twentieth century.

In the Pristine catalogue he appears in Beethoven and Schubert recordings from the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Schalk’s conducting belonged to the old Viennese tradition, with roots in opera, symphonic music and the first age of electrical recording. His work preserves a valuable pre-war performance style.

His page is essential for the historic-conductor strand. Schalk stands close enough to the nineteenth century that the old doors are still swinging behind him.