Carl Maria von Weber - composer, founder of German romantic opera: biography and creativity. Weber Carl Maria von - biography

WEBER Max (Karl Emil Maximilian) (1864-1920) - German sociologist, philosopher and historian of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. Privatdozent, extraordinary professor in Berlin (since 1892), professor of national economics in Freiburg (since 1894) and Heidelberg (since 1896). Professor Emeritus

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WEBER, Karl Julius (Weber, Karl Julius, 1767–1832), German satirist 34 Beer is liquid bread. “Germany, or Letters from a German Traveling in Germany” (1826), vol. 1? Gefl. Worte,

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Coming from craft circles by origin, the composer’s father loved to flaunt to the public a non-existent title of nobility, a family coat of arms and the prefix “von” to the name Weber.

Coming from craft circles by origin, the composer’s father loved to show off his non-existent creations in front of the public.

Together with the traveling artists, the Weber family moved from place to place, so even in early childhood, Karl Maria got used to the atmosphere of the theater and became acquainted with the customs of the nomadic troupes. The result of such a life was the necessary knowledge of the theater and the laws of the stage for an opera composer, as well as rich musical experience.

Little Karl Maria had two hobbies - music and painting. The boy painted in oils, painted miniatures, he was also good at engraving compositions, and in addition, he knew how to play some musical instruments, including the piano.

In 1798, twelve-year-old Weber was lucky enough to become a student of Michael Haydn, the younger brother of the famous Joseph Haydn, in Salzburg. Lessons in theory and composition ended with the writing, under the guidance of the teacher, of six fuguettes, which, thanks to the efforts of his father, were published in the Universal Musical Newspaper.

The departure of the Weber family from Salzburg caused a change in music teachers. The unsystematic and varied nature of musical education was compensated by the versatile talent of young Karl Maria. By the age of 14, he had written quite a lot of works, including several sonatas and variations for piano, a number of chamber works, a mass, and the opera “The Power of Love and Hate,” which became Weber’s first such work.

Nevertheless, in those years the talented young man gained great fame as a performer and writer of popular songs. Moving from one city to another, he performed his own and other people's works to the accompaniment of a piano or guitar. Like his mother, Carl Maria Weber had a unique voice, significantly weakened by acid poisoning.

Neither the difficult financial situation nor constant travel could seriously affect the creative productivity of the gifted composer. The opera "The Maiden of the Forest" and the Singschpiel "Peter Schmoll and His Neighbors", written in 1800, received favorable reviews from Weber's former teacher, Michael Haydn. This was followed by numerous waltzes, ecosaises, four-hand piano pieces and songs.

Already in Weber's early, immature operatic works, a certain creative line can be traced - an appeal to the national democratic genre of theatrical art (all operas are written in the form of a singspiel - an everyday performance in which musical episodes and spoken dialogues coexist) and an attraction to fantasy.

Among Weber's many teachers, the collector of folk melodies, Abbot Vogler, the most popular scientific theorist and composer of his time, deserves special attention. Throughout 1803, the young man, under the guidance of Vogler, studied the work of outstanding composers, made a detailed analysis of their works and gained experience to write his great works. In addition, Vogler's school contributed to Weber's growing interest in folk art.

In 1804, the young composer moved to Breslavl, where he received a position as conductor and began updating the opera repertoire of the local theater. His active work in this direction met resistance from singers and orchestral players, and Weber resigned.

However, a difficult financial situation forced him to agree to any offers: for several years he was a bandmaster in Karlsruhe, then - the personal secretary of the Duke of Württemberg in Stuttgart. But Weber could not say goodbye to music: he continued to compose instrumental works and experimented in the genre of opera (“Silvana”).

In 1810, the young man was arrested on suspicion of participation in court scams and expelled from Stuttgart. Weber again became a traveling musician, traveling with concerts to numerous German and Swiss cities.

It was this talented composer who initiated the creation of the “Harmonious Society” in Darmstadt, designed to support and promote the works of its members through propaganda and criticism in the press. The society's charter was drawn up, and the creation of a “musical topography of Germany” was also planned, allowing artists to correctly navigate in a particular city.

During this period, Weber's passion for folk music intensified. In his free time, the composer went to the surrounding villages to “collect melodies.” Sometimes, impressed by what he heard, he immediately composed songs and performed them to the accompaniment of a guitar, causing exclamations of approval from the listeners.

During the same period of creative activity, the composer’s literary talent developed. Numerous articles, reviews and letters characterized Weber as an intelligent, thoughtful person, an opponent of routine, and at the forefront.

Being a champion of national music, Weber also paid tribute to foreign art. He especially highly valued the work of such French composers of the revolutionary period as Cherubini, Megul, Grétry and others. Special articles and essays were dedicated to them, and their works were performed. Of particular interest in the literary heritage of Carl Maria von Weber is the autobiographical novel “The Life of a Musician,” which tells the story of the difficult fate of a vagabond composer.

The composer did not forget about music. His works of 1810 – 1812 are distinguished by greater independence and skill. An important step on the path to creative maturity was the comic opera “Abu Hassan,” which traces the images of the master’s most significant works.

Weber spent the period from 1813 to 1816 in Prague as the head of the opera house, the following years he worked in Dresden, and everywhere his reform plans met stubborn resistance among theater bureaucrats.

The growth of patriotic sentiment in Germany in the early 1820s proved to be a saving grace for the work of Carl Maria von Weber. Writing music for the romantic-patriotic poems of Theodor Kerner, who participated in the 1813 war of liberation against Napoleon, brought the composer the laurels of a national artist.

Another patriotic work by Weber was the cantata “Battle and Victory,” written and performed in 1815 in Prague. It was accompanied by a brief summary of the content, which contributed to a better understanding of the work by the public. Subsequently, similar explanations were compiled for larger works.

The Prague period marked the beginning of the creative maturity of the talented German composer. Particularly noteworthy are the works of piano music he wrote at this time, into which new elements of musical speech and style texture were introduced.

Weber's move to Dresden in 1817 marked the beginning of a settled family life (by that time the composer had already married the woman he loved, former Prague opera singer Caroline Brandt). The active work of the advanced composer here, too, found few like-minded people among influential persons of the state.

In those years, preference was given to traditional Italian opera in the Saxon capital. Created at the beginning of the 19th century, the German national opera was deprived of the support of the royal court and aristocratic patrons.

Weber had to do a lot to establish the priority of national art over Italian. He managed to assemble a good team, achieve its artistic coherence and stage production of Mozart’s opera “Fidelio”, as well as works by French composers Megul (“Joseph in Egypt”), Cherubini (“Lodoisku”) and others.

The Dresden period became the pinnacle of Carl Maria Weber's creative activity and the final decade of his life. During this time, the best piano and opera works were written: numerous sonatas for piano, “Invitation to the Dance”, “Concerto-Stück” for piano and orchestra, as well as the operas “Freischütz”, “The Magic Shooter”, “Euryanthe” and “Oberon” ", indicating the path and directions for the further development of opera in Germany.

The production of The Magic Shooter brought Weber worldwide fame and fame. The idea of ​​writing an opera based on the folk tale about the “black hunter” originated with the composer back in 1810, but intense public activity prevented the implementation of this plan. Only in Dresden did Weber again turn to the somewhat fabulous plot of The Magic Marksman; at his request, the poet F. Kind wrote a libretto for the opera.

Events take place in the Czech region of Bohemia. The main characters of the work are the hunter Max, the daughter of the count's forester Agatha, the reveler and gambler Kaspar, Agatha's father Kuno, and Prince Ottokar.

The first act begins with the joyful greetings of the winner of the shooting competition, Kilian, and the sad lamentations of the young hunter who was defeated in the preliminary tournament. A similar fate at the end of the competition disrupts all Max’s plans: according to an ancient hunting custom, his marriage to the beautiful Agatha will become impossible. The girl's father and several hunters console the unfortunate man.

Soon the fun stops, everyone leaves, and Max is left alone. His solitude is violated by the reveler Kaspar, who sold his soul to the devil. Pretending to be a friend, he promises to help the young hunter and tells him about magic bullets that should be cast at night in the Wolf Valley - a cursed place visited by evil spirits.

Max has doubts, however, cleverly playing on the young man’s feelings for Agatha, Kaspar persuades him to go to the valley. Max leaves the stage, and the clever gambler triumphs in advance of his deliverance from the approaching hour of reckoning.

The second act takes place in the forester's house and in the gloomy Wolf Valley. Agatha is sad in her room; even the cheerful chatter of her carefree, flirtatious friend Ankhen cannot distract her from her sad thoughts.

Agatha is waiting for Max. Seized with gloomy forebodings, she goes out onto the balcony and calls on the heavens to dispel her worries. Max enters, trying not to scare his lover, and tells her the reason for his sadness. Agata and Ankhen persuade him not to go to the terrible place, but Max, who made a promise to Kaspar, leaves.

At the end of the second act, a gloomy valley opens to the eyes of the audience, the silence of which is interrupted by the ominous cries of invisible spirits. At midnight, the black hunter Samiel, the messenger of death, appears in front of Kaspar, who is preparing to cast witchcraft spells. Kaspar's soul must go to hell, but he asks for a reprieve, sacrificing Max to the devil instead, who tomorrow will kill Agatha with a magic bullet. Samiel agrees to this sacrifice and disappears with a clap of thunder.

Soon Max comes down from the top of the cliff into the valley. The forces of good are trying to save him by sending images of his mother and Agatha, but it’s too late - Max sells his soul to the devil. The finale of the second act is the scene of casting the magic bullets.

The third and final act of the opera is dedicated to the last day of the competition, which should end with the wedding of Max and Agatha. The girl, who had a prophetic dream at night, is sad again. Ankhen’s efforts to cheer up her friend are in vain; her concern for her beloved does not go away. The girls soon appear and present Agatha with flowers. She opens the box and instead of a wedding wreath, she finds a funeral dress.

There is a change of scenery, marking the finale of the third act and the entire opera. In front of Prince Ottokar, his courtiers and the forester Kuno, the hunters demonstrate their skills, among them Max. The young man must make the last shot; the target becomes a dove flying from bush to bush. Max takes aim, and at that moment Agatha appears behind the bushes. The magical force moves the muzzle of the gun to the side, and the bullet hits Kaspar, who was hiding in a tree. Mortally wounded, he falls to the ground, his soul going to hell, accompanied by Samiel.

Prince Ottokar demands an explanation for what happened. Max talks about the events of the past night, the angry prince sentences him to exile, the young hunter must forever forget about his marriage to Agatha. The intercession of those present cannot mitigate the punishment.

Only the appearance of a bearer of wisdom and justice changes the situation. The hermit pronounces his verdict: to postpone the wedding of Max and Agatha for a year. Such a magnanimous decision becomes the cause of general joy and rejoicing, all those gathered praise God and his mercy.

The successful conclusion of the opera corresponds to the moral idea, presented in the form of a struggle between good and evil and the victory of good forces. A certain amount of abstraction and idealization of real life can be traced here, at the same time, the work contains moments that satisfy the requirements of progressive art: a display of folk life and the uniqueness of its way of life, an appeal to the characters of the peasant-burgher environment. Fiction, conditioned by adherence to folk beliefs and legends, is devoid of any mysticism; in addition, the poetic depiction of nature brings a fresh spirit to the composition.

The dramatic line in “The Magic Shooter” develops sequentially: Act I is the beginning of the drama, the desire of evil forces to take possession of the wavering soul; Act II - the struggle between light and darkness; Act III is the climax, ending with the triumph of virtue.

The dramatic action here unfolds on musical material coming in large layers. To reveal the ideological meaning of the work and unite it with the help of musical and thematic connections, Weber uses the principle of leitmotif: a short leitmotif, constantly accompanying the character, concretizes one or another image (for example, the image of Samiel, personifying dark, mysterious forces).

A new, purely romantic means of expression is the mood common to the entire opera, subordinated to the “sound of the forest” with which all the events taking place are connected.

The life of nature in The Magic Shooter has two sides: one of them, associated with the idyllically depicted patriarchal life of hunters, is revealed in folk songs and melodies, as well as in the sound of horns; the second side, associated with ideas about the demonic, dark forces of the forest, manifests itself in a unique combination of orchestral timbres and an alarming syncopated rhythm.

The overture to The Magic Shooter, written in sonata form, reveals the ideological concept of the entire work, its content and course of events. Here the main themes of the opera are presented in contrast, which are at the same time the musical characteristics of the main characters, which are developed in the portrait arias.

The orchestra is rightfully considered the strongest source of romantic expressiveness in The Magic Shooter. Weber managed to identify and use certain features and expressive properties of individual instruments. In some scenes, the orchestra plays an independent role and is the main means of musical development of the opera (scene in the Wolf Valley, etc.).

The success of The Magic Shooter was stunning: the opera was staged in many cities, and arias from this work were sung on city streets. Thus, Weber was rewarded handsomely for all the humiliations and trials that befell him in Dresden.

In 1822, the entrepreneur of the Viennese court opera house F. Barbaia invited Weber to compose a grand opera. A few months later, Evritana, written in the genre of a knightly romantic opera, was sent to the Austrian capital.

A legendary plot with some mystical mystery, a desire for heroism and special attention to the psychological characteristics of the characters, the predominance of feelings and reflection on the development of action - these features outlined by the composer in this work later became characteristic features of German romantic opera.

In the fall of 1823, the premiere of “Eurytana” took place in Vienna, which was attended by Weber himself. Although it caused a storm of delight among adherents of the national art, the opera did not receive as wide recognition as The Magic Shooter.

This circumstance had a rather depressing effect on the composer; in addition, the severe lung disease inherited from his mother made itself felt. The increasingly frequent attacks caused long breaks in Weber's work. Thus, between the writing of “Eurytana” and the start of work on “Oberon”, about 18 months passed.

The last opera was written by Weber at the request of Covent Garden, one of the largest opera houses in London. Realizing the proximity of death, the composer strove to finish his last work as soon as possible, so that after his death the family would not be left without a means of subsistence. The same reason forced him to go to London to direct the production of the fairy tale opera Oberon.

In this work, consisting of several separate paintings, fantastic events and real life are intertwined with great artistic freedom; everyday German music coexists with “oriental exoticism”.

When writing Oberon, the composer did not set himself any special dramatic goals; he wanted to write a cheerful extravaganza opera filled with a relaxed, fresh melody. The colorfulness and lightness of the orchestral color used in the writing of this work had a significant influence on the improvement of romantic orchestral writing and left a special imprint on the scores of such romantic composers as Berlioz, Mendelssohn and others.

The musical merits of Weber's last operas found their most vivid expression in the overtures, which also received recognition as independent program symphonic works. At the same time, certain shortcomings of the libretto and dramaturgy limited the number of productions of Eurytana and Oberon on the stages of opera houses.

Hard work in London, coupled with frequent overloads, completely undermined the health of the famous composer; July 5, 1826 was the last day of his life: Carl Maria von Weber died of consumption before reaching the age of forty.

In 1841, on the initiative of leading public figures in Germany, the question of transferring the ashes of the talented composer to his homeland was raised, and three years later his remains returned to Dresden.

Biography

Weber was born into the family of a musician and theater entrepreneur, always immersed in various projects. His childhood and youth were spent wandering around the cities of Germany with his father’s small theater troupe, due to which it cannot be said that he went through a systematic and strict music school in his youth. Almost the first piano teacher with whom Weber studied for a more or less long time was Johann Peter Heuschkel, then, according to theory, Michael Haydn, and he also took lessons from G. Vogler. - Weber's first works appeared - small fugues. Weber was then a student of the organist Kalcher in Munich. Weber subsequently studied the theory of composition more thoroughly with Abbot Vogler, having Meyerbeer and Gottfried Weber as his classmates; At the same time, he studied piano with Franz Lauski. Weber's first stage experience was the opera Die Macht der Liebe und des Weins. Although he wrote a lot in his early youth, his first success came with his opera “Das Waldmädchen” (1800). The opera by the 14-year-old composer was performed on many stages in Europe and even in St. Petersburg. Subsequently, Weber reworked this opera, which, under the name “Silvana,” lasted for a long time on many German opera stages.

Having written the opera "Peter Schmoll und seine Nachbarn" (1802), symphonies, piano sonatas, the cantata "Der erste Ton", the opera "Abu Hassan" (1811), he conducted the orchestra in different cities and gave a concert.

Max Weber, his son, wrote a biography of his famous father.

Essays

• "Hinterlassene Schriften", ed. Hellem (Dresden, 1828);
• "Karl Maria von W. Ein Lebensbild", by Max Maria von W. (1864);
• Kohut's "Webergedenkbuch" (1887);
• “Reisebriefe von Karl Maria von W. an seine Gattin” (Leipzig, 1886);
• "Chronol. thematischer Katalog der Werke von Karl Maria von W.” (Berlin, 1871).

Among Weber's works, in addition to the above mentioned, we point out the concertos for piano and orchestra, op. 11, op. 32; "Concert-stück", op. 79; string Quartet, string trio, six sonatas for piano and violin, op. 10; large concert duet for clarinet and piano, op. 48; sonatas op. 24, 49, 70; polonaises, rondos, variations for piano, 2 concertos for clarinet and orchestra, Variations for clarinet and piano, Concertino for clarinet and orchestra; andante and rondo for bassoon and orchestra, concerto for bassoon, “Aufforderung zum Tanz” (“Invitation à la danse”), etc.

Operas

• "Forest Girl" (German) Das Waldmädchen), 1800 - some fragments have survived
• "Peter Schmoll and his neighbors" (German) Peter Schmoll und seine Nachbarn ), 1802
• "Rübezahl" (German) Rubezahl), 1805 - some fragments have survived
• "Silvana" (German) Silvana), 1810
• "Abu Hasan" (German) Abu Hassan), 1811
• "Free Shooter" (German) Der Freischütz), 1821
• "Three Pintos" (German) Die drei Pintos) - not finished; completed by Mahler in 1888.
• "Euryanthe" (German) Euryanthe), 1823
• "Oberon" (German) Oberon), 1826

In astronomy

• The asteroid (527) Euryanta is named after the main character of Carl Weber's opera "Euryanthe". (English)
• The asteroid (528) Rezia is named after the heroine of Carl Weber's opera Oberon. (English) Russian , opened in 1904
• Asteroid (529) Preciosa is named after the heroine of Carl Weber's opera Preciosa. (English) Russian , opened in 1904.
• Asteroids (865) Zubaida are named after the heroines of Carl Weber's opera Abu Hasan (English) Russian (English) and (866) Fatme

Russian , opened in 1917.

Bibliography

• Dresden. Grave of Carl Maria von Weber and his family Ferman V., Opera theatre
• , M., 1961;
• Khokhlovkina A., Western European Opera, M., 1962:
• Koenigsberg A., Karl-Maria Weber, M. - L., 1965; Bialik M. G. Opera creativity Weber in Russia // F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and the traditions of musical professionalism: Collection scientific works
• / Comp. G. I. Ganzburg. - Kharkov, 1995. - pp. 90 - 103.
• Moser H. J.. S. M. von Weber. Leben und Werk, 2 Aufl., Lpz., 1955.

Notes

Links

• Works of Weber at Classical Connect Free Library classical music on Classical Connect
• Summary (synopsis) of the opera “Free Shooter” on the “100 Operas” website
• Carl Maria Weber: sheet music of works at the International Music Score Library Project

Categories:

• Personalities in alphabetical order
• People born in Oitin
• Deaths in London
• Composers of Germany
• Opera composers
• Romantic composers
• Composers by alphabet
• Born in 1786
• Died in 1826
• Died from tuberculosis
• Founders of the national opera art
• Musicians in alphabetical order

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See what "Weber, Carl Maria von" is in other dictionaries: - (Weber, Carl Maria von) CARL MARIA VON WEBER (1786 1826), founder of German romantic opera. Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was born in Eutin (Oldenburg, now Schleswig Holstein), on November 18 or 19, 1786. His father, Baron Franz... ...

Collier's Encyclopedia - (Weber) (1786 1826), German composer and conductor, music critic. The founder of German romantic opera. 10 operas (“Free Shooter”, 1821; “Euryanthe”, 1823; “Oberon”, 1826), virtuoso concert pieces for piano. (“Invitation to... ...

encyclopedic Dictionary Weber Carl Maria von (November 18 or 19, 1786, Eitin, ‒ June 5, 1826, London), German composer, conductor, pianist, music writer. Creator of German romantic opera. Born into the family of a musician and theater entrepreneur. Childhood and... ...