Carl Maria von Weber: biography, interesting facts, creativity. Biography of Carl Maria von Weber

(18.11.1786 - 5.6.1826) - German composer. The son of a singer and a provincial opera conductor and entrepreneur, Weber became involved in the musical and theatrical arts already in his childhood. At the age of 10, Weber took piano lessons from I. Geishchel (in Hildburhausen), then studied composition from M. Haydn (in Salzburg) and from I. N. Kolcher (in Munich); in singing, Weber was a student of I. B. Wallishauser. By the age of 15, Weber was already the author of a number of piano pieces, songs, a mass and three singspiels. Constant traveling with his father's opera troupe helped him to assimilate the musical tastes of the general public.

Among Weber's many teachers, a particularly important role in his education was played by the remarkable connoisseur of musical folklore, Abbot G. I. Vogler, with whom Weber studied in 1803-1804 in Vienna. With the assistance of Vogler, Weber received the position of conductor of the opera house in Breslau in 1804. In subsequent years (1806-1810) he served at the courts in Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. This period dates back to Weber's composition of the operas "Rübetzal" (unfinished) and "Silvana" (post. 1810), music for the play Schiller"Turandot", two symphonies (1807), violin concerto, a number of songs with guitar accompaniment.

Since 1810, Weber has made successful artistic trips as a pianist to many cities in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In 1811-1813 he lived mostly in Darmstadt; here he again communicates with Vogler and establishes together with Giacomo Meyerbeer, Gottfried Weber and other young musicians “Harmonic Unification”, which anticipated Schumann’s “Davidsbund” in its ideological aspiration. Weber met Hoffman and other German writers, with Spur, visited Goethe in Weimar. Then he thought autobiographical novel"The Wanderings of a Musician" (was not completed).

In 1813-1816, Weber headed the opera house in Prague, and then (until the end of his life) was conductor German opera in Dresden. Under his direction two productions of the opera "Fidelio" were carried out. Beethoven(1814 and 1823). National upsurge and patriotic feelings of protest against wars of conquest Napoleon received expression in Weber's song cycle "Lyre and Sword" (to the words of T. Körner), which enjoyed enormous popularity among German youth. Speaking as musical critic, Weber led a decisive struggle against the dominance of Italian opera, for a nationally distinctive German musical theater.

The last years of Weber's life were marked by the creation of his most outstanding operatic works, which opened a new page in the history of German opera. Weber worked on the opera “The Magic Shooter” (post. 1821, Berlin) for five years. The romantic fantasy of the opera (the libretto was based on a short story from A. Apel’s “Book of Ghosts”) is combined with such a truthful reflection of folk life and character that German history had never known before Weber. opera stage. The bright expressiveness of the musical language and the brilliant embodiment of the composer's democratic aspirations in the opera ensured its truly unprecedented success with the public.

Weber's next musical and stage work, "Euryanthe" (post. 1823, Vienna), represented the first attempt at creating a large German national heroic opera on a legendary knightly plot. A number of musical and stylistic features of this opera and the compositional techniques used in it were subsequently developed in operatic works Schumann("Genoveva") and Wagner("Tannhäuser", "Lohengrin"). Finally, the last of Wagner's operas, Oberon, written for the London Covent Garden Theater and performed at this theater in 1826 under the direction of Weber himself, represents one of the best embodiments of the folk-fairy element in music. Weber's characteristic brilliant mastery of colorful orchestration is demonstrated with exceptional force in this opera.

Weber's work was extremely important for the development of not only vocal, but also instrumental music. A major virtuoso performer, he acted as a true innovator in his piano works. In particular, his programmatic piano work “Invitation to Dance” anticipates musical images that later inspired many composers: R. Schumann and Chopin , Liszt And Berlioz , Glinka And Tchaikovsky .

Literature.
1. Weber K. M. "Autobiographical sketches", " Soviet music", 1936, 12.
2. Sacchetti L. "History of music of all times and peoples", vol. III - "Weber", M., 1913.
3. Kolomiytsev V. "Carl Maria von Weber. On the centenary of his death." Critical-biographical essay, Leningrad, 1927.
4. Kuznetsov K. and V. “Folk elements in Weber’s work”, “Soviet Music”, 1936, 12.
5. Koenigsberg A. "K. M. Weber", L., 1965.

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 together with his father’s small theater troupe, due to which it cannot be said that he went through a systematic and strict training in his youth. music school. Almost the first piano teacher with whom Weber studied for a more or less long time was Heschkel, then, according to theory, Michael Haydn, and he also took lessons from G. Vogler.

Back in 1810, Weber drew attention to the plot of Freischütz (Free Shooter); but only this year he began to write an opera on this plot, adapted by Johann Friedrich Kind. Freischütz, staged in 1821 in Berlin under the direction of the author, caused a positive sensation, and Weber's fame reached its apogee. “Our shooter hit the target,” Weber wrote to librettist Kind. Beethoven, surprised by Weber's work, said that he did not expect this from such a gentle person and that Weber should write one opera after another.

Before Freischütz, Wolf's Preciosa was staged in the same year, with music by Weber.

By the proposal Vienna Opera the composer wrote "Euryanthe" (at 18 months). But the success of the opera was no longer as brilliant as Freischütz. The last work Weber's opera Oberon, after its production in London in 1826, he soon died.

Monument to K. M. von Weber in Dresden

Weber is rightly considered a purely German composer who deeply understood the national music and brought the German melody to high artistic perfection. Throughout his entire career he remained faithful to the national direction, and in his operas lies the foundation on which Wagner built Tannhäuser and Lohengrin. Especially in "Euryanthe" the listener is enveloped in exactly the same musical atmosphere that he feels in the works of Wagner of the middle period. Weber is a brilliant representative of the romantic operatic movement, which was so strong in the twenties of the 19th century and which later found a follower in Wagner.

Weber's talent is in full swing in his last three operas: "The Magic Arrow", "Euryanthe" and "Oberon". It is extremely diverse. Dramatic moments, love, subtle features of musical expression, a fantastic element - everything was accessible to the composer’s wide talent. The most diverse images are outlined by this musical poet with great sensitivity, rare expression, and great melody. A patriot at heart, he not only developed folk melodies, but also created his own in pure folk spirit. Occasionally, his vocal melody at a fast tempo suffers from some instrumentality: it seems as if it was written not for the voice, but for an instrument for which technical difficulties are more accessible. As a symphonist, Weber mastered the orchestral palette to perfection. His orchestral painting is full of imagination and has a unique coloring. Weber is primarily an opera composer; the symphonic works he wrote for the concert stage are far inferior to his operatic overtures. In the field of song and instrumental chamber music, namely piano works, this composer left wonderful examples.

Weber also owns the unfinished opera “Three Pintos” (1821, completed by G. Mahler in 1888).

A monument to Weber was erected in Dresden, by Rietschel.

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, “Auforderuug zum Tanz” (“Invitation à la danse”), etc.

Operas

• "Forest Girl", 1800
• "Peter Schmoll and his neighbors" (Peter Schmoll und seine Nachbarn), 1802
• "Rübetzal", 1805
• "Silvana", 1810
• "Abu Hassan", 1811
• "Preciosa", 1821
• “Free Shooter” (“The Magic Shooter”, “Freischütz”) (Der Freischütz), 1821 (premiered in 1821 at the Berliner Schauspielhaus)
• "Three Pintos" 1888. Unfinished. Completed by Mahler.
• "Euryanthe" 1823
• "Oberon" 1826

Bibliography

• Ferman V., Opera House, M., 1961;
• Khokhlovkina A., Western European Opera, M., 1962:
• Koenigsberg A., Karl-Maria Weber, M. - L., 1965;
• Laux K., S. M. von Weber, Lpz., 1966;
• Moser H. J.. S. M. von Weber. Leben und Werk, 2 Aufl., Lpz., 1955.

Links

• 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

Wikimedia Foundation.

2010.

See what "Carl Maria von Weber" is in other dictionaries:

Not to be confused with Bernhard Weber, also a German composer. Carl Maria von Weber (1786 1826), the founder of German romantic opera, a composer who had extensive knowledge of art, poetry and literature... Wikipedia - (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 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... ...

Great Soviet 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

Carl Maria Friedrich August (Ernst) von Weber (German: Carl Maria von Weber; November 18 or 19, 1786, Eitin June 5, 1826, London) baron, German composer, conductor, pianist, music writer, founder of German romantic opera. Contents... ...Wikipedia - (18 (?) XI 1786, Eitin, Schleswig Holstein 5 VI 1826, London) The composer creates the world in it! This is how the outstanding German musician K. M. Weber outlined the field of activity of the artist: composer, critic, performer, writer, publicist,... ...

Musical dictionary - (Weber) Weber Karl Maria von Weber (1786 1826) German composer, conductor, music critic. The founder of the romantic trend in opera. Since 1804, bandmaster in Breslavl. From 1813 he was a theater conductor in Prague. Since 1817... ...

Von (1786 1826) German composer and conductor, music critic. The founder of German romantic opera. 10 operas (Free Shooter, 1821; Evryanta, 1823; Oberon, 1826), virtuoso concert pieces for piano (Invitation to Dance, ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Carl Maria von Weber was a famous German composer and musician of the 18th century, who was the cousin of Mozart's wife. He made a great contribution to the development of music and theater. One of the founders of romanticism in Germany. The most famous works the composer became his operas.

Carl Maria von Weber: biography. Childhood

Karl was born in the small German town of Eitin (Holstein). This event happened on December 18, 1786. His father was Franz Weber, distinguished great love to music. He served as an entrepreneur in a traveling dramatic troupe.

The future musician's childhood years were spent among nomads theater actors. This peculiar atmosphere greatly influenced the boy and determined his future. Thus, it was the theater troupe that instilled in him an interest in dramatic and musical genres, and also gave him knowledge about the laws of the stage and the musical specifics of dramatic art.

At a young age, Weber was also actively interested in painting. However, his father and older brother tried to introduce him more to music. Franz, despite constant travel, managed to give his son a good musical education.

First compositions

In 1796, Carl Maria von Weber studied piano in Hildburghausen, then in Salzburg he studied the basics of counterpoint in 1707, then in Munich from 1798 to 1800 he studied composition with the court organist Kalcher. During these same years, he took singing lessons.

Karl became seriously interested in music. And in 1798, under the guidance of J.M. Haydn, he even created several fuguettes for the clavier. These were the composer's first works. Surprisingly, Carl Maria von Weber also began writing operas very early. Literally after the fugues, two of his major creations appeared, which we will discuss below, as well as a large mass, allemandes, ecosaises, and comic canons. But the most successful was the singspiel “Peter Schmoll and His Neighbors,” created in 1801. It was this work that won the approval of Johann Michael Haydn himself.

High post

In 1803, there was a significant development in the work of the future creator of German romantic opera. This year Weber arrives in Vienna, after a long journey throughout Germany. Here he meets the then very famous music teacher Abbot Vogler. This man quickly noted the gaps that existed in Karl’s musical theoretical knowledge and set about filling them. The composer worked hard and was highly awarded. In 1804, he, a seventeen-year-old youth, was accepted as a kopellmeister, that is, a leader, at the Breslav Opera theatre, thanks to the patronage of Vogler. This event marked a new period of Weber's work and life, which includes the following time frame - from 1804 to 1816.

The beginning of the most important period of creativity

The musical works of Carl Maria von Weber underwent a serious evolution at this time. In general, starting from 1804, the composer’s entire work changed. At this time, Weber's aesthetic views and worldview took shape, and his musical talent manifested itself most clearly.

In addition, Karl reveals a real talent as an organizer in the musical and theatrical field. And traveling with the troupe to Prague and Breslau revealed his abilities as a conductor. But it was not enough for Weber to master the classical tradition; he strives to transform and correct everything. Thus, he, as a conductor, changed the order of placement of musicians in the opera orchestra. Now they were grouped depending on the type of instrument. With this, the composer anticipated the principle of orchestral placement that would become popular in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Eighteen-year-old Weber defended his bold changes with all the fervor of his youth, despite the resistance of musicians and singers seeking to preserve the tradition historically established in German theaters.

Major works of this period

In 1807-1810, the musical, critical and literary activity of Carl Maria von Weber began. He begins to write reviews and articles about performances and musical works, begins a novel called “The Life of a Musician,” and writes annotations for his works.

The works written during the entire first period of the composer’s work make it possible to see how the features of the author’s future, more mature and serious style gradually become more and more apparent. At this time, Weber’s musical and dramatic works acquired the greatest artistic significance, including:

• Singspiel "Abu Hasan".
• Opera "Silvana".
• Two symphonies and two untitled cantatas.

Also during this period, many overtures, songs, choir arias, etc. appeared.

Dresden period

At the very beginning of 1817, Carl Maria von Weber became conductor of the Dresden Deutsche Oper. In the same year, he married Caroline Brandt, an opera singer.

From this moment begins the most important and final period of the composer’s work, which will end in 1826 with his death. At this time, the conducting and organizational activities Weber. At the same time, he had to face many difficulties as a conductor and leader. The innovations of Charles Maria were actively opposed theatrical traditions, ruling for almost a century and a half, as well as F. Morlacchi, conductor of the Italian opera troupe in Dresden. Despite all this, Weber managed to assemble a new German opera company. Moreover, he managed to stage several excellent performances, despite the underprepared team.

However, one should not think that Weber the composer gave way to Weber the bandmaster. He managed to combine both of these roles and cope with them brilliantly. It was at this time that the master’s best creations were born, including his most famous opera.

"Free Shooter"

The story told in this opera originates from the folklore story of how a man sold his soul to the devil for magic dust that helped him win a shooting competition. And the reward was marriage to beautiful lady, with whom the hero was in love. For the first time, the opera embodied what was close and familiar to the German heart. Weber depicted a simple village life with sentimental naivety and crude humor. The forest, hiding otherworldly horror under a gentle smile, and the heroes, ranging from village girls and cheerful hunters to valiant and fair princes, were mesmerizing.

This whimsical plot merged with beautiful music, and the whole thing became a mirror reflecting every German. In this work, Weber not only freed German opera from Italian and French influence, but also managed to lay the foundations for the leading operatic form of the entire 19th century.

The premiere took place on June 18, 1821 and was a dizzying success with the audience, and Weber became a real national hero.

The opera was later recognized as the greatest creation of the German national romantic theater. The composer, taking the singspiel genre as a basis, used broad musical forms that made it possible to saturate the work with drama and psychologism. Great place The opera is occupied by detailed musical portraits of heroes and everyday scenes associated with German folk song. Musical landscapes and fantastic episodes were very clearly expressed thanks to the richness of the orchestra created by Weber.

The structure of the opera and its musical features

“Free Shooter” begins with an overture, dominated by smooth melodies from the horns. A mysterious romantic picture of the forest is drawn before the viewer, and the poetry of ancient hunting legends is heard. The main part of the overture describes the struggle of opposites. The introduction ends with a solemn and majestic coda.

The action of the first act unfolds against the backdrop of mass cheerful scenes. We see pictures of peasant holidays, beautifully recreated thanks to choral introductions and folk musical motifs. The melody sounds as if it were actually played by village musicians, and the village simple waltz is simple and naive.

The aria of the huntsman Max, which is full of anxiety and confusion, contrasts sharply with the holiday. And in the drinking song of the second huntsman Kaspar, a sharp rhythm is clearly heard, encouraging rapid action.

The second act is divided into two scenes that contrast with each other. In the first part, we first hear the carefree Arietta Angel, who serves to highlight the spiritual purity and depth of feelings of her friend Agatha. The picture is filled with alternating song melodies and expressive recitatives, which help to better understand the girl’s experiences. The final part is filled with joy, light and sparkle.

However, already in the second picture the dramatic tension begins to increase. And the main role here is given to the orchestra. The chords sound unusual, dull and gloomy, instilling horror, and the part of the choir hidden from the audience enhances the mystery. Weber managed to achieve a stunningly believable musical depiction of the rampant evil spirits and demonic forces.

The third act is also divided into two scenes. The first immerses the viewer in a calm, idyllic atmosphere. Agatha’s part is permeated with poetic, bright melancholy, and the chorus of girlfriends is painted in soft tones, in which national motifs are felt.

The second part opens with a chorus of hunters, accompanied by the sound of hunting horns. In this choir you can hear German folk tunes, which later gained worldwide popularity.

The opera ends with an expanded ensemble scene with a choir, accompanied by a joyful melody, the leitmotif running through the entire work.

The creation of Oberon and the last days of his life

The fairy-tale opera Oberon was written in 1926; it completed a wonderful series of operatic works by the composer. Weber wrote it in order to provide for his family. The composer knew that he would soon die, and there would be no one else to take care of his loved ones.

"Oberon" in its form was completely different from Weber's usual style. For a composer who always advocated the fusion of opera with theatrical art, the structure of the work was ponderous. However, it was for this opera that Weber managed to create the most exquisite music. By the time he finished writing Oberon, the composer’s health had deteriorated greatly, and he could barely walk, nevertheless, Karl Maria did not miss the premiere. The opera received recognition, and once again critics and audiences praised Weber's talent.

Unfortunately, the composer did not have long to live. A few days after the premiere, he was found dead. It happened on June 5, 1826 in London. It was on this day that Weber was going to return to his homeland in Germany.

A monument to Weber was erected in Dresden in 1861.

First youth opera

“The Dumb Forest Girl,” the composer’s first major work, deserves special mention. The opera premiered in 1800 in Freiburg. Despite the youth and inexperience of the author, it was a success and gained recognition. It can be said that this production of this work marked the beginning of Weber's composing career.

As for the opera, it was not forgotten and for a long time continued to appear in theater programs Prague, Vienna, St. Petersburg and other cities of the world.

Other works

Weber left behind a rich creative heritage, which is almost impossible to list in full. But let's highlight his most significant works:

• 9 operas, including “Three Pintos”, “Rubezal”, “Silvana”, “Euryanthe”.
• Musical accompaniment for seven dramatic plays.
• Solo and choral vocal works include 5 masses, more than 90 songs, more than 30 ensembles, 9 cantatas, about 10 arrangements of folk songs.
• Piano works: 4 sonatas, 5 pieces, 40 duets and dances, 8 variation cycles.
• About 16 concertos for piano, clarinet, horn and bassoon.
• 10 works for orchestra and 12 for chamber ensemble.

The composer Weber was a very extraordinary person with his own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.

For example, he hated other people's fame. He was especially intolerant of Rossini. Weber constantly told friends and acquaintances that Rossini's music was mediocre, that it was just a fashion that would be forgotten in a few years.

A tragic accident led to Weber losing his beautiful voice. Once in Breslavl, the composer was waiting for a friend for dinner, and in order not to waste time, he sat down to work. Weber quickly froze and decided to warm up with a sip of wine. But due to the evening twilight, he confused the flask with the drink with the one in which his father kept sulfuric acid. The composer took a sip and fell lifeless. When his friend arrived, no one answered his knock, but there was light in the windows. He called for help, the door was opened, and Weber was quickly taken to the hospital. Doctors saved the composer’s life, but his mouth, throat and vocal cords were so burned that he was forced to speak only in a whisper for the rest of his days.

Weber loved animals very much. In his house lived a dog, a cat, many different birds and even a capuchin monkey. Most of all, the composer loved the Indian crow, who could say: “Good evening.”

Weber was egocentric. He loved himself so much that he even wrote laudatory articles about himself under a pseudonym, which were published from time to time in newspapers. But the matter did not stop there. The composer loved himself so much that he named three of his four children by their own names: Maria Carolina, Karl Maria, Carolina Maria.

Without a doubt, Weber was very talented musician and a composer who made an invaluable contribution to the development of German art. Yes, this man was not without flaws and was distinguished by vanity, but every genius has his own quirks.

Maximilian Karl Emil Weber (1864-1920) - German scientist, philosopher, political economist, sociologist, historian. He is the founder of sociological science and one of the founders of the liberal German Democratic Party.

Parents

Maximilian was born on April 21, 1864 in the German city of Erfurt (in Thuringia). The family into which the first child was born was rich and bourgeois. The Webers had seven children in total.

My paternal grandfather was heavily involved in industry and made a fortune in the textile trade. The father of the family, Max Weber Sr., was a cheerful and very active man, he worked at public service, was a member of the National Liberal Party. He had great respect for chauvinism and was an ardent admirer of Bismarck. Several times he was elected by national liberals to the post of deputy of the Prussian Landtag. And later he was elected to the imperial parliament - the Reichstag, where he led the liberal faction.

The maternal grandfather was a wealthy merchant with Anglo-German roots. His wife came from a French Huguenot family. The mother of the future philosopher, Elena Fallenstein, was born into their family; she was a deeply religious and very strict woman. Her famous ancestor, Generalissimo Albrecht von Fallenstein, fiercely defended the Catholic faith. Elena, unlike him, led an ascetic lifestyle and was a supporter of Calvinism; not once in her life did she deviate from her moral principles.

The Weber and Fallenstein families, together with their related clans Jolle, Benecke and Suchet, played quite a role in the German economy significant role. Thanks to such a family and relatives, Max Weber Jr. became acquainted with the intellectual elite of Germany at that time from his childhood. Family discussions often took place in their house, friends and acquaintances of their father gathered - prominent public figures and scientists.

As a little boy, Maximilian got to know the politician and historian Heinrich von Siebel, the historian of Ancient Rome Theodor Mommsen, the historian Heinrich Treitschke, the founder of “understanding psychology” and the philosopher Wilhelm Dilthey. They are all in their own way political views, like Max Weber Sr., sided with Bismarck, who advocated the unification of Germany around Prussia.

At an early age, the younger Max Weber also became aware of political differences. Mother's best friends were liberal historians Georg Gervinus and Friedrich Schlosser.

They, on the contrary, were haters of the militant Prussian spirit; for them, Germany is, first of all, the homeland of Goethe and Schiller, an exemplary country of Western European culture. Schlosser at one time, when Helen was still a very young girl, settled in the Fallenstein house. At first he tried to become a spiritual mentor for her, but then he became inflamed with such passion that he tortured poor Helen with his courtship. The girl moved to Berlin to live with her sister, where she met her future husband, Max Weber Sr.

So the atmosphere in which Maximilian was to grow up was full not only of intellectual disputes and discussions, but also of intricate personal relationships. All this undoubtedly had an impact on his future worldview and creativity.

Childhood

Max was born a year after his parents got married. After him, eight more children were born into the family, of whom two girls died in infancy, and four brothers and two sisters reached adulthood. Brother Alfred also became a famous philosopher, economist and sociologist.

Mom gave birth to Maximilian very difficultly, as a result of which she developed a fever and was unable to breastfeed her firstborn. The newborn boy was nursed by another woman - the wife of a carpenter, a Social Democrat.

WITH early years the child grew up surprisingly self-satisfied and immersed in his games. It seemed like he didn't need anyone. He always played alone, and adults, watching him, were amazed at how a two-and-a-half-year-old child builds a station out of logs, places a train with passengers and small carriages in it, and imitates steam with paper strips. So he could play for hours and at the same time chatter something incessantly.

Soon the child was in danger: he suffered from unilateral meningitis. His life hung in the balance, the baby was in danger of cerebral hydrocele, dementia or death. The mother did not leave the boy a single step, sacrificing other children. The illness led Max to lead an even more reclusive lifestyle due to constant seizures, nervous fears and flushes of blood. When little Weber was five years old, the family went to the seaside in Borkum. The mother wanted to improve her son’s health and tried to carry him into the water in her arms. At the same time, the child raised such a heartbreaking cry that the holidaymakers demanded that this procedure be stopped immediately.

In 1869, the Weber family moved to Berlin, where his father was invited to serve as a paid member of the city council. This is where his hectic parliamentary activity began, with endless meetings, trips, and travels.

Education

In Berlin, the family settled in a beautiful small and cozy villa on the edge of the city with a huge garden in which well-groomed fruit trees and vegetables, chickens and cats were running around. The children felt great in this garden, away from big city, rejoiced at freedom and the sun. But these joys were not available to Maximilian. Forced to spend most of his time alone, and not playing with other children, he became passionately interested in reading and literary experiments, which developed in him extraordinary contemplation.

At first the boy was educated at home. But the visiting teachers turned out to be boring for him and did not make any impression on the child, because by that time he had already read forty volumes of Goethe on his own.

At the age of six, Max began studying at private school, then continued at the Berlin classical gymnasium. IN educational institutions Weber's relationships with teachers and students were normal, but this did not make him more sociable. Sometimes he took part in revelry, but still devoted most of his time to studies, and still read a lot of Schopenhauer, Luther, Kant, and Machiavelli.

In 1882, Max graduated from high school and became a law student at the most prestigious university in the country, Heidelberg. In addition to jurisprudence, Weber was attracted to theology and history; in his heart he still hesitated and could not decide whether to connect his future with politics or with a career as a scientist.

After a long period of seclusion as a child, Max student years as if he was catching up with lost communication. His life was stormy and eventful with fights and parties, he enjoyed drinking beer and practicing fencing.

After studying for a year, Max went to serve in the army, he was first a soldier, then an officer in one of the military units in Strasbourg. After leaving the reserve, he continued his studies at the University of Berlin, and never missed military training; he attended them with constant enthusiasm. A military career seemed tempting to him, but Weber still chose the path of a scientist.

In 1886, Max passed the jurisprudence exams and moved to the University of Göttingen, where three years later he defended his dissertation, which attracted special attention from the scientific community.

Scientific activity

In order to pursue science without being financially dependent on his parents, Weber got a job as an assistant lawyer. And already in 1894 he joined the German Bar Association. He continued to hesitate about science or politics, tried to keep both options for himself, and even joined the National Liberal Party, like his father.

Since 1891, Maximilian took the position of privatdozent at the University of Berlin and began cooperation with the Union social policy, whose main task was to soften the contrast of capitalist society. The young scientist conducted numerous studies (in particular, surveys of agricultural workers), which later had quite practical significance. For example, measures were taken to alleviate the situation of farm laborers.

After thirty years, Weber had all the prerequisites for ideal career scientist, but it was during this period that he had a personal drama and illness; he returned to scientific activity only in 1901. One of his most famous works, “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism,” was published.

Weber was of great interest in the events Russian revolution 1904-1905, on the basis of which he wrote two articles and a book:

• “On the situation of bourgeois democracy in Russia”;
• “Russia’s transition to imaginary constitutionalism”;
• « Historical sketch liberation movement in Russia and the situation of bourgeois democracy.”

In 1908, Weber left the Union for Social Policy and took up editorial activities (editing multi-volume essays on social economics).

During the First World War, Maximilian directed an army hospital in Heidelberg, after which he returned to teaching. At the University of Vienna he was offered a professorship; he taught seminars on sociology and gave a course of lectures on the topic “Economy and Society.”

The woman was also involved in science; after the death of her husband, she published his works and published a biographical book about Maximilian. Their marriage was childless.

Weber's childhood was spent in the atmosphere of a nomadic provincial theater. His mother was a singer, and his father was a violinist and director of a small theater troupe. The excellent knowledge of the stage acquired in childhood later became very useful to Weber as an opera composer. Although constant travel interfered with his music studies, at the age of 11 Karl Maria became an outstanding virtuoso pianist.

At the age of 18, Weber began his independent work as an opera conductor. For more than 10 years he moved from place to place, without a permanent home and experiencing enormous financial difficulties,worked as a pianist and conductor. Only in 1817 Weber settled in Dresden.In 1817 he married the singer Caroline Brand.INDresdenWeber took over the leadership of the German musical theater andorganized the German Opera Theater, as opposed to the Italian Opera Theater under the leadership of Morlacchi.

The Dresden period became the pinnacle of his creative activity; Weber’s best operas appeared: “Freeshot”, “Euryanthe”, “Oberon”.

In the history of Western European musical culture, Weber's name is associated primarily with the creation of romantic German opera. The premiere of his "Free Shooter", held in Berlin on June 18, 1821 under the direction of the author, became an event historical significance. It put an end to the long domination of foreign, primarily Italian, opera music on the stages of German theaters.Simultaneously with "Free Shooter", two famous program pieces by Weber were created - the piano "Invitation to the Dance" and "Concertstück" for piano and orchestra. Both works demonstrate the composer's characteristic brilliant concert style.

In search of ways to create a folk-national opera, Weber turned to the latest German literature. The composer communicated personally with many German romantic writers. Dramatic moments, love, subtle features of musical expression, a fantastic element - everything was accessible to Weber’s wide talent. The most diverse images are outlined by this musical poet with great sensitivity., melody, a rare expression. A patriot at heart, he not only developed folk melodies, but also created his own in a purely folk spirit.

Introducingin 1821 "Free Shooter",Webersignificantly anticipated the romanticism of such composers as Bellini and Donizetti, who appeared ten years later, or Rossini, who staged William Tell in 1829. In general, 1821 was significant for the preparation of romanticism in music: at this time Beethoven composed the Thirty-first Sonata op. 110 for piano, Schubert introduced the song “The Forest King” and began the Eighth Symphony, “Unfinished.” Already in the overture of "Free Shooter" Weber moves towards the future and frees himself from the influence of the theater of the recent past, Spohr's Faust or Hoffmann's Ondine, or the French opera that influenced these predecessors.

Opera "Euryanthe" - romantic opera. The author of the libretto is Helmina von Chezy.

The story is based on the works Giovanni Boccaccio, William Shakespeare, as well as the medieval French novel “The History of Gerard de Nevers and the beautiful and virtuous Euryante of Savoy, his dear.”

The beautiful girl Euryante is engaged to Count Adolar de Nevers. Count Liziart is also in love with her - in the presence of the monarch, he announces that he will achieve her love. Moreover, if he can prove that the girl is unfaithful to her fiancé, then Count Adolar will have to give his possessions to the self-confident count. Adolar is confident in his beloved, and therefore accepts the terms of the dispute without a shadow of a doubt.

Eglantina, the daughter of a rebellious feudal lord, comes to the aid of Count Liziart. At one time, she was saved by Euryanta, but instead of gratitude, she hates the girl: after all, Euryanta turned out to be a more successful rival in love. Having won Euryanthe's trust, Eglantine learns terrible secret: Emma, ​​Adoljar’s sister, once lost her fiancé. She could not cope with grief and poisoned herself with poison from her ring. But everyone knows that a suicide cannot find peace until a tear from an innocent victim falls on the coffin. Eglantine takes the fatal ring from the coffin and gives it to Lisiart. Then he presents the ring to the king and declares that Euryanthe has become his mistress. The lands of Adolyar pass to the evil count, and the lost Adolyar wants to kill his ex-fiancée. Euryante manages to convince the monarch that she is right: after all, she has been slandered. From the shock she suffered, the girl loses consciousness, and everyone thinks that she died from grief. Meanwhile, Count Lisiart wants to marry Eglantine. But the girl almost lost her mind - she was tormented by remorse. She accidentally reveals the truth to Adolyar, and he challenges Liziart to a duel. But he was not destined to take place: the king arrived. He informs the counts of Euryanthe's death. Eglantina rejoices, but not for long: in a fit of joy, she reveals the terrible secret of her betrayal and Liziart kills her, then goes to execution. Adolyar repents of the disbelief of his beloved, who so untimely departed to another world. But then the living Euryanta, crying with joy, embraces her lover in her arms. Her tears gave Emma eternal peace.

In 1822, the composer received an order to write a new opera from Domenico Barbaia. The head of the Viennese theater wanted to get a work in the folk spirit, with fantastic and colorful everyday scenes. Helmina von Chezy took on writing the libretto. The text was edited 11 times due to the complexity of the plot and the limited scope of the scene. The musical accompaniment was written in a year and a half.

The opera "Euryanthe" marked a new operatic genre. The score is distinguished by a detailed portrayal of characters; choral and orchestral parts give the plot a special brightness.

Many critics consider the opera's plot to be initially confusing and illogical. Carl Maria von Weber directed the first four productions, and the opera was a success. However, it is believed that this was the success of the author of the play rather than the performance itself. And the shortening of “Euryanthe” after the composer’s departure made the work even more difficult to perceive.

- “Euryanthe” was dedicated to Emperor Franz I of Austria.

- The first production of Euryanthe with Henrietta Sontag in the title role was not successful. Then, the opera acquired its well-deserved significance and it began to be considered a prologue to Wagner’s musical dramas. The images of Lysiart and Eglantine, in terms of musical expression, anticipate Ortrud and Telramund in Wagner's Lohengrin.

When Weber approached Euryante, Einstein writes, “his sharpest antipode, Spontini, had in a sense already cleared the way for him; at the same time, Spontini only gave the classical opera seria colossal, monumental proportions thanks to crowd scenes and emotional tension. In “Euryanthe” a new, more romantic tone appears, and if the public did not immediately appreciate this opera, then it was deeply appreciated by the composers of subsequent generations.”

The work of Weber, who laid the foundations of the German national opera (along with “ Magic Flute"Mozart), determined its double meaning opera heritage, about which Giulio Confalonieri writes well: “As a true romantic, Weber found in legends and folk legends a source of music devoid of notes, but ready to sound... Along with these elements, he also wanted to freely express his own temperament: Unexpected transitions from one tone to the opposite, a daring convergence of extremes that live with each other in accordance with the new laws of romantic Franco-German music , were brought to the limit by the composer, whose state of mind, due to consumption, was constantly restless and feverish.” This duality, which seems to contradict stylistic unity and actually violates it, gave rise to a painful desire to leave, by virtue of the very life choice, from the last meaning of existence: from reality - with it, perhaps, only in the magical “Oberon” is reconciliation suggested, and even then partial and incomplete.Exhausted by extensive organizational work and terminally ill, after a period of treatment in Marienbad (1824), Weber staged the opera Oberon (1826) in London, which was received with enthusiasm.

belcanto.ru ›weber.html

Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Moscow Philharmonic conducted by Simonov

In the form of a kind of protest against the “gray everyday life” of real life, in search of an imaginary idyll and beauty, romantic poets created a beautiful enchanting world in their works. This world of romantic dreams first received musical embodiment in Weber's Oberon. The composer gave it a playful, scherzo-like light.
The music of the opera seems to be imbued magical light. Pictures of nature (aerial dances of elves in the moonlight, mermaids swimming out of the sparkling ocean, flights of spirits of air, water and earth) are conveyed in the sparkling, subtlest colors of the orchestra. The horn and wooden instruments are used with particular virtuosity and expressiveness. wind instruments(clare-no, flutes).
The richness of the orchestral and harmonic palette is combined in Oberon with extreme simplicity musical forms. The bright melodiousness of the folk culture and dance rhythms run through many numbers of this opera.

A magnificent overture of Oberon, built entirely on themes from the opera.

In terms of brilliance, subtlety, and richness of colors, this overture stands out among all modern symphonic music. Many Romantic composers followed the path paved by Weber; Mendelssohn in the overture and scherzo from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, Berlioz in the scherzo “Fairy Mab”, Schumann in the Ariel scene from “Faust”.

What was also new in Oberon was the exotic flavor of the traditional comedic “oriental” scenes. In their music, Weber used a genuine oriental motif, recorded by one of the travelers in the East.

Interesting Facts

At the age of twelve, Weber composed his first comic opera"The power of love and wine." The opera score was kept in a closet. Soon incomprehensibly cabinet with contentsburned down. It should be noted that apart from the cabinet, nothing was damaged. Weber took this as a “sign from above” and decided to give up music, devoting himself to lithography.
However, passion for musicdid not pass, and at the age of fourteen Weber wrote a new opera, “The Dumb Forest Girl.” The opera was first staged in 1800. Then it was staged quite often in Vienna, Prague and even St. Petersburg. After a very successful start musical career Weber stopped believing in omens and “signs from above.”

The motto of Weber’s work was the famous words that the composer asked to place as his own autograph on the published engraving with his portrait: “Weber expresses the will of God, Beethoven the will of Beethoven, and Rossini ... the will of the Viennese.”

In Breslau, Weber had a tragic incident that almost cost him his life. He invited a friend to dinner and sat down to work while waiting for him. Freezing while workingWeberdecided to warm up with a sip of wine, but in the semi-darkness he took a sip from the wine flask in which Weber’s father kept sulfuric acid forairing works. The composer fell lifeless. Weber's friend, meanwhile, was lateand came only at nightfall. The composer's window was lit, but no one answered the knock. The friend pushed open the unlocked door and saw Weber's body lying lifeless on the floor. A broken flask lay nearby, giving off a pungent odor. Weber’s father ran out of the next room in response to cries for help, and together they took the composer to the hospital. Weber was brought back to life, but his mouth and throat were terribly burned, and his vocal cords were ineffective. So Weber lost his beautiful voice. All later life he was forced to speak in a whisper. He once said in a whisper to one of his friends:

They say that Mozart was ruined by Salieri, but I managed without him...

Weber loved animals very much. His house resembled a zoo: the hunting dog Ali, the gray cat Maune, the capuchin monkey Shnouf and many birds surrounded the musician’s family. The big Indian raven was a favorite - every morning he said solemnly to the composer: “Good evening.”
One day, Caroline gave a truly wonderful gift to her husband. Costumes for the animals were made especially for Weber’s birthday, and the next morning a funny procession went to the birthday boy’s room to congratulate him!.. Ali was turned into an elephant with a long trunk and large ears, his nopon was replaced by silk handkerchiefs. Behind him was a cat dressed as a donkey, with a pair of slippers instead of bags on its back. Next came the monkey. fluffy dress, a hat with a huge feather bounced coquettishly on her head...
Weber jumped for joy like a child, and then something unimaginable began: he forgot about his illnesses, failures, and even about his competing composers... The animals and happy Weber rushed around the chairs and tables, and the serious raven said to everyone an infinite number of times:

Good evening!

It's a pity that Rossini didn't see this...

From time to time, enthusiastic praise of the greatest of the greatest maestros of all times, Weber, appeared in Parisian newspapers. Moreover, the laudatory articles of the unknown author were written with knowledge of all the intricacies of the composer’s music. And it is not surprising, since these praises of Weber were sung... by Weber himself.He was so in love with himself that, with the consent of his wife, three of the four children were named after their father: Karl Maria, Maria Carolina and Caroline Maria.