Maria Antonia Kurfürstin Von Sachsen
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Maria Antonia Kurfürstin von Sachsen of Saxony, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin of Bavaria, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin Princess Sachsen, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin Princess Bayern, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin Princess Saxony, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin Princess Bavaria * 18 July 1724 in München, Deutschland † 23 April 1780 in Dresden, Deutschland Composer, Singer, Patroness, Librettist "Si donc on trouve réunis les arts et les vertus en une per- sonne, est-il possible de s'empêcher de l'aimer? Cet amour n'est pas de cette espèce dont la pudeur s'effarou- che, ce n'est pas cette flamme qui porte l'incendie dans le coeur des amants, mais un penchant irrésistible, accom- pagné d'admiration. Voilà, madame, le sentiment, que vous réveillez dans mon âme, et qu'aucune puissance n'y peut détruire." “Hence, should one find art and virtue united in one per- son, is it possible not to love her? This love is not the kind of love that frightens away modesty, it is not the fla- me that burns in the hearts of lovers, but rather an irre- sistible fondness, coupled with admiration. This, Ma- dam, is the feeling that you awaken in my soul, and Maria Antonia Walpurgis Kurfürstin von Sachsen which no power can destroy.” Maria Antonia Kurfürstin von Sachsen (Letter from Frederick the Great to Maria Antonia dated Birth name: Maria Antonia Prinzessin von Bayern 20 December, 1767, quoted in: Drewes, Heinz. Maria An- Variants: Maria Antonia Kurfürstin von Bayern, Maria tonia Walpurgis als Komponistin. Borna-Leipzig: Noske, Antonia Kurfürstin von Saxony, Maria Antonia p. 21, [Fr-En transl. Trevor Pichanick]). Kurfürstin von Bavaria, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin Maria Antonia Prinzessin von Sachsen, Maria Antonia Profile Kurfürstin Maria Antonia Prinzessin von Bayern, Maria Maria Antonia Walpurigs was a princess of many talents. Antonia Kurfürstin Maria Antonia Prinzessin von She was active as a composer, singer, singing teacher, Saxony, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin Maria Antonia painter, librettist and author, all the while supporting Prinzessin von Bavaria, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin Maria her husband as leader of the realm. She was accepted as Sachsen, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin Maria Bayern, Maria a writer into the Accademia dell’Arcadia in Rome in 1747 Antonia Kurfürstin Maria Saxony, Maria Antonia under the name ‘Ermelinda Talea Pastorella Arcada’ and Kurfürstin Maria Bavaria, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin as a painter into the Accademia di San Luca. Antonia Sachsen, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin Antonia Bayern, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin Antonia Saxony, Cities an countries Maria Antonia Kurfürstin Antonia Bavaria, Maria Maria Antonia was born in Munich, where she was first Antonia Kurfürstin Electress Sachsen, Maria Antonia exposed to music and where she received her musical Kurfürstin Electress Bayern, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin training. By the time she married Friedrich Christian, Electress Saxony, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin Electress prince of Saxony, in 1747 and moved to Dresden, she was Bavaria, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin of Sachsen, Maria already an accomplished singer and pianist. In the same Antonia Kurfürstin of Bayern, Maria Antonia Kurfürstin year she became a member of the Accademia dell’Arca- – 1 – Maria Antonia Kurfürstin von Sachsen dia in Rome. She travelled to Italy in 1772. After her hus- her cantata texts, but heavily criticised the libretto for band’s death she lived in both Dresden and Munich. her pastoral, offending the electress deeply. Neverthel- ess, it was Metastasio’s version that she set to music and Biography published. In later years she also completed translations Maria Antonia was born the eldest daughter of elector of his texts. Karl Albert (later emperor Karl VII). Her many talents When her husband Friedrich Christian ascended to the were recognised and encouraged from an early age: she throne in 1763, he assigned the supervision of the state’s was able to express herself in French, Italian and Latin financial affairs to Maria Antonia, gaining her a most while she was still very young. She played the piano very unusual position for a woman of the eighteenth century. well and, at barely sixteen years of age, she was able to Friedrich Christian died of small pox just two months af- sing the main role in a pastoral. She also began to write ter taking the throne. Following the loss of power, Maria poetry while still in her childhood. Antonia continued to be active as a patron, musician, dip- In 1747 she married the elector of Saxony, Friedrich Ch- lomat, painter and writer. Also deserving of mention is ristian. Despite the fact that their premarital relationship her intensive correspondence with Frederick (II) the consisted only in correspondence, the marriage seems to Great. have been a happy one. (This can be seen in their corre- Maria Antonia died in Dresden on 23 April, 1780. spondence (Weber p. 28f, for example) and also from the More on Biography fact that Christian Friedrich referred to her in his so-cal- led ‘Secret Political Diary’, which he kept between 1751 Maria Antonia Walpurgis was born the eldest daughter and 1757, as his “zweites Ich” (literally ‘second self’) and of the elector of Bavaria, Karl Albert (later emperor Karl the only person in whom he allowed himself to place his VII) and Maria Amalie, the youngest daughter of emper- full trust (Schlechte, 1992, p. 10)). Seven children were or Joseph I, on 18 July, 1724. She must have been gifted born of this relationship. In the same year as her wed- with languages as a child if one is to believe the reports ding, on the grounds of her poetic talent, Maria Antonia that she was able to write letters in Italian and French by was accepted into the Accademia dell’Arcada in Rome. It the age of twelve. She also came into contact with the was possibly Claudio Pasquini, court poet in Dresden, theatre at an early age, performing Frankenstein come- who opened the way for Maria Antonia’s entry into the dies with a countess even as a child. As far as her perso- academy. According to her publication Instrumentierte nality is concerned, it is interesting to note that on 13 Ju- Versionen… (see below) it was her cantata for August III ne, 1745 she founded the Ordre de l’Amitie (Weber, p. 6), that led to her adoption into the academy (Fischer, 2007, for which she recruited members from her siblings and p. 52)], where she received the name ‘Ermelinda Talea, friends. The statutes of this ‘Inca Society’ or ‘Order of Fri- Pastorella Arcada’. From then on she signed her works endship’ have been passed on indirectly (Riezler, 1871, with the initials E.T.P.A.. Annex. 16; Lippert, 1908, p. CXXI-CXXIII, Annex. 16. As a painter, she produced several self-portraits and pain- These two publications form the basis for the versions by tings of her family, and came into contact with De Ma- Christine Fischer (2007, p. 61f), which will be referred to rees and Raphael Mengs. Musically, she had the best tea- forthwith). Similar to the Accademia dell’Arcadia, it was chers of her time. During her childhood in Munich, Gio- out of a desire for authenticity and an accompanying criti- vanni Ferrandini was her instructor in singing and com- cism of society that the order came about. However, the position and in Dresden, it was Johann Adolf Hasse who rules of the order did not follow the model of a pastoral influenced her compositional work. The teacher-student society, but rather the idealised social structure of the In- relationship between the electress and Nicola Porpora, if cas, as they were perceived in Europe at that time. Each it existed at all, could only have been short-lived (Fi- member received their own name (the grand mistress of scher, 2007, p. 154), while her relationship with Ferrandi- the order, Maria Antonia, went by the name ‘Sansquar- ni continued until the year of her death in 1780 (Fischer, tier’) and their foremost duty was that of friendship. All 2007, p. 150). meetings were subject to the strictest of secrecy and In 1749 she began corresponding with Metastasio and should two members fall in love, their expulsion would sent him various cantata texts, an oratorio text La conver- soon follow. sion di Sant’Agostino and the libretto for her pastoral Il Maria Antonia’s musical training appears to have begun trionfo della fedeltà to look over. He spoke very highly of early, since in 1740, at not quite 16 years of age, she was – 2 – Maria Antonia Kurfürstin von Sachsen able to play the main role of a shepherdess, Irene, in a sent him her recently finished work, a pastoral entitled Il pastoral by Giovanni Battista Ferrandini, which played trionfo della fedeltà, asking him to add the finishing tou- at the court in Munich. Her singing and composition inst- ches. He criticised the work so heavily that an offended ructor was most certainly Ferrandini, as shown in her Maria Antonia wrote: “Metastasio l’a cruellement mutilé, mother’s letter of 5 September, 1747: “surely you know al- il n’en a pas laisser un seul de mes airs dont je voudrait ready that the electoral princess is being taught by Feran- pleurer...”[Metastasio mutilated it cruelly, sparing not a dini, although I haven’t heard any of it yet. I have my single air so that I want to cry…] (Letter to Countess doubts, however, as to whether it will be as successful wi- Brühl, 22 July, 1750, cit. Weber, Vol. I, p.65 [transl. Tre- th her as it was with you, as I do not know what her voice vor Pichanick]). Nevertheless, it was Metastasio’s versi- is like and he probably won’t dare to scream “sussu” at on of Maria Antonia’s libretto that was set to music and her as much as he does with you.