Christoph Daniel Ebeling

Christoph Daniel Ebeling ( born November 20, 1741 Garmissen near Hildesheim, † June 30, 1817 in Hamburg) was a hamburger reconnaissance, Americanist, pedagogue, music critic and librarian.

Life and work

Ebeling attended from 1753 to 1762 the school Johanneum in Lüneburg, and then completed a four year degree in theology, philology, geography and history at the University of Göttingen. After working as a tutor in Leipzig, he went in 1769 as a teacher at headed by Johann Georg Büsch Hamburger Commercial Academy, a private school for the training of prospective merchants. In 1784, Ebeling took over at the same time a professor of history and Greek language at the Hamburg Academic Gymnasium. Because of increasing deafness, he had to adjust his activities as a teacher and was from 1799 until his death in 1817, head of the Hamburg city library.

Already during his studies in Göttingen with Gottfried Achenwall Ebeling developed a keen interest in North America. This prompted him during his time in Hamburg for the publication of an extensive work of writings on political and historical development of the United States, of which his published in seven volumes 1793-1816 geography and history of America is particularly noteworthy. During his tenure at the Hamburg Academy of Commerce, he was together with Hamburg Mathematics Professor Johann Georg Büsch out the prestigious business magazine story library, which was published in three volumes 1784-1797. Even his students he tried to convey the ideals of American independence.

As head of the Hamburg city library Ebeling extended the stock, undertook a major revision of the outdated catalog system and provided for the two-time weekly hours. At the same time he worked as a literary and musical critic, was a friend of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock and led after his death in 1803 continues the complete edition of the works Klopstock'schen. Around 1780 he produced a German translation by Georg Friedrich Handel's Messiah, the used Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for his handling of the Messiah. In addition, he translated the epoch-making musicological work of the Englishman Charles Burney The present state of music in France and Italy into German. The incurable hearing impaired since his youth Ebeling completely deaf towards the end of his life, making him stop them from his own words, to move to America. In a balance to this he gained over the Hamburg city library and the Göttingen University Library diverse material across North America and built a 3,200 books and nearly 10,000 maps comprehensive private library that purchased after his death by the Boston merchant Israel Thorndyke at the suggestion of his students in Göttingen son and the Harvard College was founded.

In America, interest in Ebeling is far greater than in Germany, as is evident from the data released by William Coolidge Lane letter editions. A scientific overall presentation of the life and work Ebeling is - although already demanded several times - still out.

Writings (selection )

Editorial Boards

  • (together with Johann Georg Büsch ): action library, Hamburg, 3 volumes: 1.1784 - 3.1797, available online on the document server of the University Library of Bielefeld, in Ebeling: Notes on trade in the United States in North America, by John Lord Sheffield (London 1784), trans. v. CD Ebeling, in volume 1, part 3, pp. 469-505, and section 4, pp. 521-651, as well as news from the North American Nazional Bank, in Volume 2, item 1, pp. 137-170.
  • Peter Heinrich Christoph Brodhagen: Gottfried Christian Bohn wohlerfahrner merchant, Gottfried Christian Bohn, Hamburg, 1789 (online).
  • American Library, parts 1-4, Leipzig from 1777 to 1778.
  • (together with Dietrich Hermann Hegewisch ): American magazine, or authentic contributions to geography, civics and history of America, but especially the United States, Hamburg 1795-1797.
  • Handel's oratorio, The Messiah ', in Clavierauszuge of CFG Schwencke, with German texts of Klopstock and Ebeling, Hamburg 1809

As a translator

  • Travel through the intermediaries of the English colonies in North America, along with comments about the condition of the colonies. By M. Andrew Burnaby ... Translated from the English, with notes and additions by Christoph Daniel Ebeling. Bohn, Hamburg and Kiel 1776 ( online. Original Title: Andrew Burnaby: Travels through the middle settlements in North - America London 1775. ).
  • K. Buerney 's, the music = Doctors, Diary of a musical journey through France and Italy, Hamburg 1772 ( Original title: Charles Burney: The present state of music in France and Italy London 1771. ).

Independent writings

  • Geography and history of America. The United States of North America, 7 volumes, Hamburg 1793-1816 [ Volume 1 New Hampshire, Massachusetts ( 1793); Volume 2 Rhode Iceland, Connecticut, Vermont, New York ( 1794); Volume 3 New York, New Jersey (1796 ); Volumes 4 and 6 Pennsylvania (1797, 1803); Volume 5 Delaware, Maryland (1799 ); Volume 7 Virginia ( 1816) ].
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