Friedrich von Flotow

Frederick ( Adolf Ferdinand ) von Flotow (* April 27, 1812 [ baptized on May 3, 1812 ] in Teutendorf; † January 24, 1883 in Darmstadt ) was a German opera composer.

  • 3.2.1 orchestral works
  • 3.2.2 Chamber Music
  • 3.2.3 Piano Music

Life

Friedrich von Flotow (No. 258 of the gender count ) is one of the most famous representatives of his race, which is attributed to the Mecklenburg nobility. He was born in 1812 as the second of four children and the eldest son of the landowner and Prussian Captain Wilhelm von Flotow ( 1785-1847, No. 174) on Teutendorf (now a district of Sanitz ) and Wendfeld and his wife, Caroline Sophie Rahel von Boeckmann ( 1792-1862 ). Both parents were musically formed. The father played the flute, the piano mother. From his mother Flotow received his first musical skills in private lessons.

His father had planned a diplomatic career for Flotow, but apparently as his musical talent was that his father had hit him on the recommendation of the clarinet virtuoso Ivan Müller career as a musician. From 1828 he studied at the Paris Conservatoire composition with Anton Reicha and piano by Johann Peter Pixis. There he became friends with, among others, Charles Gounod and Jacques Offenbach.

In 1830 Flotow had returned briefly to Germany. Here he composed his first dramatic works: Pierre et Catherine, Rob Roy and La duchesse de Guise, which he did not bring in Paris without effort to the performance. The freshness of the melodies and the serene sense of speaking out in these works, found favor, and without being assigned to him in 1838 the director of the Théâtre de la Renaissance, the composition of the second act of the opera genre Le Naufrage de la Méduse that are listed within one year 54 times been.

In this opera was followed at short intervals Le forestier (1840 ), L' esclave de Camoëns (1843 ) and composed in association with Friedrich Burgmuller and Edouard Deldevez Ballet Lady Harriet (1844 ). In 1844 he was able to announce the first performed in Hamburg opera Alessandro Stradella his first major success. Together with his opera premiered in Vienna Martha or the market of Richmond, it forms the basis for Flotow's high profile. The libretti of the two operas were from Friedrich Wilhelm Riese ( pseudonym Wilhelm Friedrich), who fell back when writing to older works that were created with the assistance of Flotow. Thus the text of Martha based on Lady Harriet.

From Flotow's later operas, such as The Grand Duchess (1850, libretto by Charlotte Birch -Pfeiffer ), Rubezahl (1853, libretto by Gustav Gans to Putlitzstrasse ) or Albin (1856, Salomon Hermann Mosenthal ), no lasting success have won and will appear only as pale reproductions of earlier works.

1848 Flotow returned to Mecklenburg to take up his father's legacy. On August 21, 1849, he married Elizabeth of Zadow ( 1832-1851 ). In November 1855 he married after the untimely death of Elizabeth the dancer Anna Theen ( 1833-1872 ), who had three children, William ( 1855-1872 ), Friedrich ( 1857-1918 ) and Caroline ( 1851-1864 ) gave birth.

Meanwhile Flotow was appointed as Court Theatre artistic director in Schwerin in 1855 and appointed Grand Duke of Mecklenburg chamberlain. For the inauguration of the New Schwerin Castle in 1857, he composed the opera Johann Albrecht, Duke of Mecklenburg. From this period also La Veuve Grapin comes. In 1863 he gave up his job and moved to Vienna, where he entered the green island in the artistic community, for which he composed many songs. Later Flotow involved in the founding of the German cooperative dramatic authors and composers who should protect similar to today GEMA, the copyrights of composers.

After von Flotow in Vienna by his wife Anna had 1867/68 divorced, he married on August 9, 1868 her sister Rosina Theen ( 1846-1925 ). From this marriage a daughter emerged.

From 1870 to 1872 Flotow lived in Wiener Neustadt, Wiener Strasse 31,

From 1880 to Flotow lived with his sister Bernhardine Rößner in Darmstadt. He died almost completely blind on January 24, 1883 three weeks before Richard Wagner. His grave is located at the old cemetery in Darmstadt.

Style

Of his other compositions, among others, an appealing music to Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, some overtures, piano trios, two piano concertos and numerous songs are to lead.

Von Flotow can not be regarded as a pioneering composer. He leaned in, among other composers of the Opéra Comique - name Auber and Boieldieu, but also Offenbach - on whose witty grace he appropriated to a certain degree. Commonly, however, Flotow appropriated to no distinct personal style, but composed eclectic. To refer a song-like elements on the German folk song. Characteristic on striking, however, are oriented in the Italian melodrama soloists topics that are strongly reminiscent of Donizetti.

In the opera Flotow there are no spoken dialogue. However, they are not composed something like Wagner's operas, but consist of separate, juxtaposed vocal pieces, which are joined by Rezitativpassagen.

All in all, his works can not be denied a certain originality, and even the more stringent critic has the light, lively movement, the graceful melodies flow, the skillful and effective instrumentation recognize the same, make the Flotow's opera easily consumable. Not without reason Martha was the most frequently performed opera in the second half of the 19th century.

Works (selection)

Flotow has created an extensive body of work in his life, but most of the compositional legacy of World War II in Berlin was destroyed in a fire in the archive of the publishing house Bote & Bock. The personal estate is lost with a few exceptions. 1955 was established as a central repository, the private Flotow archive in Darmstadt.

Stage Works

Operas

  • Pierre et Catherine, 1833 Paris → German Peter and Katinka, 1834 Ludwigslust
  • Rob Roy ( with Paul Duport and Pierre -Jean -Baptiste Desforges ), 1836 Royaumont
  • Le Naufrage de la Méduse, 1839 Paris → German The sailors, Hamburg 1845
  • L' Esclave de Camoëns 1843 Paris → German Indra, the snake girl, 1852 Vienna
  • Alessandro Stradella, 1844 Hamburg
  • Martha, or The Market of Richmond, 1847 Vienna, filmed in 1916: Martha
  • The Grand Duchess Sophia Catarina, 1850 Berlin
  • Rubezahl, 1853 Frankfurt am Main
  • Albin or the foster-son, 1856 Vienna
  • Johann Albrecht, Duke of Mecklenburg, Schwerin 1857
  • La Veuve Grapin, 1859 Paris → German The Grapin widow, Berlin 1962
  • On Runestone ( opera in 2 divisions), 1865 Vienna
  • L' Ombre, 1870 Paris → German A shadow, 1871 Vienna
  • La Fleur d' Harlem, 1876 Turin

Ballets

  • Lady Harriette ou La Servante de Greenwich ( Act 1 ), 1844 Paris
  • The group of Thetis, 1858 Schwerin
  • The Tannkönig, a Christmas story, 1861 Schwerin

Instrumental works

Orchestral works

  • Piano Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, 1830
  • Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, 1831
  • Jubelouverture F Major, 1852
  • Fackeltanz E-flat Major, 1853

Chamber Music

  • 6 Chants du soir for Cello and Piano, 1839 ( with Jacques Offenbach)
  • Trio de salon A Minor for Violin and Piano, 1845
  • Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major, Op 14, 1861
  • Fantasy for Flute and Piano, Op 16
  • Nocturne for oboe and piano, Op 47
  • Quartet for Violin, Cello, Horn and Piano in G minor

Piano music

  • Pièce à quatre mains, 1833
  • Trois Valses allemandes, un galop et une mazurka, 1833
  • 6 Etudes for Piano Four Hands, 1874

Songs

  • Rêveries 6, 1839 ( with Jacques Offenbach)
  • 4 Savoyards Songs op 17, 1875
  • 3 songs and ballads:
  • 3 songs:
  • 4 songs ( Nos. 1 and 4 lost)
Alessandro Stradella (opera) Gustav zu Putlitz Gaetano Donizetti Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie Neue Deutsche Biographie Integrated Authority File
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