August Röckel

Karl August Rockel ( born December 1, 1814 Graz, † June 18, 1876 in Budapest ) was a German conductor and composer. He was the son of Joseph August Rockel and the nephew of Elisabeth Rockel.

Life

Röckel father Joseph August Rockel was tenor, choir director and theater entrepreneur who sang, among others, the Florestan at the premiere of the second version of Fidelio (1806 ). With him he learned early theatrical life in Vienna, Paris and London, and became on one of these trips eyewitness to the July Revolution of 1830.

After completing his musical training under his uncle Johann Nepomuk Hummel was appointed Kapellmeister at the Weimar court theater for several years. Here he composed his opera Farinelli. After that, he was music director in Bamberg and came in 1843 to Dresden, where he was music director Richard Wagner at the court theater also. Under the influence of Wagner's music, he gave up a performance of his own opera, which he had sent to Dresden. At Wagner a close friendship, especially in the phase of the Dresden Uprising was.

Rockel was an ardent Republican, befriended, among others, Michael Bakunin and was in Dresden, the "people's music " as a "mouthpiece" of the Republicans out, in which Wagner also placed articles, so the call " The Revolution." After the failed revolt in Dresden Röckel was captured together with Bakunin and sentenced to death, while Wagner escaped to Zurich. the death sentences were later commuted to prison terms. during Bakunin escaped, Rockel had to settle for a thirteen- year sentence on the fortress Königstein and in Waldheim and was only in January, 1862, released as the last " Maigefangener ".

While in custody, he received many letters from Wagner, in which Wagner made ​​insightful statements on Ring of the Nibelung, the highlight as background information to the revolutionary and socially critical character of the main work of Wagner. During the detention, Rockel wrote the book " survey of Saxony and the penitentiary Waldheim ". In 1862 both saw in Wiesbaden- Biebrich again, where Wagner stayed for about a year to compose the The Mastersingers of Nuremberg.

Röckel then worked only as a writer and as an editor and lived from 1863 in Frankfurt. In 1866 he moved to Munich, and later to Vienna. In 1872 he suffered a stroke from which he never recovered. He eventually died after a long illness at his son in Budapest.

In the residential area of the Dresden district Kleinzschachwitz and in Pirna district Graupa a street named after him in each case.

Family

Röckel married on December 1, 1840 Caroline Henriette Charlotte Lortzingstraße (aka Elstermann, born June 26, 1809 † June 5, 1871 ), an adopted daughter of Frederick Lortzingstraße, the uncle of Albert Lortzingstraße. Their only daughter was the actress Louisabeth Röckel.

Ring Letter of Richard Wagner

On January 25, 1854 Richard Wagner wrote from his exile in Zurich, while Der Ring des Nibelungen worked on his masterpiece, to the prisoner August Rockel one of his most important letters. He criticized the fact the general social conditions and the powerlessness of the individual, and came to the conclusion that you could open your eyes just by using the art of humanity:

In the further course of the long letter Wagner are other interpretive aids, especially the relationship between Wotan - Siegfried - Brünnhilde. Finally, he highlights the importance for him the interaction between text and music in the form of " guiding principles," was:

Swell

• Digital Library, Berlin: Richard Wagner; Works, writings and letters. Edited by Sven Friedrich.