Elisabeth Röckel

Elisabeth Rockel ( baptized as Maria Eva, born March 15, 1793 in Nine vorm Wald, † March 3, 1883 in Weimar) was a German opera singer (soprano ).

Life

Elisabeth Rockel was originally christened " Maria Eva ", probably after her godmother, a Maria Eva Grueber. Her parents were the hosier Joseph Rockel (around 1758-1827 ) and his wife Elisabeth Rockel born Diemand ( 1756-1840 ). Her brother was the tenor Joseph August Rockel, in Vienna under Beethoven's own line as Florestan in Fidelio (second version) occurred on 29 March and 10 April 1806 and then one of the closest friends of Beethoven was.

Around 1806/ 07, she moved to Vienna and also referred initially a room in the big official residence of the Theater an der Wien. There lived at that time already her brother as well as Beethoven's Fidelio Actress Anna Milder with her parents and her sister. She herself is in Konskriptionsbogen of theater as " Elis. Roekel Elisabeth " " listed [! ], Ie the maternal name had already " adopted under which she was known. Such name changes were not unusual in artistic circles: So the Viennese theater director and Mozart's friend Emanuel Schikaneder was originally christened "John Joseph " and the composer Leopold Koželuch on the name " Johann Anton". In the parish church official books of Vienna and Weimar as well as in Hummels Testament it is called " Maria Eva Elisabeth", her pension application she signed after his death as " Eva Maria ", as an artist, she is mentioned in all sources "Elisabeth".

Like her brother was also Elisabeth Rockel soon to Beethoven's tightest circle of friends. She also took in Vienna singing and acting classes and soon started a very successful theater career. Your first detectable commitment they received through the temporary Viennese court theater director Franz Ignaz von Holbein, who guested from 1st to April 24th, 1810 at the theater in Bamberg, whose directorship he then took over. From the autumn of 1810 she entered there - along with her brother - several times in Mozart's opera Don Giovanni on and inspired ETA Hoffmann to his novel Don Juan. Holbein writes about it:

" Demoiselle Rockel, excellent by youth, beauty, voice and music education novice was able to assert soon as the first vocalist and would soon also become one of the most famous of their time when their artistic career not ( who would believe it! ) - would have been prevented - by one of the most famous conductor of the time. - This was Kapellmeister Hummel. He married her, and she pulled the silent workings of the housewife shiny ratios of a celebrated artist before. "

In May 1811, toured with her brother in Prague and finally debuted on July 8, 1811 with great success at the Vienna Kartnertor theater as Emmeline in Joseph Weigl's opera The Swiss family. The role was originally created for the famous Anna Milder with which Elizabeth had apparently befriended when she was living with her ​​at the Theater an der Wien. Ignaz Franz Castelli, the librettist of the opera, dedicated to her then in his journal Thalia a very positive meeting. Her admirers included the poet Franz Grillparzer.

On May 16, 1813 married the composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel, with whom she went to Stuttgart in 1816, where she appeared for the last time in 1817. From 1819 she lived with her family in Weimar.

She is the mother of musician Edward Hummel (1814-1893) and the painter Carl Hummel ( 1821-1907 ). August Rockel (1814-1876), the friend of Richard Wagner, was her nephew.

Friendship with Beethoven

Elisabeth Rockel has later told repeatedly by her close friendship with Beethoven. So she told Otto Jahn, "that Beethoven had awarded more than they did as a young girl can claim that he had always been warm and cozy to her ." Ludwig Nohl confided to her that she was with Beethoven at an evening party of guitarist Mauro Giuliani, where " Beethoven had not abated in the exuberance of his Rhenish temperament to stipple them and tease, so that finally, not to save himself from him have known; he had always chickened out of sheer affection namely in the arm. " Supposedly the composer Elisabeth even wanted to marry.

In later years, she had no more contact with him. But a few days before the death of Beethoven, Johann Nepomuk Hummel and his pupil Ferdinand Hiller visited the composer several times, and Beethoven asked to be allowed to see Elisabeth again. She fulfilled the wish of the dying first on 20 March 1827 with Beethoven still hoped for a speedy recovery on that day and told, " then he would also visit Mrs. Hummel ." When went to see him again on March 23, he could no longer speak already. As Hiller reported

" Hummel 's wife took her fine Batistläppchen and dried him several times the face with it. I'll never forget the look of gratitude with which saw then ascended to her his broken eye. "

After Beethoven died on March 26, she came - probably alone - again to him, a curl of his hair is cut and allowed to give his last writing pen. The relics ' in 1934 were in Florence by the painter Wilhelm Hummel, a grandson of Johann Nepomuk Hummel. The lock of hair Beethoven is now owned by the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn.

Beethoven was asked to perform on April 7, 1827 in a benefit concert for his secretary Anton Schindler, in which he originally wanted to participate even Hummel. Schindler told later Gerhard von Breuning, that Hummel initially refused this and promised only to haunting Ask Elizabeth:

" Yes, it is true that Hummel, although he had promised Beethoven on his deathbed in mid-March to play instead of him in my concerts on April 7, 1827 Josefstadt Theater, wanted after his death to take back his word. But Hummel 's wife, born Rockel, who still lives as a widow in Weimar was once loved by Beethoven, - he wanted to marry her; Hummel but they had fished him. When she heard her husband's amended decision of mine, she replied: "I forbid henceforth so much affection for Beethoven 's memory that I will not let Diess. Make no step in my husband; I promise you that he will play you. " - And Hummel played really, and although he extemporized on a Theme of Beethoven in a uniquely beautiful way. "

It refers to the Allegretto from Beethoven's 7th Symphony.

Album Leaf "Für Elise"

The Beethoven scholar Klaus Martin Kopitz suspected that Elizabeth, who was registered as " Maria Eva Elise " at the baptism of her son Edward, the dedicatee of the album leaf "Für Elise" was. The autograph of 1810 resulting piece bore the inscription "Für Elise on April 27 to commemorate by L. v. Bthvn ", so could have come to Bamberg in terms of the departure of the 17 -year-old Elisabeth Rockel. An essay by Max Unger following, had claimed the research earlier, there had been no woman named " Elise " given and received, those " Elise " was Therese Malfatti at the relevant time in Beethoven's life. The Viennese musicologist Michael Lorenz doubts Kopitz ' thesis, since so far no further source is known, is referred to Elizabeth as " Elise ". As, however, he also noted, " Vormarz between the names Elizabeth and Elise was no distinction in Vienna, they were interchangeable and virtually identical. "