Maria Carolina Wolf

Maria Carolina Benda (married Wolf, * 1742 in Potsdam ( baptized 27 December 1742), † August 2, 1820 in Weimar) was a singer, pianist, composer and chamber singer at the court of the Duchess Anna Amalia of Saxe -Weimar- Eisenach.

Life

Maria Carolina Benda was born in Potsdam in 1742 as the second of eight children and was baptized on 27 December the same year the Berlin Cathedral in Berlin. She was the daughter of the violinist and composer Franz Benda. Her mother was Frances Louise Eleonore Benda (born Stephanie ), which served as maid of Countess Wilhelmine of Bayreuth.

By the early death of her mother in 1758 is believed that Maria Carolina, along with her ​​older sister Louise Wilhelmine Dorothea took over the education of her four younger siblings Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Carl Herrmann, Heinrich, Charlotte Henriette Sophie and Bernhardine Juliane. The other two siblings Johann Christian Gottlieb and Louise Wilhelmine Amalia died already in early childhood.

A musical training in singing and playing the piano, Maria Carolina of her father, whom she in 1761 at the age of 18 years was allowed to accompany her on "Visit and art trip " to Gotha, Weimar and Rudolstadt. An important event of this trip was the marriage of Franz Benda and his sister Caroline Wilhelmine Stephanie on August 13 in 1761. Caroline Wilhelmine Amalia of Saxony was Anna -Weimar -Eisenach as a maid, since this was five years old. Your service as a lady's maid She transferred after the ceremony to her nieces and from then on stepdaughters Maria Carolina and Wilhelmine Louise Dorothea. Maria Carolina is committed to searching of the Duchess Anna Amalia as a chamber singer.

At the court of the Duchess of Saxe- Weimar -Eisenach Maria Carolina met the court conductor, pianist and composer Ernst Wilhelm Wolf know in whom they married on 28 August 1770. Anna Amalia took over the cost of the wedding because they wanted to keep the two artists in Weimar.

Maria Carolina was a member of the " Theatre lovers ", which in 1775 at the court of the Duchess was established and headed by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. She entered as actress in different stage games at:

• As Baroness von Forstheim in the mail train or the noble passions - a comedy by Cornelius Hermann von Ayrenhoff
• As Olympia in Erwin und Elmire - a Singspiel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, music by Anna Amalia of Weimar
• As Esther in the funfair of Plundersweilern - a farce by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
• As Dilara in Zobeis - a tragedy by Friedrich Hildebrand von Einsiedel

Maria Carolina died on August 2, 1820, 28 years after her husband Ernst Wilhelm Wolf. Until her death, she lived in Weimar.

Works

• At the Rose ( published in:. Teutsche The Mercury - (1779 ) 3 Quarterly. )
• The Rose ( published in:. Teutsche The Mercury - (1779 ) 4 Quarterly. )
• " Shining sinket the sun. " ( Published in:. Teutsche The Mercury - ( 1785 ) 4 Quarterly. )
• The poor Suschens dream: "I dreamed that at midnight ... " ( Text Author: Gottfried August Bürger - published in: The folk songs of the Germans: a complete collection of exquisite German folk songs of the middle of the fifteenth to the first half of the nineteenth century / edited by Friedrich Karl von Erlach - Mannheim:. . Hoff, 1836 - (Vol. 5) - pp 44-45 ). .