Siegfried August Mahlmann

Siegfried August Mahlmann ( born May 13, 1771 in Leipzig, † December 16, 1826 same place ) was a German poet, writer and publisher.

Life

Siegfried August Mahlmann was the son of 1734 from Aschersleben who came to Leipzig businessman Siegfried Martin Mahlmann ( 1705-1780 ) and his wife Wilhelmine Augusta ( 1746-1782 ). The parentless age of 11 Siegfried August was initially taught under changing guardianships in a private school in Borna and attended from 1785 to 1789, the Prince's School in Grimsby.

He then began studying law at the University of Leipzig, but he broke off in 1792 to take up the mediation of Christian Felix Weisse in Riga the place of a tutor and the first to teach the son of the house in languages ​​and mathematics. From 1794, he accompanied his pupil, who was a little younger than he, to the Universities of Leipzig and Göttingen. After a stay in Berlin in winter 1796/1797, where he met his future wife, he undertook a journey through Germany, Denmark and Sweden to St. Petersburg.

In 1798 he returned to Leipzig and tried - at first without success - to investments in bookstores. In 1805 he took over after the death of his brother Johann Gottlieb Karl walking the editors of the " newspaper for the elegant world ". This and the lease in 1810 adopted the "Leipziger Zeitung" brought him to prosperity. He led the latter, which was the only political newspaper published daily in Saxony, by the changing times politically difficult at the beginning of the 19th century with successively Saxon, French, Russian, Prussian and Saxon again censorship. He had in 1813 to endure a brief detention.

In 1814 he bought the manor Obernitzschka, at the trough between Grimsby and Wurzen located (after Wurzen incorporated since 2006 ), and 1815, the fire Vorwerk south of Leipzig. Both goods he conducted himself He was interested in the testing of new agricultural cultivation methods and the use of new varieties. He was a member of working in this direction Leipzig economic firm, whose chairman he was in 1821. In addition to the agricultural and literary activities, he devoted his last lifetime studies of the natural history, physics, chemistry and astronomy. The Society for Natural Sciences in Leipzig named him an honorary member. He was heavily involved in the remodeling of the old theater in the classical style, and it reopened in 1817 as a theater of the city of Leipzig.

Since 1796, he was a member of the Leipzig Masonic Lodge Minerva of the three palm trees. 1813 elected him this to their master of the chair, which he remained until his death. His final resting place he found on the Old St. John's Cemetery.

Literary creation

After the first, partly anonymous Try to turn of the century appeared in 1803 " before Herod Bethlehem, or the triumphant district champion. A show - mourning and Thränenspiel in drey lifts. As a counterpart to the vielbeweinten Hussites before Naumburg " Kotzebue. This parodic satire made ​​Mahlmann known throughout Germany and worked with wit and humor to the improvement of the dominant contemporary taste. This was followed by numerous other comedies.

Mahlmanns poems whose sentiments of religious consecration extend to fresh zest for life, found in the contemporary audience frequent recordings. Several poems were very popular and much sung songs. These include, for example, " The leaves fall from the trees ", " My resume is love and lust " and "Down with the crickets and concerns ". There were settings of Johann Friedrich Reichardt, Louis Spohr and others. He also wrote occasional poems on political and other events. His "God bless Saxony Country ", to be sung to the tune of God Save the Queen, was also sometimes referred to as "Saxon national anthem ".

As a novel is to call " The Lazzaroni " (2 parts, 1803). There he appears as the author of " Albano lute player " ( 2 volumes, 1802), but this novel is by August Klingemann, the author of the " night watches of Bonaventura ". The false attribution probably stems from the fact that a play Klingemann's with the similar title " The Lazzaroni of Naples or The beggar " exists. Mahlmanns prose narratives often pursued educational goals. Considering this, the two volumes " stories and fairy tales " from 1802 can be seen.

Mahlmann was 30 years a member of the Lodge Minerva of the three palm trees. About his role as Master of the Chair addition, his commitment to pushing in the " Songbook of the Lodge Minerva " from 1822.

His collected works were published in 1839 and 1959.

Family

1801 married Mahlmann Ernestine Mayer ( 1779-1805 ) and two years after her death, Johanne Christiane Ertell (* 1773). The first marriage was childless, the second and had two sons who died young, and two daughters. From the first marriage he was related to Karl walking and Jean Paul.

Honors