Object: Music Book,
Accession #: 2005.0019
Lithography was
invented in Germany in 1796 by Bavarian playwright, Alois Senefelder. Greasy
crayon was applied to slabs of limestone and then his scripts printed with
rolled on ink. Crayon marks were retained so well that duplicate copies could
be made in unlimited quantities. Lithograph comes from the Latin for stone, litho,
and mark, graph. This music book, Select
Airs, for the Piano Forte, arranged from De Webers Celebrated Opera Der
Freichutz, includes 23 pages of music and a lithograph of Weber’s Opera.
Carl Maria von Weber, a German composer, conductor, pianist, and critic
lithographed a set of Variations for the
Pianoforte himself under the guidance of Senefelder.
Born in Eutin, Holstein and raised in a family of singers,
Weber’s father made sure he was given an education which included
literature and art. He had several music teachers, met many musicians and
composers including Meyebeer. Weber's first opera, composed in 1800 when he was
14, was Die Waldmädchen (The
Forest Maiden), parts of which survive. The composer studied under Michael
Haydn in Salzburg and later in Munich under singer Johann Evangelist Wallishauser
and organist J.N. Kalcher. From 1813-1816, Weber was Director of the Opera in
Prague. From 1817 he was director of the opera in Dresden, “working hard to
establish a German opera, in response to the Italian opera which had dominated
the European music scene since the 18th century.” Weber’s works influenced the development of
the romantic opera in Germany and Der
Freichutz was an instant success in Berlin, in 1821, and within a few years was performed in every major opera house in Europe.
It has been said of Der Freischütz, “Weber’s
beguiling score is full of rustic energy and vivid evocations of the natural
world,” and that, “his study of aesthetics, of German folk tales and his
interest in the supernatural were brought to bear on Der Freischütz.” Fred Plotkin, a commentator and writer on opera, continues
Der Freischütz, often referred to in
English as "The Magic Marksman," draws from German Romanticism’s use
of the supernatural as a threatening presence, especially when it emanates from
the forests found at the edge of villages. Weber introduced hunter’s horns and
adroitly used various instruments in the orchestra to depict these natural and
supernatural phenomena, and the chorus is deployed to spooky effect as the
sounds of scary spirits. Weber used other instruments, such as the clarinet, to
express the emotions and frustrations of young, sentimental love.
Almost 200 years after its debut, the scope of
Weber’s opera continues to be enjoyed by audiences around the world. In the
United States, the first opera to be performed in 1796 was Gretry’s Sylvain, in New Orleans. Although
it is not known for certain that the Randolph family participated in the
viewing of operas or similar theatrical productions, they did have an
appreciation for music. This can be seen through the harpsichord they owned
which was the most expensive item on their inventory of 1810. Music is once
again enjoyed at Wilton through the museum’s free summer concert series and other events throughout the year.
Works
Cited
Ives, Colta. "Lithography in the Nineteenth Century". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.
New
York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. 30 May 2013. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/lith/hd_lith.htm>
(October 2004)
Larner, Gerald. “Overture Der Freischütz”. Scottish Chamber Orchestra. 31 May 2014.
<http://www.sco.org.uk/content/overture-der-freisch%C3%BCtz?print=1>
Plotkin, Fred. “Overlooked Operas: Weber's Der Freischütz”. WQXR: Operavore. 8 July 2013.
29 May 2014. <http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/305476-overlooked-operas-der-freischutz/>
Tommasini, Anthony. “London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus: ‘Der Freischütz’”. New York
“Opera in New Orleans”. OperaCreole. 23 June
2014.
<http://www.operacreole.com/history.htm>
“Carl Maria von Weber”. Classic Cat. 5 June
2014. < http://www.classiccat.net/weber_c-
m_von/biography.php
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