Catherine Curzon: Germany

Showing posts with label Germany. Show all posts

Wednesday, 3 June 2020

George I: Murder, Marriage and Mayhem

I'm delighted to be visiting my esteemed publisher, Pen & Sword, to tell the story of the disastrous marriage of George I and Sophia Dorothea of Celle. When a loveless marriage erupted into violence and adultery, the stage was set for a scandal that sent the woman who could've been queen of England into captivity for thirty long years.

Click here

Tuesday, 11 July 2017

Ludwigslust Palace – Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s very own Versailles

I'm delighted to welcome Julia Meister, who is your guide to Ludwigslust Palace – Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s very own Versailles

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Ludwigslust Palace – Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s very own Versailles

Entering the gardens of Ludwigslust Palace is quite a magical experience: Lush green trees everywhere you look (if you are lucky enough to visit the palace in the spring or summer!), with a vast alley leading the way to one of the most beautiful palaces of North Germany. Add to that the clear air and the feeling of being quite alone in this lush landscape – Ludwigslust Palace is hardly ever overrun by tourists, and all the more worth visiting because of that! - , and you have more than enough reasons to visit this joyous (The –lust in Ludwigslust meaning as much as ‘joy’) place. Built originally as a hunting lodge for Prince Christian Ludwig of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who was to become duke in 1747, it was eventually turned into a proper palace in the 1770s, once Ludwingslust had been named the capital of the German duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The palace features Baroque as well as Neoclassicist elements, and is unique due to the fact that it’s the only ensemble of a Baroque garden and palace in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern area: Hence it being referred to as its very own Versailles!

We may thank Christian Ludwig II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, for being able to enjoy the grandeur of this ensemble today, since he was the one who had seen Versailles with his own eyes during his Grand Tour of Europe, and desired nothing more than having his own version of Louis XIV’s lavish palace in Ludwigslust. Jean Laurent Legeay, architect to the Imperial Court, who drafted the architectural plans for the project. With the help of Johann Joachim Busch, they began to build an entire Baroque city to surround the castle, as well as a glorious chapel royal. Of course, this was no cheap endeavour, which is where the use of papier-mâché comes into play: The so-called called Ludwigsluster Carton was used in various parts of the castle instead of expensive materials. It seems to have worked for Ludwigslust Palace – just goes to show how easily people can be fooled and that clever businessmen existed back in the 18^th Century as well! In the 19^th Century, the park was remodeled by the famous Prussian gardener and landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenné.

The palace is further embellished by the very romantic palace pond and various other artificial ponds, as well as a gorgeous water cascade that also provides the visitor with great photo opportunities and angles! If one visits Ludwigslust, one really needs to schedule in a few hours dedicated to just exploring the park - there’s just so much to see! A Swiss cottage, two mausoleums (one was built for Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, the other for Grand Duchess Elena of Russia, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg), an artificial ruin, and even a Gothic chapel!

The inside of the palace is no less visually stunning: With the Eastern wing having recently been restored to its former glory, the Golden Hall, now and then used for classical concerts, can now finally be visited again (it is quite a sight, with its big chandeliers, the entire room being all golden and sparkly!). Obviously, the many portraits of Baroque ladies and gentlemen displayed throughout the castle are a feast for the eyes, too! The palace also contains a vast royal collection of clocks, as well as musical instruments, Baroque pieces of furniture and various busts of the royals that used to live here (and of their relatives, too!). An interesting figure to watch out for is Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who inhabited Ludwigslust Palace with his family from 1785 until his death in 1837. His statue looms large in front of the palace. Two of his children converted to the Catholic faith (how scandalous!), and Frederick Francis himself founded the first German coastal resort in Heiligendamm (a place located at the coast of the Baltic Sea) in 1793. It was modeled on the then already very famous seaside resorts in the South of England.

If you enjoyed this blog post, you might also be interested in my musings about Mirow Castle. If you ever take a trip to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, I’d strongly suggest not to miss either Mirow Castle or Ludwigslust Palace – the pleasure will be all yours (see what I did there?)!

About the Author

Julia Meister is an 18th/19th Century enthusiast, and is especially interested in the social history of women. She has a vast knowledge of royal mistresses and is fascinated by their political power. Whilst she loves British and French history, her main passion is the Habsburg Empire: When on holiday, she can most likely be found visiting a castle in within the former Austro-Hungarian region that has once been inhabited by Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Buda Castle, Gödöllő Palace and Vienna’s Hofburg are among her favourites). In 2016, Julia wrote and recorded the texts for Marienfließ Convent’s audioguide – the first female Cistercian convent in the Brandenburg area of Germany, founded in 1231. She is currently seeking new ways of indulging her passion for history and writing.

Thursday, 2 March 2017

Špilberk Castle – Prisoners, Empresses and Legendary Noblemen

I'm delighted to welcome Julia Meister, who is your guide to Spilberk Castle!

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The Czech Republic is a wonderful country if you are interested in exploring a large variety of castles. Due to the fact that the Czech Republic belonged to the Habsburg Empire until 1918, you can imagine the splendour and loveliness of these buildings, which can be experienced in a wonderfully old-fashioned and comfortable way by traveling through the country by train.

Brno, the second largest town in the Czech Republic and about 2 hours away from Vienna, is home to two historical buildings that very much shape the city’s silhouette. One of them is the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, towering majestically over the city on Petrov Hill, with the other being Špilberk Castle, situated on yet another hill and often acting as a stunning background for photos taken in the city centre of Brno!

While Špilberk Castle’s cream-coloured exterior might lack the Baroque embellishments so often admired in castles, it has to be remembered that during the Habsburg reign, it was first and foremost used to fight off enemies and house the most dangerous criminals within the monarchy! Even though it was originally created as a residence for King Ottokar II. of Bohemia in the 13^th Century, Špilberk Castle was eventually turned into a fortress and a prison in the 16^th Century. Therefore, the castle had to be solid and look as threatening as possible to those wishing to attack the city of Brno. Today, the castle’s exterior has been restored to the way it looked in the late 18^th Century, and it does, indeed, feature a Baroque tower on one side of the building. This tower can be climbed for a small fee, and offers a breathtaking aerial view of Brno! Even climbing the stairs of the tower is quite the experience, and makes one feel as if one has traveled back in time to the heyday of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.

Raduit de Souches

As mentioned above, Špilberk Castle was used as a fortress, due to its strategically convenient position. In 1645, in the course of the Thirty Years’ War, it was heavily attacked during the Swedish siege. The man who successfully defended Brno and made Špilberk Castle ready for battle was Raduit de Souches, a French nobleman who fought for the Habsburgs. He is truly one of the heroes of the history of Brno, and is commemorated throughout the city. When climbing the castle hill, one can see and pose for pictures with a bust of the man himself. His grave can also be found in Brno, namely in the Church of St. James, in the very centre of Brno.

Špilberk Castle is quite famous for its casemates. Originally built to store weapons and house soldiers, they were eventually turned into a prison by Maria Theresa’s son Emperor Joseph II in 1783. It was intended for only the most brutal and violent criminals within the Habsburg territory. Throughout the vast lands of the Habsburg dynasty, all of its residents feared being put into Špilberk Castle, so one can’t help but wonder whether its mere existence actually helped to lower crime rates! The castle’s basement served as a last home to those imprisoned for life. No one ever escaped from that prison, even though some cheeky criminals obviously had to (falsely) claim that they did! Eventually, in 1855, Emperor Franz Joseph I. closed the prison for good.

The castle features various exhibitions on the history of Brno and Špilberk Castle, and it is also possible to visit the famous casemates. A wonderfully spooky experience! The exhibition on the history of Brno features various historical items, such as clothes, furniture, porcelain…it really is possible to get lost inside that castle for an entire day! Make sure to also visit the Baroque pharmacy, which is situated within the castle’s gift shop. It dates back to the 18^th Century and used to belong to the Elizabethan Convent in Brno.

When making one’s way back to the city centre of Brno, it is incredibly idyllic, and, dare I say, even romantic, to descend the castle hill and take in all of its nature and incredible views of the city. History and nature are combined at its best here!

About the Author

Wednesday, 19 October 2016

Mirow: A Village Full of Castles

I'm delighted to welcome Julia Meister, who is your guide to Mirow!

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The Lower Castle

Mirow is a small, sleepy German village located in the Southern part of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. With its 4000 inhabitants and rural atmosphere, all one expects to find there is nature and, since it’s located within the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte (a region famous for its many lakes), a lake or two. There is – albeit in a positive way! – nothing regal about Mirow, until, that is, one approaches Mirow’s very own Castle Island. Before one even sets foot on it, one is surprised to discover that the building located right next to the island was once a beautiful castle. Beautiful enough even to be deemed appropriate as the place of birth for a princess belonging to the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who ruled a small duchy in the North of Germany (another famous member of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz clan was Louise of Prussia, to whom we’ll come in another blog post!). After all, the little girl, born as Sophia Charlotte on May 19th, 1744 in the aforementioned castle (called the “Lower Castle”) in Mirow, was to become one of Britain’s royal leading ladies as the wife of King George III. Looking at the castle as it is now, it is hard to imagine its grandeur during the 18th Century. From the early 19th Century until 2006, it was used as a school. Sadly, it is now vacant and in dire need of renovation!

Moving on towards the actual Castle Island, one passes through a beautiful English landscape garden full of lush green trees. Hence, even judged by its surroundings, the Upper Castle seems much more worthy of royalty. This is due to the fact that a lot more care and effort is put into it, with lots of renovation going on inside. Built at the beginning of the 18th Century, it was mainly used as a widow’s seat by Duchess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen, who was also a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Mirow. The Upper Castle is open to visitors, who can take a look at Mirow’s famous hand-stitched tapestry from the 18th Century, as well as its magnificent Baroque hall. The castle also features in-depth information on its former inhabitants, as well as, of course, Queen Charlotte. Since the castle is located in a small village, one can often pass through its halls without the distraction of many other visitors: I had this experience one, and it made me almost feel like the hostess of the castle myself!

The park and the bridge connecting Mirow's Castle Island to Love Island

I highly recommend visiting the so-called Love Island, which can be reached via bridge, and from where one has a beautiful view of the Mirower See (the Castle Island’s very own lake). What makes it even more special is the grave of Adolf Friedrich VI., who was the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He died in 1918 under mysterious circumstances: To this day, no one has ever really managed to find out whether he was murdered or committed suicide. This lack of clarity regarding his end lends a very special atmosphere to Mirow’s Love Island (and also makes one think that the name ‘Love Island’ and the fact that his tomb was placed here make for an interesting juxtaposition!).

The grave of Adolf Friedrich VI

Another gem to be found on Mirow’s Castle Island is the Protestant Lutheran Church, once the castle church of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Make sure you visit the so-called Fürstengruft, the crypt where members of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz dynasty were laid to rest. One can catch a glimpse of 22 coffins, and it really gives one the shivers to be stood there in front of (unfortunately, deceased) royalty! The coffin of Duchess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen, Mirow’s longest inhabitant, can be found here. Another famous figure that can be found amongst the dead in the crypt is Landgravine Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt, who was brought up with Marie Antoinette at the Imperial Court in Vienna. The two of them kept up a lifelong correspondence as pen pals.

The steps leading up to the church

Mirow is very old-fashioned when it comes to public transport, and that’s what makes it even more charming: To get from Neustrelitz (the last train station you can reach via Deutsche Bahn) to Mirow, one has to travel by lovely little trains, known to insiders as railbuses. They have quite a cult following, and are still used by a train company in that area. While these railbuses may not date back to the times of Queen Charlotte, they certainly make getting to Mirow a rather nostalgic experience!

Mirow Castle

About the Author
Julia Meister is an 18th/19th Century enthusiast, and is especially interested in the social history of women. She has a vast knowledge of royal mistresses and is fascinated by their political power. Whilst she loves British and French history, her main passion is the Habsburg Empire: When on holiday, she can most likely be found visiting a castle in within the former Austro-Hungarian region that has once been inhabited by Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Buda Castle, Gödöllő Palace and Vienna’s Hofburg are among her favourites). In 2016, Julia wrote and recorded the texts for Marienfließ Convent’s audioguide – the first female Cistercian convent in the Brandenburg area of Germany, founded in 1231. She is currently seeking new ways of indulging her passion for history and writing.

Thursday, 19 May 2016

Happy Birthday, Queen Charlotte!

On this day in 1744, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was born. She is better known as Queen Charlotte, the devoted wife to George III and one of the leading characters in my book, Life in the Georgian Court. You can order the book at the links below, and scroll down to find all of my posts on this remarkable lady.

Pen and Sword
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Book Depository (free worldwide shipping)

I hope you will enjoy this digest of posts here on the Guide regarding Charlotte and her illustrious family.

By Thomas Lawrence, 1790

Queen Charlotte's diamonds: A romantic tale of George's wedding gift to his bride.
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz by Laura Purcell - The early life of the young princess.
The Portrait of Queen Charlotte - When Thomas Lawrence painted the queen in a poignant pose, she was not happy with the result.
Queen Charlotte's Notebook - The stunning stationery of the queen!
The Death of Queen Charlotte

The Children of Charlotte and George
The Long Life of Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh
The Frail Life of Princess Louisa of Great Britain
A Regal Disagreement: Charlotte, Princess Royal
"Tell Charles I die blessing him": Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom

A whole host of tales of George IV...

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

Pen and Sword
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Book Depository (free worldwide shipping)

Wednesday, 23 September 2015

Handel and the English

Today I am wildly excited to welcome Sheena Vernon to the salon. Sheena is the author of the wonderful book, Messiah. Love, music and malice at a time of Handel, and is joining us to discuss the composer's life and work in England!

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Handel and the English

Handel was a Saxon yet his home for forty five years (1714-59) was London. He invented a new genre of music, the English dramatic oratorio, yet he came to fame as the composer of Italian opera. He made London the musical capital of Europe with musicians and singers that were almost exclusively foreign. And to complete the conundrum, he created a brand, headed by monarchs who originated from Hanover, that became the epitome of Britishness.

Yes, George Frideric was a mass of wonderful contradictions. Which is possibly why he and the British public had their ups and downs. In fact his ups and downs with pretty much everybody who was anybody were legendary; he was, after all, a ‘creative’ and therefore difficult at times to work with. His Italian singers found him an insufferable dictator. Which is why, in 1733, most of them walked out on him and joined a rival opera company. English composers like Thomas Arne resented the long shadow he cast, getting every commission for public occasions like royal marriages, deaths and coronations. The news sheets liked to deride the Italian Opera for promoting effeminacy and popery and aimed their most excoriating prose at its director, Handel, for encouraging Jonny Eunuch to caper round the stage shrieking in a language that no-one understood. The other accusation was that he was typically German, telling the English what their taste in music should be.

At one stage Handel left London, unable to take the barracking of the tabloids, the tantrums of his singers, and the hissing and growling of London’s beau monde who had divided into factions when the new opera company was set up as a rival to his. In the winter of 1741 he stomped off to Dublin for ten months and it was there that he premiered his greatest oratorio, The Messiah. During the years leading up to this rupture Handel not only endured the media brickbats, factionalism and peer group resentment just mentioned but had come close to bankruptcy, due to audiences being split across two opera companies.

George Frideric Handel by Balthasar Denner, 1726-28

So why, you might be asking, did Handel make London his home and in 1727 become a naturalised citizen? Why didn’t he move to another Protestant court, in the Netherlands, maybe or Austria, Prussia, and even Hanover where he had once worked? The answer lies with what London had to offer musicians at the time. I think that the close group of sponsors who became his friends also played a part as well as the patronage of the royal family. Finally, Handel eventually hit on a formula which the public loved: he started to compose works in English and to rely on English singers. By the time of his death his airs were being played on every parade ground, in the pleasure gardens of Vauxhall, in the concert halls of provincial cities, and at the ceremonies that trumpeted British triumphs - the Treaty of Utrecht, the Treaty of Aix la Chapelle, the victory at Culloden.

The first half of the eighteenth century saw London became capitalistic, colonial and cosmopolitan (though none of those words existed). The fact that George 1st couldn’t speak English was, for English parliamentarians of the time, part of his charm; they wanted a figurehead who brought stability, they didn’t want a Stuart who believed he had divine rights or who would meddle in running the country. Nowhere else in Europe was there the same libertarian approach to governance that allowed new wealth to be created from trade and finance. For twenty five years Britain made money rather than war. When this period of peace ended in 1739 it was in order to fight the Spanish for trade dominance in the West Indies.

Handel, being a businessman and entrepreneur, thrived in this ruthless, often brutal and always robust environment even though he was bruised at times. Unlike Mozart, when he died in 1759 he was well-off because there were opportunities to make money as a musician in London which did not exist elsewhere (this was the principal reason why London attracted so many foreign musicians); there were also new audiences from among the mercantile classes and this broke the grip of aristocratic patronage on the arts.

An additional advantage for Handel was his relationship with the House of Hanover. King George ll was in all senses a philistine, but his father genuinely loved Italian opera and George ll’s spouse, Caroline, and her two eldest daughters - all three of the same Lutheran stock as the composer - were his friends. Handel’s friendship circles were small and tight but very loyal; his right hand man was a fellow Saxon, Johann Christophe Schmidt, but he also moved in several English circles, notably those round Lord Shrewsbury and his near neighbour Mrs Delaney, née Pendarves. When I read about his relations with the British musical and church establishment, I wonder sometimes if Handel wasn’t borderline Aspergers. But the existence of close friends suggests someone capable of considerable, albeit a crusty, charm, and his ongoing popularity with royalty, despite the fact that so many of them loathed each other, is testimony to his diplomatic skills.

Finally, Handel and the British grew to love one another. After 1741 Handel composed no more Italian operas, focusing instead on English oratorios. Some say this was merely because the opera was just too uneconomic, but maybe Handel himself saw the need to evolve as a musician. Above all of this, he became an institution; the Hallelujah chorus, Zadock the Priest, the water music and the fireworks music are only the tip of a huge Handelian iceberg that defined public life, that made him, truly, one of us.

Sheena Vernon is author of the novel ‘Messiah. Love, music and malice at a time of Handel,’ which is available in paperback, as an ebook or in audio. http://tinyurl.com/povxsus

@BigHandelfan

www.dontyoulovetheeighteenthcentury.com http://ow.ly/Ioxnv

Tuesday, 19 May 2015

A Queen Charlotte Digest

On this day in 1744, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was born. As Queen Charlotte she was a devoted wife to George III and one of my favourite Georgian characters.

I hope you will enjoy this digest of posts here on the Guide regarding Charlotte and her illustrious family.

By Thomas Lawrence, 1790

A whole host of tales of George IV...

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

Pen and Sword
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Book Depository (free worldwide shipping)

Monday, 20 April 2015

Musical Monday: Franz Danzi

Franz Ignaz Danzi (Schwetzingen, Germany, 15th June 1763 – Karlsruhe, Germany, 13th April 1826)

Today we mark the melodies of Franz Danzi, a man who mixed with musical royalty. Applauded by Mozart and a contemporary of Beethoven, Danzi came from a musical family and enjoyed a rich career as both composer and Kapellmeister to Frederick I of Württemberg.

Thursday, 26 March 2015

"Pity, Pity - Too Late!": The Death of Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (Bonn, Electorate of Cologne, 17th December 1770 – Vienna, Austria, 26th March 1827)

Beethoven by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820

On this day in 1827, Ludwig van Beethoven died. A musical legend, his name and compositions are feted throughout the world and used across a variety of media. Even if you don't think you know any of Beethoven's work, the chances are that you definitely do. By the time Beethoven died he had lived a life of great triumph and tragedy and even his death was not without some drama!

In the final years of his life, Beethoven’s health had been somewhat precarious and for the three months preceding his death, he had been overcome with vomiting and diarrhoea that caused him to take to his bed. Although he had experienced such episodes before, it soon became apparent to the composer’s friends that this time he would not recover. The efforts of doctors including Andreas Wawruch to relieve his suffering proved fruitless and those who cared for the composer were instructed to visit and pay their last respects, as time was growing short. Still lucid, though weak, the last words spoken by Beethoven were "pity, pity - too late!", when the ailing composer was told that a gift of wine he had been expecting had finally arrived.

Beethoven received the last rites on 24th March, just two days before he lost consciousness. Throughout his final days he was attended by his friend, the composer Anselm Hüttenbrenner, and he recorded his memories of those fateful hours, when a violent thunderstorm raged overhead. In the moments before his death, a thunderclap sounded directly over his Vienna home and Beethoven, for a moment, regained his senses. He lifted his head and stretched out his arm for a second before the breath deserted him and, sinking back onto the bed, the great composer died.

Beethoven's death mask by Josef Danhauser

Beethoven had been so distressed by his own illness that he requested that an autopsy be performed and this procedure took place on 27^th March. Under the direction of Doctor Johann Wagner, it was revealed that the composer’s liver had suffered severe damage and showed signs of advanced cirrhosis. High levels of metal and lead were found in his blood, presumably having been consumed whilst drinking contaminated alcohol and throughout his organs there were signs of advanced and serious illness. Whether the cirrhosis was a result of alcoholism or other illness has never been adequately proven and explanations including hepatitis and syphilis have been put forward over the years.

Beethoven was laid to rest in the Währing cemetery on 29^th March amid scenes of intense public mourning; though the composer was dead, however, his music lived on and continues to sound to this very day.

Monday, 9 February 2015

A Musical Monday: Henri-Joseph Rigel

Henri-Joseph Rigel (Wertheim-am-Main, Germany, 9th February 1741 – Paris, France, 2nd May 1799)

Today marks the anniversary of the birth of one of the composers whose work I enjoy listening to whilst writing. Henri-Joseph Rigel enjoyed a glittering career in France, where he wrote opera, symphony and smaller scale pieces. I hope you enjoy these examples of his work.

Friday, 6 February 2015

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt: The Beaked

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (Swabia, Germany, 6th February 1736 - Bratislava, Slovakia, 19th August 1783)

Today marks the anniversary of Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, sculptor of one of the most remarkable and strange bodies of work created in the 18th century. Born into humble beginnings, Messerschmidt received his training from his uncle, sculptor Johann Baptist Straub, and battling against his own psychological issues and the sometimes debilitating physical symptoms of these, found his work in bronze in demand from the most illustrious houses of Austria.

What has ensure Messerschmidt's place in the history of art is his series of sixty four grimacing, tortured busts that have been termed his character heads. He began work on the heads in the early 1770s, inspired by the digestive agony he suffered as a result of an undiagnosed discomfort. The busts were based on his own facial expressions, which he observed in a mirror when pinching his own body in order to combat the pains in his stomach.

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt: The Beaked

The heads came about as a result of Messerschmidt's belief that he was being visited by demonic beings. Indeed, the heads were intended as a method of protection from these devilish creatures and Messerschmidt developed a highly complex system for placing the busts in a particular order that would form a protective barrier between him and his imagined spiritual persecutors.

As Messerschmidt continued his work, he came to firmly believe that his efforts to combat the demons had angered one particularly malevolent character that he termed the Spirit of Proportion. This being, he believed, had existed for millennia and was charged with protecting the arcane knowledge that he alone had discovered. By night, Messerschmidt thought, the Spirit of Proportion visited him in his rooms and tortured him as punishment for his efforts to resist his tormentors by sculpting the heads.

In response to these agonies, Messerschmidt sculpted The Beaked. It is a nightmarish image of the human face contorted into an agonised grimace and once can only imagine what its creator must have been suffering when he conceived of it. Messerschmidt's art is remarkable and, as far as I know, unique; once seen, it is not easily forgotten.

Monday, 2 February 2015

A Most Musical Post!

Gottfried August Homilius (Rosenthal, Saxony, 2nd February 1714 – Dresden, Germany, 2nd June 1785)

Today marks the anniversary of the birth of Gottfried August Homilius, a church composer who studied under Bach. Homilius held several impressive posts in Germany and his works were hugely popular, remaining in performance to this very day.

I love to listen to the work of Homilius and rather than write about his life, it seemed perfectly appropriate to let you simply listen to some of his marvellous music. I do hope you enjoy it!

Monday, 29 December 2014

Dining Al Fresco, Georgian Style

It is a little chilly for picnics at the moment and if it were, no doubt my colonial gentleman and I would pack our hamper and trot off to some far flung part of the countryside to enjoy the fresh air and some good food. Our hamper is a rather nice on but it is nothing compared to this fabulous travelling canteen that has caught my eye today, just a few months after we cast our eye over Bonnie Prince Charlie's very own canteen.

metmuseum.org

Samuel Bardet was born in Switzerland in 1719. He became a silversmith of some renown and created pieces for the gentry, who would pay handsomely own his work. From his base in Augsburg, Germany, Bardet built an illustrious client base and one of his creations is this remarkably beautiful travelling set, which is perfectly Georgian.

The hallmark of this set suggests it was completed in 1779 and it contains a variety of items to ensure that the well-tooled traveller might have all they need to dine in style. There are utensils for carving and serving, eating and drinking and even tiny holders for spice, all beautifully protected in a custom-fit travelling case. The occasion on which this might have been used is suggested by the engraving of a male and female hunter on the glassware and no doubt the hunters who carried it were a fine pair indeed!

Monday, 15 December 2014

The Death of the "Swedish Mozart"

Joseph Martin Kraus (Miltenberg am Main, Germany, 20th June 1756 – Stockholm, Sweden, 15th December 1792)

1775

On more than one occasion, we have crossed to the beautiful land of Sweden to spend time in the company of Gustav III, who died at the hands of assassins. Today, however, marks the anniversary of the death of Joseph Martin Kraus, the composer responsible for Gustav's monumental Funeral Cantata, which can be heard by clicking on the video below.

Kraus was a favourite of King Gustav III and under his patronage, the young composer flourished. He undertook a tour of Europe, assumed high academic office and composed stirring music to accompany state occasions for the king and court, earning himself a daunting reputation in his adopted land.

By the time Gustav breathed his last, his composer of choice was already beginning to suffer from the symptoms of tuberculosis and, as the year wore on, those symptoms become ever more debilitating until the composer was forced to take to his bed.

Kraus did not leave his bed as the winter set in and, on 15th December 1792. he died. As family and friends gathered to mourn, the composer's body was placed in a casket and carried by torchlight across the frozen expanse of the Brunnsviken lake and then on to Tivoli. Here he was laid to rest, yet the Swedish Mozart's music lives on.

Friday, 28 November 2014

A Fatal Fall: Johann Peter Salomon

Johann Peter Salomon (Bonn, Germany, baptised 20th February 1745 – London, England, 28th November 1815)

Today we mark the death of Johann Peter Salomon, composer and violinist. Salomon was born in the house in Bonn that would later see the birth of a certain Beethoven, and from childhood prodigy, rose to the heights of musical excellence.

Salomon excelled as a violinist from a young age and before he was even twenty, was a leading light at the Prussian court. Not content with playing music, he was soon composing too and as his star rose, he travelled across Europe to settle in London.

It was here that Salomon found celebrity, both as a violinist and for the works he wrote for the Royal Opera to perform. Hayden came to England at the invitation of Salomon and the two men shared an enduring friendship, championing one another's works.

Salomon met a sad end in his seventieth year, just two years after he was instrumental in the establishing of the Philharmonic Society. Whilst taking a summer ride in 1815 he fell from his horse and sustained injuries that would later lead to dropsy. Confined to his bed in 70 Newman Street, the much-loved composer declined swiftly and passed away on 25th November. His funeral took place the following week, when he was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey.