Siegfried August Mahlmann

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Siegfried August Mahlmann around 1810

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

Life

The Obernitzschka estate on the Mulde
The fire plant near Leipzig
Title page to
"Herod before Bethlehem"
Title page of the first volume of the complete edition
His grave slab in the old Johannisfriedhof in Leipzig

Siegfried August Mahlmann was the son of the merchant Siegfried Martin Mahlmann (1705–1780) and his wife Wilhelmine Augusta (1746–1782), who came to Leipzig from Aschersleben in 1734 . Siegfried August, who was orphaned at the age of 11, was initially taught under changing guardianship in a private school in Borna and attended the Princely School in Grimma from 1785 to 1789 .

He then began to study law at the University of Leipzig , which he broke off in 1792 to take the position of court master in Riga on the mediation of Christian Felix Weisse and initially to teach the son of the house in languages ​​and mathematics. From 1794 he accompanied his pupil, who was only a little younger than him, to the universities of Leipzig and Göttingen . After a stay in Berlin in the winter of 1796/1797, where he met his future wife, he made a journey through Germany, Denmark and Sweden to Petersburg .

In 1798 he returned to Leipzig and tried - initially unsuccessfully - to participate in the book trade. In 1805, after the death of his brother-in-law Johann Gottlieb Karlwalk , he took over the editing of the “ Zeitung für die Elegante Welt ”. This and the lease of the " Leipziger Zeitung ", which he took over in 1810, brought him prosperity. He led the latter, which was the only daily political newspaper in Saxony, through the politically difficult and changeable times at the beginning of the 19th century with successive Saxon, French, Russian, Prussian and again Saxon censorship . In 1813 he had to endure a short imprisonment.

In 1814 he bought the manor Obernitzschka, located on the Mulde between Grimma and Wurzen (incorporated into Wurzen since 2006), and in 1815 the fire works south of Leipzig. He managed both estates himself. He was interested in testing new agricultural cultivation methods and using new varieties. He was a member of the Leipziger Ökonomische Sozietät, which was active in this direction, and became its chairman in 1821. In addition to his agricultural and literary activities, he devoted himself to studying natural history, physics, chemistry and astronomy in his last lifetime. The Natural Research Society of Leipzig made him an honorary member. He was heavily involved in the renovation of the old theater in the classical style and its reopening in 1817 as the theater of the city of Leipzig .

From 1796 he was a member of the Leipzig Freemason Lodge Minerva to the three palms . In 1813 she chose him as her master of the chair , which he remained until his death. He found his final resting place in the old Johannisfriedhof .

Literary work

After first, partly anonymous attempts at the turn of the century, “Herod before Bethlehem, or the triumphant quarter master. A spectacle, grief and tears in three acts. As a counterpart to the much-lamented Hussites before Naumburg “ Kotzebues . This parodic satire made Mahlmann known throughout Germany and worked with wit and humor to improve the prevailing taste of the time. Numerous other comedies followed.

Mahlmann's poems, whose moods range from religious consecration to a fresh zest for life, were well received by contemporary audiences. Several poems became very popular and became much sung songs. These include, for example, "The leaves are falling from the trees", "My résumé is love and lust" and "Away with the crickets and worries". There were settings by Johann Friedrich Reichardt , Louis Spohr and others. But he also wrote occasional poems on political and other events. His "God bless Sachsenland", which is to be sung to the tune of God Save the Queen , was sometimes referred to as the "Saxon national anthem".

A novel that should be mentioned is “The Lazzaroni” (2 parts, 1803). There he appears as the author of "Albano the Lute Player" (2 volumes, 1802), but this novel comes from August Klingemann , the author of the "Night Watch of Bonaventure". The wrong attribution probably stems from the fact that there is a play by Klingemann with the similar title “The Lazzaroni or The Beggar of Naples”. Mahlmann's prose stories often had didactic goals. The two volumes “Stories and Fairy Tales” from 1802 should also be viewed from this perspective.

Mahlmann was a member of the Minerva Lodge for 30 years. In addition to his function as master of the chair, his connection is also expressed in the 1822 “Songbook of the Minerva Lodge”.

His collected works were published in 1839 and 1959.

Works (selection)

  • The mask No. 1 . Leipzig 1803. ( digitized version )
  • Herod before Bethlehem, or the triumphant quarter master. A show, tragedy and tears in three acts. As a counterpart to the much-lamented Hussites before Naumburg. Bürgle, Augsburg 1804. ( digitized version )
  • Puppet theater or a collection of funny and entertaining actions for small and large puppets. Voss, Leipzig 1806. ( digitized version )
  • Vanity, your name is poet or the travestied hatred and repentance, a farce for digestion in 3 acts. In bad casual verse. Bittermann, Wintersee 1806. ( digitized version )
  • Poems. Renger, Halle 1825. ( digitized version )
  • August Mahlmann's complete writings, including Mahlmann's biography. Volckmar, Leipzig 1839.

family

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

Honors

  • In 1803 he received the Russian Order of St. Vladimir .
  • In 1806 he was given the title of Hofrat of the Duchy of Saxony-Gotha-Altenburg and
  • Awarded the Royal Saxon Councilor in 1810.
  • In 1863, a Leipziger Strasse near his former Brandvorwerk estate was named Mahlmannstrasse.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sachsenlied
personal data
SURNAME Mahlmann, Siegfried August
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mahlmann, Gottfried August (in the baptismal register)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German poet, writer and publisher
DATE OF BIRTH May 13, 1771
PLACE OF BIRTH Leipzig
DATE OF DEATH December 16, 1826
Place of death Leipzig