Botho von Hülsen

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Botho von Hülsen

Botho von Hülsen (born December 10, 1815 in Berlin ; † September 30, 1886 there ) was theater director of the Royal Prussian Drama and President of the German Theater Association .

origin

Hülsen was the son of the Prussian Major General Hans von Hülsen (1776–1849) and his wife Karoline, née von Klüchtzner (1778–1830). Hülsen was connected to the Eulenburg family through his mother ; the writer Hans von Hülsen was a distant relative.

Life

Hülsen received his education from 1825 in the Cadet Corps in Potsdam . From there he was transferred to the Emperor Alexander Grenadier Regiment of the Prussian Army on August 5, 1833 as portepeef ensign, and in February 1834 he was promoted to second lieutenant . Between 1841 and 1843 he was stationed in Königsberg , where he learned a. a. know the actress Sophie Schröder-Devrient through the theater . From 1844 he was entrusted with the performance of smaller theater plays for troop support in Berlin.

In March 1848, Hülsen took part in the barricade fighting in Berlin and at the beginning of April became Premier Lieutenant and Regimental Adjutant. In this position he was used during the campaign in Schleswig and in 1849 in the suppression of the May uprising in Dresden . In this politically difficult time ( 1848/49 ) King appointed him Friedrich Wilhelm IV. The general manager of the court music . On April 12, 1851 sleeves became his farewell to the character as Captain approved and permission to wear the regimental uniform.

With his departure, he was appointed chamberlain in May 1851 and, as the successor of Theodor von Küstner, at the request of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, appointed general manager of the Royal Drama in Berlin ( Berlin Court Theater , State Opera Unter den Linden ) and took up this post on June 1. In 1866, Hülsen was assigned to the Gouvernement of Berlin as a major and adjutant for the duration of the German War . In the same year, the court theaters in Kassel , Hanover and Wiesbaden were ordered under his direction by royal decree .

In 1883, Hülsen founded the Hülsen Foundation to support needy or distressed ensemble members. During this time he also served as president of the German stage association for some time . As such, he enforced today's theater vacation and was instrumental in the abolition of inter-act music.

Botho von Hülsen died six weeks before his 71st birthday on September 30, 1886 in Berlin, where he found his final resting place.

family

He married the writer Helene Countess von Haeseler (1829-1892), a daughter of Count Eduard von Haeseler, in Blankenfelde on August 6, 1849 . The couple had several children:

reception

Botho von Hülsen had no prerequisites for his art-related profession. In order not to turn against the court and its rather conservative attitude, he relied more on traditional classics and mostly rejected modern staging. Although he was always responsible for magnificent performances as director, he was often unable to employ actors such as Paula Conrad , Ludwig Dessoir , Theodor Döring , Friedrich Haase , Hermann Hendrichs or Arthur Vollmer according to their performance. There was great competition from the Meininger's regular guest performances and he could hardly compete against the German Theater .

Richard Wagner , whom he added to the 1848 revolution in Dresden, which he had fought militarily, was reluctantly put on the program; Wagner therefore had to organize the premiere of his Ring in Berlin outside the court opera himself. Even Verdi was hardly maintained.

Quote

Max Martersteig called Hülsen “... the personified soldier spirit in the court theater management” . Hülsen is considered a typical representative of Prussian cultural policy after 1848.

literature

  • Karl Frenzel : Berlin Dramaturgy. 2 volumes. Rümpler, Hanover 1877.
  • Friedrich Haase : What I experienced. Bong, Berlin 1899.
  • Helene von Hülsen: Under two kings. Memories of Botho von Hülsen, general manager of the royal theater; 1851-1886. Eckstein, Berlin 1889.
  • Charlotte Klinger: The royal theater in Berlin under Botho von Hülsen. 1869-1886. Dissertation. Free University of Berlin 1954.
  • Hans Knudsen :  Hülsen, Botho von. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 9, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1972, ISBN 3-428-00190-7 , p. 736 f. ( Digitized version ).
  • Claus von Lettow-Vorbeck: Commemorative sheets on the rank list of the Emperor Alexander Guard Grenadier Regiment No. 1. W. Moeser, Berlin 1899, pp. 73-74.
  • Max Martersteig : The German Theater in the 19th Century. A cultural-historical representation. 2nd Edition. Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig 1924.
  • Paul Schlenther : Botho von Hülsen and his people. An anniversary review of the Berlin court theater. Gerstmann, Berlin 1883.
  • Botho von Hülsen . In: Meyers Konversations-Lexikon . 4th edition. Volume 8, Verlag des Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig / Vienna 1885–1892, p. 783.
  • Gothaisches genealogical pocket book of noble houses. 1901, first year, p. 438 f.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Sleeves, Botho von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hülsen, Hermann Alexander Hans Kasimir Botho von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German director
DATE OF BIRTH December 10, 1815
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH September 30, 1886
Place of death Berlin