The magician February
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| Title: | The Magician February or The Surprise |
| Genus: | Local magic game with singing in two elevators |
| Original language: | German |
| Author: | Johann Baptist Frey, Johann Nestroy ( couplet texts ) |
| Music: | Adolf Müller senior |
| Publishing year: | 1833 |
| Premiere: | February 12, 1833 |
| Place of premiere: | Theater an der Wien |
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The Magician February or Die Surprise is a local magic game with singing in two acts by Johann Baptist Frey, for which Johann Nestroy wrote the couplet texts . The play was written in 1833 and had its world premiere on February 12 of the same year, on the birthday of the Austrian Emperor Franz I. It was originally intended to mark the opening of the carnival season in the Theater an der Wien .
content
The wealthy landowner Herr von Bieder loves nothing more than successful surprises. He desires it so eagerly that he even promises his daughter Fanny to those who can please him with one. That is why all of Bieder's subordinates try to outdo each other in order to win the daughter over. The castle guard, Pulverhörnl, in particular, believes he has the best idea, as he lets mill servants disguised as robbers kidnap Fanny and raid the castle. However, with the help of the magician February and Saturnus' support, the painter Karl Treuhold, Fanny's lover, was able to beat all competitors out of the field: In an allegorical performance he had the portraits of Emperor Franz and his wife Karoline Auguste appear before Bieder .
Factory history and contemporary criticism
Nestroy wrote only once on such an occasional piece, which had only eight performances and did not appear in print. The reason for the play was originally the opening of the carnival season in the Theater an der Wien, but the performance date was repeatedly delayed until it was too late for it. In a correspondingly revised version, it was played as a tribute to the birthday celebrations for the imperial couple Franz II./I., Born on February 12th, and their fourth wife Karoline Auguste von Bayern, born on February 8th. Johann Baptist Frey, director at the Theater an der Wien, was determined to be the author of the modern theater world, and it is highly likely that only the couplets came from Nestroy. Only in Otto Rommel is Nestroy referred to as the main author and Frey as a co-author, based on contemporary reports. The play was always presented without naming the author, and the couplets were also handed down without naming them. In contrast to other works, initially listed anonymously and then authorized by Nestroy, this did not happen here later either. Only Müller's score mentions Frey and Nestroy as authors.
Nestroy's collaboration by providing couplet texts was quite often the case, for example with Franz Xaver Tolds Der Naturmensch and Friedrich Hopps Der Goldkönig , both also known as Nestroy's colleagues.
Just as the magician February was planned as the opening piece of the carnival, the fairy ball should form the conclusion - that's why it plays on Mardi Gras Thursday. The part of the magician February has its counterpart in the fairy ball in the magician Carnevalis, the protector of the carnival.
The original manuscript of the work has been lost, as have any stage manuscripts or censorship documents, only the theater bill, Adolf Müller's score and some vocal texts have survived. From newspaper reports, some information can be reconstructed: the Wiener Theater Zeitung of Adolf Bäuerle wrote on January 21, 1833 (No. 15, p. 60) a notice, here was still expected the performance date to the beginning of Carnival. In a note in the same sheet of January 26, 1833 (No. 19, p. 76) it was reported about the postponement to the Emperor's birthday. The review, in which the content of the play (see above) was told, appeared on February 14, 1833 (No. 33, p. 131). She showed little approval for the piece, even if the situational and verbal wit and the lyrics were praised:
“The simple outline of this magic game contains elements which would have been capable of a very effective dramatic design. The author, however, instead of surprisingly revealing it in all parts, has overbuilt and darkened this beautiful basic idea with pointless ancillary works, so that it resembles an ancient triumphal arch, the architectural beauty of which is hidden by poor straw huts.
Two reviews in the magazine Der Wanderer on the 14th (No. 45, p. 3 *) of the premiere and on 15 February (No. 46, p. 3 *) of the second performance were only very brief and also negative .
Johann Nestroy played the Görgel Blasi, Wenzel Scholz the Pulverhörnl (for whose performance he was highly praised), Director Carl Carl in February, Friedrich Hopp the Mümmel, Ignaz Stahl the Lord von Bieder, Elise Zöllner the Swabian Christel, Eleonore Condorussi the Jette. The figure of the Swabian Christel was used by Nestroy as the housekeeper Gertraud in the work Der böse Geist Lumpacivagabundus , which was performed two months later .
At the premiere Johann Strauss (father) played with his band , at a later performance Joseph Lanner .
The song lyrics are in the music collection of the Vienna City Library by the original score by Adolf Müller - with the words "The first time listed the 12 th February 1833 in k. k. p. Theater a. d. Vienna (in the Carneval Theater) ” - as well as the choirs and the couplet texts for Nestroy, Scholz, Hopp and Dlle. Customs officers reported.
literature
- Fritz Brukner , Otto Rommel : Johann Nestroy, Complete Works. Historical-critical complete edition. first volume, Verlag von Anton Schroll & Co., Vienna 1924, pp. 603–615, 709–713.
- Friedrich Walla : Johann Nestroy; Pieces 5. In: Jürgen Hein , Johann Hüttner , Walter Obermaier , W. Edgar Yates : Johann Nestroy, Complete Works, Historical-Critical Edition. Jugend und Volk, Vienna / Munich 1993, ISBN 3-224-16924-9 , pp. 190–215.
- Herbert and Marianne Jacob: German Writer's Lexicon, 1830–1880. Volume 5.3. Walter de Gruyter, 2011, ISBN 978-3-05-005194-9 , pp. 78–79.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Saturnus = Roman god whose Saturnalia festival in December was the forerunner of Mardi Gras
- ^ Otto Rommel: Nestroys works . Choice in two parts. Golden Classics Library, German publishing house Bong & Co., Berlin / Leipzig / Vienna / Stuttgart 1908, pp. XXV, LXXXIX.
- ^ Friedrich Walla: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 5. pp. 207-208.
- ↑ Facsimile of the theater slip in Friedrich Walla: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 5. p. 619.
- ↑ Music collection of the Vienna Library in the City Hall, signature MH 667 digital.wienbibliothek.at , contains 59 sheets and a list of numbers; Facsimile of the title page in Friedrich Walla: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 5. p. 620.
- ↑ Dlle. or Dem. is the abbreviation for Demoiselle (= Fräulein), the name used to describe the unmarried women of an ensemble; the married actresses were titled Mad. (Madame)
- ^ Directory of the couplets digital.wienbibliothek.at