The ride with the steam car
| Data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The ride with the steam car |
| Genus: | Foreplay in one act |
| Original language: | German |
| Author: | Johann Nestroy |
| Music: | in the Quodlibet by various composers |
| Publishing year: | 1834 |
| Premiere: | December 5, 1834 |
| Place of premiere: | Theater an der Wien |
| Place and time of the action: | The action takes place in the stately castle |
| people | |
|
|
The ride in the steam car is a prelude to an act by Johann Nestroy . The play was written in 1834 and premiered on December 5th of that year as the opening credits of the Quodlibet of a benefit performance for Nestroy's colleague Wenzel Scholz in the Theater an der Wien .
A version for performances in 1840 and 1842, apparently not changed by Nestroy in some parts of the text, is entitled Die zugestoppelte Komödie .
For the preludes written by Nestroy see the article The dramatic Quodlibets by Johann Nestroy .
content
- The ride with the steam car :
The castle inspector Flachkopf should organize a play for his rule. Since he does not understand anything about it himself, he consults with some of his subordinates and promises the hand of his daughter Nanette to whoever helps him best. She and the forester August are in love with each other, but unfortunately August has no idea about the theater business either. The servant Johann sees himself as a specialist, since he worked for the theater for some time:
- "[...] I drove the wheel under the sinking, so I can say that I know theater from the ground up." (First scene)
The master chef Christoph also thinks he has good chances, because:
- "[...] I have money, I'm a handsome young man, I'm the cook's son, I'm an officer, that is to say, a house officer, every father is inclined to me." (First scene)
The expected theater company missed their steam car on the way during a pub break and only the theater attendant Nebel comes to the castle. The troop's text library was accidentally used almost entirely by the stoker of the steam truck to ignite the boiler - Flachkopf is desperate, Johann and Christoph are at a loss. In return for a small gift of money, Nebel gives the forester the tip to simply play a Quodlibet from the remains of the texts, Flachkopf is enthusiastic and August receives his Nanette. Nebel - the beneficiary Scholz - sums up:
- "From old things that you already liked,
- I'll take the best out and put something together
- In terms of money, I don't take quite that much,
- But I do not forfeit your grace, and that is my goal. " (Thirteenth Scene)
- The put together comedy , draft amendment by Nestroy with the fragment of a Werther parody:
The thread merchant Werther from Krems comes back to Vienna with his friend Lenzl, where he wants to meet his lover Lottl again.
- “Should my love be in danger? should she have been perjured in the 15 years I have been away? Ha, then the thread of life would have to be cut, and if it were made of iron wire! "
The steam car in Vienna
In 1784 William Murdoch (1754–1839) built the first locomobile , from which the self-propelled steam car , also known as the street locomotive, developed. The technical novelty of the steam car was presented to the public at the time of the premiere of this piece in the Vienna Prater . A Mr. Friedrich Voigtländer had one made in England for 7,000 guilders and brought it to Vienna for the first time.
- "Message regarding the steam car: The steam car announced by the public papers and arriving here from England is set up in the Prater for viewing in the local circus, where it can be viewed daily from morning to evening at 7 o'clock."
On October 26th, a demonstration drive took place in the Prater-Hauptallee, the heating of the car started at 4 o'clock in the afternoon in front of the Circus gymnasticus building there , after which a drive to the Rondeau was carried out,
- "[...] and in gradual speed from the slowest to the fastest run. [...] The beginning and the end of this trip are indicated by gunfire. " .
According to newspaper reports at the time, the maximum speed of the vehicle was given as ten miles an hour (around 16 km / h) with good road conditions, the weight was 2 tons and there was space for 6 passengers. An entrance fee of 24 Kreuzers was charged for access to the cordoned off part of the Prater . The rush was so enormous that many visitors missed the actual trip because of the long waiting time at the cash desk. On the second trip on November 3, Archduke Carl also appeared as a spectator.
Nestroy used the steam car in the title of the play as an additional incentive for the Scholz charity evening as "[...] an innocent ruse, because there is nothing more and nothing less from a steam car than the mention, [...]"
Factory history
A source for Nestroy's play was not found, but the subject of giving a bride as a prize for a task that has been solved is an old comedy tradition. Nestroy also used this idea in Robert der Teuxel (1833), Der Zauberer Sulphurelectrimagneticophosphoratus (1834) and Die Papiere des Teufels (1842), he reinforced the situation here by inserting the self-assured, conceited cook as a rival to the "true" lover.
The work was an occasional piece of work to introduce the quodlibet on this benefit evening, although Scholz apparently wanted to make sure that his friend and colleague Nestroy would get a good start. Otto Rommel wrote about the problem of Scholz's charity performances :
- " Frdr. Kaiser tells and many contemporary reviews confirm that the bad habit had broken down, mercilessly whistling the plays that were performed on Scholz's benefit evenings, but paying homage to the actor. So it happened that no author of repute ever produced a piece for Scholz's benefit evenings, and Scholz had to be content with the most miserable stubble work. "
He also pointed out that Nestroy had written only two such preludes besides this, namely the lost The Events in the Inn (1842) and The dramatic Zimmerherrn (1843). With regard to the Quodlibet that evening, Rommel said that Nestroy had played the role of Käsperle / Hymen in The Twelve Sleeping Virgins so funny that the Vienna theater newspaper Adolf Bäuerles published on December 9, 1834 (vol. 27, no. 244, p. 976) read about it:
- "[...] that for a moment the regret that every educated person must feel about the fact that for some time on a stage like this one this character appears again in long-lost products."
Franz H. Mautner called the prelude "a harmless, theatrical joke full of mockery of the theatrical trade" .
Johann Nestroy played Christoph, Wenzel Scholz played Nebel, Ignaz Stahl played Flachkopf, Eleonore Condorussi played Nanette.
The little work was played five times in a row and was also used on other occasions. On December 30th and 31st, 1834 it served as an introduction to the great acrobatic performance of the Knie family and society (the forerunner of the Knie Circus ) with slightly changed text. For the performance on August 8, 1840, it was given with a changed Quodlibet program (see the chapter The Combined Comedy ). In December 1850 it served as a prelude to mimic-plastic pictures in two departments, by Professor Keller, performed by his family and his members of the National Theater in Paris .
Only the version of the text in the Gesammelte Nestroy-Werke exists , which was edited by Vinzenz Chiavacci and Ludwig Ganghofer , but which is probably based on the original text. This is where the title The Steam Car Ride is also mentioned .
The Quodlibet program
For his benefit evening, Scholz put together a quodlibet from some popular text excerpts - mostly in free editing.
- Müller, coal burner and armchair carrier (Nestroy, 1834), with Scholz in his role as the singer Nero
- Robert le diable (opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer , 1831), coloratura -Arie of Princess Isabella sung by Dlle. Floorboards
- The ghost on the Bastey ( Karl Meisl ), with Nestroy as the spirit of misfortune and Dlle. Condorussi as Marie
- The false improviser , with Scholz as the cook of the mouth water sparrow, Nestroy as Kasimir Kappentuch, Ignaz Stahl as Bien von Bienenschwarm, and Nestroy's partner Marie Weiler as housemaid Nantchen
- Barbarians and greatness ( Friedrich Wilhelm Ziegler , 1806), with Scholz as Pipinus Schildhahn and Stahl as Wieho von Ebernberg
- The twelve sleeping virgins (after Christian Heinrich Spieß 1795), with Nestroy as the armorer Kaspar and Stahl as Count Scharfenstein (the play was re-staged on August 30, 1834 in the Theater an der Wien)
- New hero scene from Evakathel and Schnudi (based on Joachim Perinet's adaptation, original by Philipp Hafner , 1765), with Scholz as Amor, Nestroy as Käsperle / Hymen and Friedrich Hopp (in an unspecified role)
The pieced comedy
Under the original title Die zugestoppelte Komödie. Prelude to justify the title of the quodlibet of the same name by Johann Nestroy, there is a theater manuscript by another hand, signed with the stamp “Calliano” (name of the theater director) and the inventory number “Suppl. Mus. № 23315 ”and the note “ Can be given ” . This theatrical manuscript was apparently written for performances in 1840 after having corrected the year twice. The title change is probably due to the fact that the steam car - which does not come on stage anyway - had lost its attraction as a lure. This version was performed a total of 18 times at the Theater an der Wien and 13 times at the Leopoldstädter Theater , almost continuously from August 8 to September 19, 1840.
Nestroy's hand only has a draft of the first scene (with the Werther parody ).
The text changes are rather minor in the retained pieces, some titles have been changed, some have been added.
- Werther's suffering , based on the parody of Werther's suffering. A local farce with singing in one act. From the author of the thread merchant in Upper Austria by Ferdinand Kringsteiner (based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther , 1774)
- King Enzio , parody of Ernst Raupach's Hohenstaufendrama King Enzio , cycle from 1830
- Käsperle, Eulenspiegen and Klapperle , based on the one-act play by Heinrich Strampfer, performed on June 6th and 7th, 1838 in the Theater an der Wien; Scholz played the minor character of the councilman Klapperle
- The twelve sleeping virgins (see above)
- Cachucha , travesty by Wenzel Scholz on the famous, lascivious Spanish " Cachucha " by Fanny Elßler
- Shoemaker stick to your last , after the comedy by Adolf Bäuerle
- Sisters of Prague , version of the burlesque Odoardo, plagued by three sons-in-law by Philipp Hafner (based on a Singspiel by Joachim Perinet )
- Wolf and Bride , after the local farce with song Wolf and Bride or Der Ritt über den Kahlenberg by Friedrich Kaiser
- The inheritance , based on the play by August von Kotzebue
The actors are named across the board without naming the roles they embodied, except that Nestroy and Scholz retained their previous roles, and that Nestroy's partner Marie Weiler played and sang the role of Lottl in Werther .
Contemporary receptions
The reactions to the piece itself and the evening as a whole were not very positive. In addition to the audience reactions described at Wenzel Scholz's benefit evenings, it was also the weakness of the foreplay that was criticized.
Apart from the already quoted sentences from the Wiener Theaterzeitung of December 9, 1834, the criticism, as so often, was very friendly towards Nestroy:
- “The introduction of the Quodlibet was done by a little farce, written by Mr. Nestroy for this purpose, which was received with great approval, and also showed really funny moments, especially in the play of the author as a cook. [...] The Quodlibet itself did not find such a favorable reception. "
This is not the case with Der Wanderer of December 7th (No. 341), who gave a succinct verdict:
- “The introductory farce contains some heavily applied drolleries that did not fail to have an effect. But the expectation of the better that was to come was pretty disappointed. "
Nestroy's long-term opponent Franz Wiest wrote on December 16 in the collector (No. 150, p. 602):
- “We can rightly say of this strange farce that the title was actually the most attractive thing for us. For the author, through a few jokes, a new song, otherwise known as couplets, the treatment of the ungrateful substance went up in steam itself. "
As already quoted above, the Viennese magazine for art, literature, theater and fashion of December 13, 1834 criticized the misleading title and ironically called the prelude “soidisant” .
The Combined Comedy became quite successful after its performance on August 8, 1840 - in that year alone there were 30 performances (17 in the Theater an der Wien, 13 in the Theater in der Josefstadt ). A second series took place in December 1850 with 10 performances, in the years between and after that there were an average of two to six performances a year. As a gap filler, the work remained in the program until Nestroy's death. Joseph Tuvora - who was often very critical of Nestroy - wrote in the Vienna theater newspaper Adolf Bäuerles on August 10, 1840 (No. 191, p. 807):
- “The prelude itself is an excellent garland [garland] entwined with Nestroy's pen, and it contains a wealth of surprising thought-sparks. It is about the loss of a theater library, of which only individual fragments, in the strictest sense of the word torn scenes, remain, which are sewn together with a material thread and thus prepared as a quodlibet. "
literature
- Fritz Brukner , Otto Rommel : Johann Nestroy, Complete Works. Historical-critical complete edition in fifteen volumes, ninth volume, Verlag von Anton Schroll & Co, Vienna 1927, pp. 61–80, 534–538.
- Louise Adey Huish: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 16 / II. In: Jürgen Hein / Johann Hüttner / Walter Obermaier / W. Edgar Yates : Johann Nestroy, Complete Works, Historical-Critical Edition. Deuticke, Vienna 1998, ISBN 3-216-30313-6 , pp. 79–96, 241–268 (for Die zugestoppelte Komödie ).
- Otto Rommel: Nestroys Works. Selection in two parts, Golden Classics Library, German publishing house Bong & Co., Berlin / Leipzig / Vienna / Stuttgart 1908.
- Friedrich Walla (Ed.): Johann Nestroy; Pieces 8 / I. In: Jürgen Hein / Johann Hüttner Walter Obermaier / W. Edgar Yates: Johann Nestroy, Complete Works, Historical-Critical Edition. Deuticke, Vienna 1996, ISBN 3-216-30256-3 , pp. 93–110, 331–370 (for the journey with the steam car) .
Web links
- Data in nestroy.at/nestroy-stuecke/25_dampfwagen/index
- Content in nestroy.at/nestroy-stuecke/25 dampfwagen / 26inh.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Nanette is the French nickname of Anna
- ↑ Fog = intoxication, compare also foggy
- ↑ Theater servants - "whose two are necessary in every theater of some importance, are directly in the service of the direction and, according to the contractual obligation, have the orders of the direction, direction and the like. Inspection in all matters relating to the theater to obey secretly, punctually and conscientiously. [...] carrying out the roles u. Repertoire, the announcement of the rehearsals, the procurement of letters, the ordering, etc. accompanying the theater carriages in which the members rehearse and Performances are picked up. ” ( Philipp Jakob Düringer / H. Barthels: Theater Lexikon. Theoretical-practical manual for board members, members and friends of the German theater. Leipzig 1841, column 1065 f.)
- ↑ the lowerable parts of the stage and the flying machines were operated with this wheel
- ^ Walla: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 8 / I. P. 97.
- ^ House officer, officer = (from the Latin officium, office) New High German for domestic workers, civil servants
- ^ Walla: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 8 / I. P. 100.
- ^ Walla: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 8 / I. P. 109.
- ^ Huish: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 16 / II. P. 247.
- ↑ a well-paid craftsman was earning about one guilder a day
- ↑ Österreichisch-Kaiserliche privilegierte Zeitung of September 13, 1834, No. 211, p. 848.
- ↑ Der Wanderer, October 23, 1834, No. 297.
- ↑ At that time, 24 cruisers corresponded to the daily earnings of a day laborer
- ^ Viennese magazine for art, literature, theater and fashion from December 13, 1834, No. 149, p. 1192.
- ↑ in his biography Theater Director Carl (1854)
- ^ Otto Rommel: Nestroys works. S. LXXIX, footnote 3.
- ↑ Rommel apparently did not have access to all of the preludes, see Johann Nestroy's dramatic Quodlibets
- ^ Otto Rommel: Nestroys works. S. XXV (and footnote 3) -XXVI.
- ^ Franz H. Mautner: Nestroy. L. Stiehm, Heidelberg 1974, p. 192.
- ↑ a b Facsimile of the theater slip in Friedrich Walla: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 8 / I. P. 376.
- ↑ Wiener Theaterzeitung of December 5, 1850, vol. 43, no. 288, p. 1152.
- ^ Vinzenz Chiavacci / Ludwig Ganghofer (Ed.): Johann Nestroy's Collected Works. Volume 7, A.Bonz & comp., Stuttgart 1891, pp. 31-43.
- ↑ Dlle. is the abbreviation for Demoiselle (= Fräulein), the name used to describe the unmarried women of an ensemble; the married actresses were titled Mad. (Madame)
- ↑ see Basteien Vienna # Names of the bastions and city gates
- ↑ This final piece of the Quodlibet is not noted on the theater bill, but only in the advance notice; Facsimile in Friedrich Walla: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 8 / I. P. 375.
- ↑ Manuscript collection in the Vienna City Hall , call number Jb. 149.357 (IN 142.405) [1]
- ↑ Manuscript collection in the Vienna City Hall, call number IN 142.405.
- ↑ Manuscript collection in the Vienna City Hall, call number IN 44.971.
- ^ Walla: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 8 / I. Pp. 331-333, 360.
- ↑ Facsimile of the theater slip from Huish: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 16 / II. P. 274; Explanation of the pieces on p. 266.
- ^ Huish: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 16 / II. Pp. 244-245.
- ^ Friedrich Walla: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 8 / I. Pp. 355-360.
- ↑ KK priv. Theater an der Wien. In: Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur, Theater und Mode , December 13, 1834, p. 1192 (online at ANNO ).
- ↑ soi-disant = French for alleged, alleged
- ^ Huish: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 16 / II. P. 249.