Elias Schlegel

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Elias Schlegel (right in the picture), silhouette painting by CH Moeckel 1793

Elias Schlegel (* 17th May 1750 in Prößdorf ; † 22. February 1805 in Baalsdorf ) was a German instrument makers and piano builder , who in 1792 Altenburg the fortepiano piano invented.

Life

New Prößdorfer Church (consecrated in 1885)

Elias Schlegel was born on May 17, 1750 in Proessdorf in Altenburger Land. He was the only son of the judge Erasmus Schlegel (* August 1, 1721, † December 24, 1749) and his wife Susanna, b. Schab († July 10, 1776). The father Erasmus Schlegel died five months before the birth of his son Elias, so the grandfather Elias Schlegel senior took over. (1688–1763), who was also a judge, educated his grandson. During the Seven Years' War (1756–1763) he set his underage grandson Elias Schlegel by court order in 1757, before the lordly Zeumer courts in Prößdorf, as a universal heir . Elias Schlegel assumed this not inconsiderable inheritance when he reached the age of majority in 1771. This opened up opportunities for him to use this fortune as a cornerstone for his further development.

East portal of the Altenburg Brethren Church

His training facilities, especially in the musical field as a later instrument maker and piano and organ builder in Altenburg, are unknown. In January 1774 the Frei son Elias Schlegel received from the high-born Mr. Johann Friedrich Zeumer (1717–1774), Elector of Saxony. Court and judicial councilor as well as heir, feudal lord and court lord of Proessdorf, the certificate of appointment as tax collector. After the death of Johann Friedrich Zeumer, he held this post of tax and escort collector in Prossdorf with his heirs, the Kuhn family line, until 1790.

Altenburg Brothers Church, altar and north-west side of the nave

As a privileged incumbent with a secure income, Elias Schlegel married Regina Erdmuthe, born on January 8, 1788, in the Altenburg Brothers Church . Kröber (1768–1813), only daughter of the merchant and farmer Michael Kröber from Altenburg. From this marriage there were 14 children, of which five sons and four daughters died in childhood. Around 1790/91 Elias Schlegel and his family moved to the residential city of Altenburg and built up a new existence as an instrument maker. In 1791 he acquired the citizenship of the city of Altenburg and became the owner of three residential buildings. In 1792 he was registered in the citizen registers as an "instrument maker" at Schmöllnschen Gasse 25 in Altenburg. Schlegel is shown as an "instrument manufacturer" in a silhouette painting by CH Moeckel, Ducal Saxon Government Canzellist zu Altenburg, in 1793 .

His high reputation as a citizen of this city can be seen from the entries on the godparents of his children, who were without exception aristocrats, high officials of the Duchy of Saxony-Gotha-Altenburg and wealthy citizens. His reputation as a highly valued instrument maker can be seen from the close contacts he had with the still famous Altenburg church musicians, court organists and composers Johann Gottfried Krebs (1741–1814), his brother Ehrenfried Christian Traugott Krebs (1753–1804) and the city organist Johann Gottfried Jack connected. There were also verifiable contacts with the Schwerin palace organist HM Klauer. When the Weimar bookseller and publisher Johann Christian Gaedike (1763–1837) first published the “Fabriken- und Manufakturen Adreß-Lexikon von Teutschland…” in 1798, a novelty for publicizing the companies and their products throughout Germany, the instrument maker Elias was Schlegel represented with an advertisement.

After 1800 he began to sell his houses in Altenburg and prepared a change of location. In 1804 Elias Schlegel acquired a large estate in Baalsdorf near Leipzig in order to relocate his instrument making to the immediate vicinity of the trade fair city of Leipzig, with its many opportunities for making contacts and selling instruments. After selling his three houses in Altenburg, he and his family moved to Baalsdorf in December 1804. In the high-nobility Uechtritz's court documents he is registered there as an organ builder from Altenburg . He died of lung addiction just two months later, on February 22, 1805, in Baalsdorf, leaving behind "a very sad widow, four sons, and an only daughter, all of whom were still uneducated and in unfortunate circumstances."

Act

Around 1792 Schlegel developed a combination of the previous fortepiano and clavichord or harpsichord , which he called “fortepianoklavier”. His invention had an additional harp and lute slide. By means of a mechanical device operated by knee or foot pressure, the instrument could be played either as a pure square piano or as a pure fortepiano. Schlegel's instruments were particularly praised by experts because of their singing, floating and particularly expressive piano tone. The advantage of these instruments became particularly clear when the lute-like piano of the fortepiano, which could be achieved by moving the keyboard , was combined with it. In terms of tone strength, the fortepianoclave is said not to have equaled the pure fortepiano.

On December 5, 1792, a detailed article on Schlegel's invention with a technical description appeared in the Germany-wide daily newspaper Der Anzeiger No. 133, written by Johann Gottfried Krebs , central organist, city cantor and director of the choir. Mus. in Altenburg, Ehrenfried Christian Traugott Krebs , court organist in Altenburg, and Johann Gottfried Heber , city organist in Altenburg. In Hamburg candid correspondents (Attachment no. 10) of 17 January 1794 made Schlegel in a separate article his invention known again. The Schwerin castle organist HM Klauer, who had praised Schlegel's instruments in 1793, added to this article with his sales offer: "... the music lovers of these areas show that Schlegel's fortepianos are available from me ..."

Memorial plaque to the history of Prößdorf

Appreciations

His invention of the piano piano was popularized in German daily newspapers while he was still alive. (see literature and individual references). As early as 1838 he was referred to in the literature as " Schlegel, Elias, at the end of the previous and the beginning of the present century, the most famous piano instrument maker in Altenburg" .

In Schlegel's birthplace, Prößdorf, he was honored in 2013 on the occasion of the “600 Years of Prößdorf” celebrations with several press releases in the “Luckaer Lokalblatt”. His life and work were documented with an author's contribution to the “Festival Book 600 Years of Prößdorf”. On the occasion of the inauguration celebrations, the Prößdorf Festival Committee gave him a commemorative plaque on the history of Prößdorf as an important son of the place.

literature

  • Renate Schönfuß: Elias Schlegel (1750–1805) . In: Altenburg History and House Calendar 2014 . E. Reinhold Verlag , Altenburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-937940-97-7 .
  • Renate Schönfuß: Elias Schlegel (1750–1805) - important son of the village of Prößdorf and inventor of the fortepiano piano , in: 600 Years of Prößdorf 2013, pp. 114–118, publisher: Festkomitee 600 Jahre Prößdorf, Druckhaus Gera
  • August Gathy: Musical Conversations Lexicon. Encyclopedia of the entire music science for artists, art lovers and the educated . Niemeyer, Hamburg 1840.
  • Curt Sachs: Real-Lexicon of musical instruments, at the same time polyglossary for the entire field of instruments . Berlin 1913. Reprint: Georg Olms Verlag, Hildesheim 1972, ISBN 978-3-487-00205-7 .
  • Renate Schönfuß: Elias Schlegel (1750–1805) - important son of the town of Prößdorf , in: Luckaer Lokalblatt, No. 5/2013 of July 24, 2013

Individual evidence

  1. ^ CH Moeckel: Silhouette painting "Schlegel und Friedr. Hofmann " . Thuringian State Archives Altenburg, GAGO Collection No. 469, Altenburg 1793.
  2. ↑ Johann Christian Gaedicke: Fabriken- und Manufacturen-Address-Lexikon von Teutschland and some neighboring countries, or directory of the Farikanten and Manufacturisten of these countries, the goods they manufactured, and which trade fairs they refer to: sorted alphabetically according to the goods, and Part 2, containing the list of the factory and manufacture places of these countries, with an indication of the goods which are manufactured there, accompanies with brief explanations for the knowledge of them . Weimar Gädicke, Weimar 1799, OCLC 833612719 (for second edition 1799).
  3. ↑ Ernst Ludwig Gerber : New historical-biographical lexicon of the Tonkünstler, which provides news of the life and works of musical writers, famous composers, singers, masters of instruments, artistic amateurs, music publishers, also organ and instrument makers, older and more recent times contains all nations . Academic Printing and Publishing Company , Leipzig 1814, OCLC 824248008 .
  4. ^ Hubert Henkel: Lexicon of German piano makers . Erwin Bochinsky publishing house, Frankfurt am Main 2000, ISBN 3-923639-37-6 .
  5. ↑ Wilhelm Stauder: Old musical instruments in their development and history over thousands of years . Klinkhardt & Biermann, Braunschweig 1973, ISBN 3-7814-0037-9 .
  6. ^ Wilhelm Schneider: Historical-technical description of musical instruments: their age, pitch range and construction, their inventors, improvers, virtuosos and schools, together with a comprehensible instruction for thorough knowledge and treatment of them . Neisse, T. Hennings, Leipzig 1834, OCLC 17704733 .
  7. ^ A b Gustav Schilling : Encyclopedia of the Entire Musical Sciences or Universal Lexicon of Tonkunst, 6th volume . Published by Franz Heinrich Köhler, Stuttgart 1838, OCLC 38515357 .
  8. ^ A b Johann Gottfried Krebs , Johann Gottfried Heber: acquaintance with the instrument maker Elias Schlegel…; in: Der Anzeiger No. 133 v. Chr. December 5, 1792 Volume 2 . Germany-wide daily newspaper, 1792 (holdings Princeton University Library, Princetown US-NJ).
  9. ↑ a b Elias Schlegel: Announcement of my invention ...; in: State and learned newspaper of the Hamburg impartial correspondent v. Jan. 17, 1794, Appendix No. 10 . Daily newspaper, Hamburg 1794 (inventory SLUB Dresden , Grundsign. Eph.hist. 75-1794 BC 33389012).
  10. ↑ Gustav Schilling , Ferdinand Simon Gassner: Universal-Lexikon der Tonkunst: new hand edition in one volume . Verlag Franz Köhler Stuttgart, Stuttgart 1849, OCLC 21788804 .
personal data
SURNAME Schlegel, Elias
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German instrument maker and piano maker
DATE OF BIRTH May 17, 1750
PLACE OF BIRTH Proessdorf
DATE OF DEATH February 22, 1805
Place of death Baalsdorf