Johann Caspar Weissenbach
Johann Caspar Weissenbach (born October 9, 1633 in Zug ; † November 12, 1678 ibid) was a Swiss poet and dramatist .
Life
Johann Caspar was born in Zug in 1633 as the son of Johann Jacob Weissenbach, head of the Einsiedeln monastery . After graduating from the Jesuit college in Solothurn, he completed training in the monastery chancellery and began working for the Einsiedeln monastery. He then worked for 13 years as chief bailiff of the monastery in the Thurgau bailiwick of Gachnang .
After his father's death, he settled in Zug again in 1666. His considerable fortune enabled him to devote himself entirely to poetry and theater in the future . He wrote numerous religious and time-critical songs and epigrams .
Works
He also wrote the spiritual shepherd's play “Leydt and Frewdige Hirtengedanken” under his pseudonym “Danom”, first performed and printed in Zug in 1675. He wrote the passion play “Trawr-Gedancken einer Christian Seelen” in 1678, going to press in 1679.
Most important of all is his “Eydgnosssisches Contrafeth auffundnd Absemmender Jungfrawen Helvetiae”, which is influenced by Jesuit theater and partly written in dialect. The piece has over 200 roles and is partly written in the dialect of the Swiss rural people. It was sung and played with great effort and pomp in front of over 3000 spectators on September 14th and 15th, 1672 by around 100 amateur actors on Kolinplatz (then known as Ochsenplatz) in Zug; half of the city participated and a three-part baroque stage was created. The first printed edition appeared in 1673 and was then followed by three more editions. In doing so, he created the new figure of identification Helvetia , who then became a personified female figure in Switzerland. This work by Johann Caspar Weissenbach lived on in the 19th century festivals, for example in the play “Helvetia” from 1895, which Pastor Heinrich Weber wrote.
Parts of it were performed in the 18th century, for example some scenes taken from the first part in a Tell play in Arth .
literature
- Hugo Bruggisser: The Federal World Theater . In: Zuger Neujahrs-Blatt 1965.
- Ludwig Julius Fränkel: Weissenbach, Johann Kaspar . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 41, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1896, p. 601 f.
- Walther Killy (founder): Killy Literature Lexicon . 2nd Edition. Volume 12. De Gruyter, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-11-022038-4 , p. 261 ( excerpt from Google Books )
- Georg Kreis : Helvetia - through the ages. The story of a national figurehead . Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zurich 1991, ISBN 3-85823-316-1
- Dietrich Seybold: Johann Caspar Weissenbach . In: Andreas Kotte (Ed.): Theater Lexikon der Schweiz . Volume 3, Chronos, Zurich 2005, ISBN 3-0340-0715-9 , p. 2070.
- Hellmut Thomke (ed.): Eydgnosssisches Contrafeth auffund- nemmender Jungfrawen Helvetiae . 2007, ISBN 978-3-0340-0810-5 (with biography and catalog raisonné)
Web links
- Hellmut Thomke: Weissenbach, Johann Caspar. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
- ^ Oskar Eberle: Theater history of inner Switzerland . Gräfe & Unzer, Königsberg 1929, pp. 117–127
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Weissenbach, Johann Caspar |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Danom (pseudonym); Weissenbach, Johann Caspar |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss poet and playwright |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 9, 1633 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | train |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 12, 1678 |
| Place of death | train |