Oskar von Chelius

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Oskar von Chelius (first row, third from right) during the imperial maneuver in 1905

Philipp Oskar von Chelius ; also Oscar von Chelius ; (* July 28, 1859 in Mannheim ; † June 12, 1923 in Munich ) was a Prussian lieutenant general and adjutant general Wilhelm II , military attaché and composer.

Life

Oskar von Chelius was the son of the lawyer and Baden Privy Councilor Philipp von Chelius (1820–1911) and his Hamburg-born wife Harriet, née Parish (1834–1864). He was a grandson of the Heidelberg surgeon Maximilian Joseph von Chelius . Oskar von Chelius first attended the grammar school in his hometown Mannheim, then schools in Heidelberg and Kassel, and finally in 1880/81 the Univ. Leipzig After attending grammar school in Mannheim, Heidelberg and cash register and graduating from high school in 1879, Chelius studied at the University of Leipzig in 1880/81 . As a musician he enjoyed lessons from Emil Steinbach in Mannheim, K. Reiss in Kassel and Salomon Jadassohn in Leipzig. However, the work of Richard Wagner exercised the greatest artistic influence on Chelius' practical work . His admiration for the Bayreuth master is documented, among other things, in the fact that Chelius was one of the most important supporters of Wagner's work in the empire: in the 1880s he participated in the founding of the Wagner Association in Potsdam and later acted as a liaison for the Kaiser to the Wagner son-in-law Houston Stewart Chamberlain .

In 1881, however, Chelius did not embark on a career as a composer. Instead, he became a career officer in the Prussian Army . Regardless of this, Chelius was active as a composer all his life: he composed operas, symphonies, chamber music and chorals.

During his training, he met the then Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, who later became Kaiser Wilhelm II, during a maneuver in the Mark Brandenburg . As a result, Chelius became one of the closest personal friends ("He [Chelius] is a splendid man") of the (then second) heir to the throne, on whose political stance he also began to gain influence. The prince was particularly impressed by Chelius' musical talent - of which the emperor said that his "piano playing is almost equal to Rubinstein " and that one "should [must] be amazed at his talent" - and his "calm and sensible manner" . After his accession to the throne, the now Emperor Chelius - who was one of his and the Empress's dearest partners - often invited to music evenings in the Berlin City Palace and in the Potsdam Military Academy building near the New Palais. While Chelius - who was able to perform entire scores freely from memory - played the piano, high-ranking personalities such as Prince Albert von Sachsen-Altenburg and Prince Max von Baden appeared as singers. In 1888 Chelius Hedwig married Karoline von Puttkamer (1859–1923), a daughter of the Prussian Interior Minister Robert Viktor von Puttkamer and niece of the wife of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck , Johanna von Puttkamer. The marriage resulted in four children, including Wilhelm Victor von Chelius (* February 1, 1889 - September 26, 1914), Harriet von Chelius (* January 30, 1891) and Maximilian "Max" Joseph von Chelius (* June 26, 1914) 1897 in Karzin in the district of Stolp / Pomerania; † September 14, 1917 in Oeren near Dixmuiden).

From 1892 to 1898 Chelius was a member of the Great General Staff . During this time he was promoted to Rittmeister in 1897 . In 1899 he was appointed wing adjutant to the emperor. From 1899 to 1905, Chelius, who spoke fluent Italian, also held the post of military attaché at the German embassy in Rome , where he was responsible for maintaining military-political relations between the two states allied in the alliance system of the Triple Alliance . In 1905 Chelius returned to Berlin. From 1906 to 1911 he commanded the Leib-Garde-Husaren-Regiment in Potsdam. During these years, and increasingly after his official return to the court in 1911, Chelius stayed in the immediate vicinity of the emperor. He accompanied the monarch twice, in 1906 and 1910, on his voyages to the north on the imperial yacht Hohenzollern . In 1911 he was promoted to major general . Musically, Chelius distinguished himself in the pre-war period primarily through the popular opera Haschisch (1897; text by Axel Delmar based on oriental fairy tales) and the opera Die vernarrte Prinzes (1905; text by Otto Julius Bierbaum ) as well as through collaboration with the director Max Reinhardt . He created some drama music for its productions at the Deutsches Theater Berlin .

In 1914, Chelius, with the rank of lieutenant general, was transferred to the German embassy in Saint Petersburg as a military representative , assigned to the person of Tsar Nicholas II. He stayed here until the outbreak of World War I in August of the same year and represented German military interests at the Tsar's court. After his return he worked as Adjutant General in the General Staff, later in the General Government of Belgium . He also returned to the emperor's military allegiance, where he stayed until the collapse of the monarchy in the course of the November revolution of 1918. He was also President of the General Order Commission until December 8, 1919, after the end of the monarchy.

After the war, Chelius returned to his work as a composer. In the last years of his life he composed the opera Magda-Maria , premiered in 1920 in Dessau, and settings of three poems by Rainer Maria Rilke .

He died after his two sons had fallen in World War I and he had lost his wife in a tragic accident (drowning in Königssee) in May 1923, a few weeks after his wife in Munich. Oskar von Chelius was buried in the Bornstedter Friedhof in Potsdam-Bornstedt. His wife Hedwig and their son Maximilian Joseph von Chelius (1897–1917) and other family members also rest here.

Works

  • Three songs for one voice with pianoforte. (No. 1. Beatitude: “The Bible is a holy book”. No. 2. “When two hearts part”. No. 3. Spring and love: “What green the valley”.), Op. 1. Berlin , 1888.
  • Three songs (No. 1. Stille Liebe. No. 2. The heavy evening. No. 3. Herzig Hexchen.), Op. 2. Berlin.
  • Three girls' songs, op. 3. Berlin.
  • Festival march for cavalry music, op.4 Berlin, 1889.
  • Barcarolle for pianoforte, op.6 Berlin, 1888.
  • Three songs for one voice with pianoforte. (No. 1. The beech tree: “There is a beech tree in the forest”. No. 2. “From the bottom of the heart”. No. 3. Passed by: “My darling, we sat together”.), Op. 7. Berlin , 1889.
  • Three songs for a singing voice with piano accompaniment (No.1. Hunch (Felix Dahn), No. 2. Säersagh (Conrad Ferdinand Meier), No. 3. Nachklingen (Osterwald)), op. 8. Berlin.
  • Three songs for one voice with pianoforte. (No. 1. Ride in the forest: “That was a delicious ride”. No. 2. Song of the orphan boy: “Am a poor orphan boy”. No. 3. “Do you remember how I am on the rock”.), Op. 9. Berlin, 1890.
  • 2 Consolations for Pianoforte, op.10. Leipzig, 1893.
  • Sonata (G major) for piano and violin, op.11. Leipzig, 1891.
  • March King Umberto, op.12 Berlin, 1893.
  • Three poems by Goethe for a voice with piano. (No. 1. The screaming: “Once I went after my girl”. No. 2. “You are fading, sweet roses”. No. 3. A young girl's wish: “I would find a bridegroom for me”.), op.13 Berlin, 1893.
  • Prayer water (“Don't go out to the hour” ( Carmen Sylva )), song, op. 14. Berlin, 1893.
  • Hashish . Opera in one act. Music by Siegfried Berger (pseudonym of Oskar von Chelius). Seal by Axel Delmar . First performance February 17, 1897 under Ernst von Schuch in Dresden ( Court Opera )
  • Three poems for a voice with pianoforte. (No. 1. The little eyes: “Now I've come”. No. 2. At a late hour: “My mind is drunk”. No. 3. The wagtail: “The little nimble miller”.), Op. 16. Berlin, 1898.
  • The Fond Princess (1904). A fable play in three acts (opera). Libretto: Otto Julius Bierbaum . First performance January 15, 1905 in Schwerin, second performance series in May 1905 in Wiesbaden.
  • Incidental music for Heinrich von Kleist 's "Prince Friedrich von Homburg". Berlin, 1907.
  • Requiem ( soul, don't forget it ); Poem by Friedrich Hebbel for mixed choir and orchestra. Berlin, 1909.
  • Andante for violoncello and piano, op.23. Berlin, 1910.
  • Scottish legend. Ballad by Feodora, Princess of Schleswig Holstein, for a voice with accompaniment of the pianoforte. Mainz, 1911.
  • Three poems by Feodora, Princess of Schleswig Holstein, for a voice with accompaniment of the pianoforte. No. 1. Lonely ... No. 2. A fairy tale. No. 3. Wunderstrasse. Mainz 1911.
  • The 121st psalm ("I lift up my eyes to the mountains"); for mixed choir, solos, organ and orchestra. Berlin, 1912.
  • Three poems for a voice with pianoforte. (No. 1. The language of the rose: “The language of the red rose is mute”. No. 2. “We are alone, in your hands”. No. 3. Moonlight: “My darling lies asleep”.). Berlin, 1913.
  • Incidental music for Paul Claudel 's "Annunciation". WP: Hellerau, 1913.
  • Four poems for a voice with pianoforte. (No. 1. My grave: “I dug a grave”. No. 2. Insomniac: “I woke up from dreams and fears”. No. 3. Question and answer: “Do you ask me where the fearful love comes from ". No. 4." Sleep, sleep, nothing but sleep "), op. 24. Berlin, 1915.
  • Incidental music for Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 's "Clavigo". Berlin, 1918.
  • Homecoming ("He did not return home" ( Rainer Maria Rilke )), song for a voice and piano, op. 25.
  • Three poems for a voice with pianoforte. (No. 1. The dark spot: “My dear, you white dove”. No. 2. “Two wanderers walked along the path”. No. 3. Your everything: “I want to be your flower”.), Op. 26. Leipzig, 1920.
  • Magda Maria (1920). Opera in 3 acts. Libretto: Max Treutler, op.27. First performance 1920 Dessau.
  • And Pippa is dancing! (1922; op. 28). Symphonic poem (based on the piece of the same name by Gerhart Hauptmann )

literature

  • Patrick Ernst Sensburg: General, diplomat and musician. Oskar Philipp von Chelius from Mannheim - last German military representative at the Russian Tsar's court . In: Hierzuland 9, 1994, No. 17, pp. 22-26.
  • Manfred Kehrig: Chelius, Philipp Oskar von . In: Badische Biographien NF 4, 1996, pp. 45-46 ( digitized version ).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Giles MacDonogh: The Life of Wilhelm II , 2003, p. 76.
  2. ↑ See also Wilhelm: From my life, 1859–1888 , 1927, p. 234. In another place he calls it “constant as a rock”.
  3. ^ La Marquise De Fontenoy : The Secret Memoirs of the Courts of Europe . Vol. 1, 1900, pp. 161-162 ( digitized version ).
  4. ^ John CG Röhl: Wilhelm II. , 2001, p. 715.
  5. ↑ Birgit Marschall: Travel and rule. The trips to the north of Kaiser Wilhelm II. , 1991, p. 223.
  6. ^ Ansgar Reiß (Ed.), Frank Wernitz: Das Eiserne Kreuz 1813-1870-1914. History and meaning of an award. Catalogs of the Bavarian Army Museum Ingolstadt, Volume 11, Verlag Militaria GmbH, Vienna 2013, ISBN 978-3-902526-58-8 , p. 145.
  7. ↑ Hellmut Federhofer: Heinrich Schenker (1868–1935) , 1985, p. 93. Schenker said of the piece: "I would have preferred to have heard Fidelio or Don Juan."
  8. ^ Walter Simon: Directory of the university papers on Rainer Maria Rilke , 1978, p. Xiv. The settings came to Rilke's knowledge through a letter dated March 27, 1921.
  9. ^ Karlheinz Deisenroth: Märkische burial place in courtly splendor. The Bornstedter Friedhof zu Potsdam , Berlin 1997, pp. 223–226.
  10. ^ Hofmeister: Musical-literary monthly report ; Franz Pazdirek: Universal handbook of music literature of all times and peoples . Volume 2, 1904-10, p. 984 ( digitized version ).
personal data
SURNAME Chelius, Oskar von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Chelius, Philipp Oskar von (full name); Chelius, Oscar of; Berger, Siegfried (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prussian officer, most recently lieutenant general, military attaché and composer
DATE OF BIRTH July 28, 1859
PLACE OF BIRTH Mannheim
DATE OF DEATH June 12, 1923
Place of death Munich