Prince Friedrich of Corsica
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| Title: | Prince Friedrich of Corsica |
| Original title: |
Prince Friedrich Friedrich, Prince of Corsica Rudolph, Prince of Corsica |
| Genus: | historical-romantic drama |
| Original language: | German |
| Author: | Johann Nestroy |
| Literary source: | "Prince Friedrich" by Carl Franz van der Velde |
| Publishing year: | 1822 or 1827 |
| Premiere: | December 18, 1841 |
| Place of premiere: | Leopoldstädter Theater , Vienna |
| Place and time of the action: | Act 1 takes place on the German bank of the Rhine, opposite the city of Cologne and in a nearby forest, in September 1735; the 2nd Act in Livorno in May 1736; the 3rd and 4th Act in Corsica in June and the 5th Act in Livorno in early October of the same year |
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Prince Friedrich von Corsica , also Friedrich, Prinz von Korsika , in the first manuscript Prince Friedrich , is a historical-romantic drama in five acts based on Van der Velde's story by Johann Nestroy . The piece was probably made in 1822 (after Otto drum ) or 1827 (after Franz H. Mautner ) and was only on 18 December 1841, Rudolph, Prince of Corsica on Leopoldstädter Theater as a benefit performance for Alois (Louis) Grois in Vienna premiered and only repeated once.
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Because of a fatal duel, Friedrich has to flee from the Cölner henchmen and is hidden by a horde of gypsies at Alma's request. Trevoux brings a letter in which Frederick's true origin is revealed - he is the son of the new King of Corsica, Theodor. The gypsies defend Friedrich until he escapes. The leader Horra conjures up Friedrich:
- "If fate once puts you high and you can then exercise grace on my brothers, wherever it may be, then it is worth it to me!" (Act 1, Scene 10)
In Livorno Friedrich is recognized and paid homage to by Bondelli, he sees Olympia and falls in love with her, has a collision with the Genoese procurator and has to flee on Giafferi's Corvette, which takes him to Corsica. There Friedrich immediately throws himself into battle, defeats the Genoese and takes Franchi prisoner, whom he then saved from execution and released. He becomes engaged to Olympia, although secretly he cannot forget Alma.
Hassan does not want to bring any more money from Tunis to put Theodor under pressure. All attempts by Theodor to get help fail. When the French intervened on the side of the Genoese and some Corsicans became traitors, the king had to flee and Friedrich was taken prisoner. Franchi frees him from prison out of gratitude, Friedrich comes to Livorno, where he discovers that Olympia wants to marry General Maillebois. Alma turns out to be Isabella, Giafferi's daughter, who was once kidnapped by gypsies; she and Friedrich, who enters the service of the King of Naples, meet.
- The flower of happiness does not bloom on the great heights.
- A quiet valley turns them into a sanctuary.
- A faithful friend, a faithful wife, that is happiness.
- It was my part, I thankfully praise my fate. (Fifth act, seventh scene)
Factory history
The source for Johann Nestroy's historical-romantic drama, which was written in four - footed iamb and remained his only attempt of this kind, is the work “Prince Friedrich. A short story from the first half of the eighteenth century ” by Carl Franz van der Velde . It was first published in the Dresdner Abend-Zeitung in 1819 and published in book form in 1820. Van der Velde describes the life story of the Westphalian Baron Theodor von Neuhoff , who was elected King of Corsica on April 15, 1736 and was able to hold onto this position for a few months. In the original, the “elevated passages” of the work are written in blank verse.
With the historical background, the structure and the locations, even the dialogue, Nestroy stuck closely to the template. The plot is more detailed with van der Velde, Friedrich fights as viceroy of Corsica and then as a partisan in the mountains against Genoese and French for a few years until he gets free retreat to Livorno. Olympia is Wlaska's granddaughter who has been exchanged for Alma, the daughter of the Count of Brienne. Many years later, Wachtendonk Friedrich, now a Neapolitan general and husband of Alma, tells of the death of his father and Olympia's further fate as a nun. Van der Velde's work has clear echoes of Schiller's “ Wallenstein ” - Theodor as a power politician with a tendency towards astrology like Wallenstein , the invented son Friedrich as his idealistic counterpart like Max Piccolomini in Schiller.
The first performance of Nestroy's play in Vienna took place several years after it was composed. Otto Rommel's assumption that it was created in 1822 is unlikely, as the original did not appear in print until 1820 (reprinted in 1825). It is puzzled why Nestroy kept this work for so long without apparently having planned a performance, even if, according to a note in the yearbook of the Grillparz Society of 1931, one was possibly planned for 1836 (under the title "Friedrich Schmidtberg or The Gypsy Girl") ). But it was undeniably Nestroy's first attempt as a theater writer.
When Nestroy was asked by his colleague Louis Grois for a piece for his benefit evening, he left him his "youthful sin" "Prince Friedrich" , which he renamed "Rudolph, Prince of Corsica" and changed something. So Friedrich became Rudolph, the traitor Salidro, the Jew and other minor characters who appeared in deleted scenes were missing. However, this did not tighten the plot, but rather confused it. Even distrusting the piece, Nestroy did not even appear in the two performances. The financial success for Grois was very great, as the audience flocked to the theater on December 18, 1841, curious about a "new" Nestroy, although the applause remained rather low. The Viennese, who always expected a parody from Nestroy, laughed at the involuntary comedy of many of the sentences, the criticism remained perplexed and even angry.
Eion apparently for the premiere of senior Adolf Müller -composed "chorus in the play of Rudolph Joh.Nestroy" which is sung by the gypsies, has been preserved in a score of six leaves. The text for this is not in Nestroy's handwriting and there is no indication that it could have come from him. It is no longer possible to determine where the choir appeared in the piece; it was probably sung in the first act either at the beginning of the 7th (Gypsy camp in the forest near Cöln) or - less likely - at the end of the 10th scene (the Gypsies defend Friedrich) . The refrain had to be repeated several times by the individual voices:
- "That's why he sees what he can catch as the prey of the gypsies."
Contemporary reception
The Wiener Theater Zeitung of Adolf Bäuerle wrote on December 20, 1841
- "Mr. Grois wanted to get himself a full house that evening, so he chose this piece. His speculation succeeded perfectly, but the audience was not satisfied with it. The romantic drama was displeased, and not without reason. […] Mr. Nestroy stick to his genre. […] They say, Mr. Nestroy wrote this piece fourteen years ago. The speaker would very much like to believe this; it is - a beginner's work; Well!"
Also on that day ridiculed the humorist of Moritz Gottlieb Saphir , Nestroy as so often not very weighed on the work:
- "A parish festival with a - funeral procession, a Mardi Gras Tuesday with an - Ash Wednesday face, Jokus with the - tragedy daggers, Nestroy and a play!"
Later interpretations
Helmut Ahrens calls the piece "Nestroys feeble debut" , a "thoughtless, dramatic beginner's act" and describes the above-mentioned reaction of the audience and the press. Amazingly, the otherwise easily angry suburban audience quickly forgave the “Corsican sin” , a reaction that Nestroy could not always count on.
Gustav Pichler states that with this piece Nestroy came closer to Ferdinand Raimund's worldview of “little luck” .
text
- Johann Nestroy: Prince Friedrich of Corsica. Böhlau-Taschenbuch, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-2059-8799-3 .
literature
- Helmut Ahrens: I'm not auctioning myself off to the laurel. Johann Nestroy, his life. Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1982, ISBN 3-7973-0389-0 .
- Gustav Pichler: Unknown Nestroy. Wilhelm Frick Verlag & Co., Vienna 1953; Pp. 60-129, 135-136.
- Friedrich Walla (Ed.): Johann Nestroy; Pieces 1. In: Jürgen Hein / Johann Hüttner : Johann Nestroy, Complete Works, Historical-Critical Edition. Jugend und Volk, Vienna / Munich 1979, ISBN 3-7141-6953-9 ; Pp. 3-88, 347-396.
Web links
- Prince Friedrich on nestroy.at/nestroy-stuecke/08 (accessed on February 12, 2014)
Individual evidence
- ↑ also Bey ; in Tunis the Deys were replaced by the Muradiden-Beys as early as 1640
- ^ Pichler: Unknown Nestroy. P. 74.
- ^ Pichler: Unknown Nestroy. P. 129.
- ↑ a b Pichler: Unknown Nestroy. Pp. 60-61.
- ↑ Music collection of the Vienna Library in the City Hall , MH IN 784 / c
- ^ Pichler: Unknown Nestroy. P. 135.
- ↑ Ahrens: I'm not auctioning myself off to the laurel. P. 235.