F.L.Æ. Kunzen
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Ludwig Æmilius Kunzen (September 24, 1761 – January 28, 1817) was a German
composer
and conductor
who lived and worked for much of his life in Denmark
.
, where his father, Adolph Carl Kunzen, was an organist and his grandfather, Johann Paul Kunzen (1696-1757), had composed for the Hamburg Opera in the 1720s. In 1781 he began studying law in Kiel
, but his true love was music, and in 1784, encouraged by the composer Johann Abraham Peter Schulz
and the publisher Carl Friedrich Cramer (1752-1807), both of whom would be important throughout his life, he moved to Copenhagen
to pursue a musical career.
He performed as a pianist at court and in clubs, and in the next few years had successes with a memorial cantata for Count Otto Thott and music for the marriage of Crown Princess Louise Auguste to Frederik Christian II, Duke of Augustenborg
, as well as theatre music. In 1788 he met the young author Jens Baggesen, and the two collaborated on the opera Holger Danske
, which premiered the following year, causing the "Holger Feud," as a result of which Kunzen temporarily left the country.
For the next two years he lived in Berlin
; then from 1792 to 1794 he worked as musical director of the new Frankfurter National-Theater, where he put on Mozart's Don Giovanni
and The Magic Flute
. During his stay in Frankfurt
he married one of the foremost singers of the era, Johanna Margaretha Antonetta Zuccarini (1766-1842). In 1794 he and his wife moved to Prague
, where he worked as an opera director; the following year he was offered the position of musical director of the Royal Orchestra in Copenhagen; he immediately accepted and returned with his wife to his beloved city in 1795. His obligations were numerous, his salary poor, and his enthusiasm about Mozart was met with indigenous scepticism. As a consequence, Cosi fan tutte
failed spectacularly in 1798." However, he had successes with Don Giovanni (1807) and Die Entführung aus dem Serail
(1813).
Besides occasional compositions for the court and city, he composed the oratorio Opstandelsen (The Resurrection, 1796), the grand opera Erik Ejegod (1798), and various hymns and Singspiele. In 1809 he was appointed professor, and in 1811 he was honoured as a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog
and appointed a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music
. On January 28, 1817, he suffered a stroke and died after an argument with Jens Baggesen over a plagiarism controversy concerning the opera Trylleharpen (The Magic Harp). This opera (1806) had been performed in Vienna and Hamburg in German as Ossian
s Harfe, but without success.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
who lived and worked for much of his life in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
Life
He was born in LübeckLübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
, where his father, Adolph Carl Kunzen, was an organist and his grandfather, Johann Paul Kunzen (1696-1757), had composed for the Hamburg Opera in the 1720s. In 1781 he began studying law in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, but his true love was music, and in 1784, encouraged by the composer Johann Abraham Peter Schulz
Johann Abraham Peter Schulz
Johann Abraham Peter Schulz was a German musician and composer. Today he is best known as the composer of the melody for Matthias Claudius's poem "Der Mond ist aufgegangen" and the Christmas carol "Ihr Kinderlein kommet".-Life:Schulz attended the Michaelis School from 1757 to 1759 and then the...
and the publisher Carl Friedrich Cramer (1752-1807), both of whom would be important throughout his life, he moved to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
to pursue a musical career.
He performed as a pianist at court and in clubs, and in the next few years had successes with a memorial cantata for Count Otto Thott and music for the marriage of Crown Princess Louise Auguste to Frederik Christian II, Duke of Augustenborg
Frederik Christian II, Duke of Augustenborg
Frederick Christian II, Duke of Augustenborg was a Danish prince and feudal magnate...
, as well as theatre music. In 1788 he met the young author Jens Baggesen, and the two collaborated on the opera Holger Danske
Holger Danske (opera)
Holger Danske is the title of a 1789 Syngespil opera based on the Oberon myth, with music by F.L.Æ. Kunzen and a Danish libretto by Jens Baggesen.-Synopsis:...
, which premiered the following year, causing the "Holger Feud," as a result of which Kunzen temporarily left the country.
For the next two years he lived in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
; then from 1792 to 1794 he worked as musical director of the new Frankfurter National-Theater, where he put on Mozart's Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
and The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
. During his stay in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
he married one of the foremost singers of the era, Johanna Margaretha Antonetta Zuccarini (1766-1842). In 1794 he and his wife moved to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, where he worked as an opera director; the following year he was offered the position of musical director of the Royal Orchestra in Copenhagen; he immediately accepted and returned with his wife to his beloved city in 1795. His obligations were numerous, his salary poor, and his enthusiasm about Mozart was met with indigenous scepticism. As a consequence, Cosi fan tutte
Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first performed in 1790. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte....
failed spectacularly in 1798." However, he had successes with Don Giovanni (1807) and Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Die Entführung aus dem Serail is an opera Singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Christoph Friedrich Bretzner with adaptations by Gottlieb Stephanie...
(1813).
Besides occasional compositions for the court and city, he composed the oratorio Opstandelsen (The Resurrection, 1796), the grand opera Erik Ejegod (1798), and various hymns and Singspiele. In 1809 he was appointed professor, and in 1811 he was honoured as a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog
Order of the Dannebrog
The Order of the Dannebrog is an Order of Denmark, instituted in 1671 by Christian V. It resulted from a move in 1660 to break the absolutism of the nobility. The Order was only to comprise 50 noble Knights in one class plus the Master of the Order, i.e. the Danish monarch, and his sons...
and appointed a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music
Royal Swedish Academy of Music
The Royal Swedish Academy of Music or Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien, founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
. On January 28, 1817, he suffered a stroke and died after an argument with Jens Baggesen over a plagiarism controversy concerning the opera Trylleharpen (The Magic Harp). This opera (1806) had been performed in Vienna and Hamburg in German as Ossian
Ossian
Ossian is the narrator and supposed author of a cycle of poems which the Scottish poet James Macpherson claimed to have translated from ancient sources in the Scots Gaelic. He is based on Oisín, son of Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill, anglicised to Finn McCool, a character from Irish mythology...
s Harfe, but without success.
Sources
- Hans-Peter Kellner, "From the Prince of Denmark in the Sultan's Harem to Don Juan in the Royal Danish Chambers: The forgotten Composer Friedrich Ludwig Aemilius Kunzen (1761-1817)"
- Libretto booklet accompanying Dacapo CD release of opera Holger Danske, Copenhagen, 1995.
External links
- Don Juan Archiv symposium Website