Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria
Encyclopedia
Maria Antonia, Princess
of Bavaria (18 July 1724 – 23 April 1780), Electress
of Saxony
, was a German composer, singer, harpsichord
ist and patron, known particularly for her operas Il trionfo della fedeltà (Dresden
, summer 1754) and Talestri, regina delle amazoni (Nymphenburg Palace
, February 6, 1760). She was also the Regent of Saxony in 1763-1768. Baptised Maria Antonia Walpurgis Symphorosa, she was known as Maria Antonia.
in Munich
to Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria
and to Elector Karl Albert of Bavaria (later Emperor Karl VII
). Throughout her life she received an outstanding education, particularly in the arts (including painting, writing poetry, as well as music).
She was the fourth of seven children of the Elector and his wife.
, the heir to the Electorate of Saxony
; that same year she became a member of the Accademia dell’Arcadia of Rome, a significant institution in operatic reform. With her marriage, she moved to Dresden. She had nine children with Friedrich Christian, seven of whom survived infancy.
and Giovanni Porta
. After moving to Dresden she continued her studies with Nicola Porpora
and Johann Adolph Hasse
. Indeed, opera played a major part throughout Maria Antonia’s life. The court of Munich celebrated her birth with a performance of the opera Amadis de Grecia (Pietro Torri). Her betrothal to Friedrich Christian was likewise celebrated with opera performances, including Hasse’s La Spartana generosa, sets by Bibiena, and Gluck
’s opera Le nozze d’Ercole e d’Ebe. Shortly after moving to Dresden, she penned the libretto
for Hasse’s oratorio, La conversione di Sant’Agostina (1750), in addition to her composing work. Her own compositional style shows a strong affinity for that of Hasse, especially his conception of opera seria. She also performed actively as a singer and keyboard player in court performances, including leading roles in both of her operas. In addition to her two operas, a number of arias, a pastorale, intermezzos, meditations and motets are attributed to her.
queen Thalestris
appears in numerous works from Greek mythology
, and, like many such stories and mythic cycles, it became a frequent subject for works through the late Middle Ages
and beyond. The French poet Gautier de Coste LaCalprenède revived the tale in the novel Cassandre (1644–1650), though the story was altered from the semi-historical account involving Alexander the Great to one involving Orontes
, Prince of the Massagetes
, as the male foil
to Talestris.
Several operas took on the same subject matter over the next century, with Maria Antonia crafting her own libretto and music. The plot centers on Talestris’ relationship with a Scythian ruler (and man), Orontes, as in LaCalprenède’s version. In addition to the title character, two other prominent characters are women: Antiope
, her advisor, who also falls in love with a Scythian man, Learchus
; and Tomiris, the high priestess of Diana
, who is—as revealed near the end of the opera—the mother of Orontes. Ultimately, the plot ends happily, with each couple united and war averted, as the Scythians and Amazons manage to peacefully co-exist. The depiction of the benevolent, thoughtful ruler Talestris coming-of-age as a political leader suggests the possibility that the opera is a semi-autobiographical rendering of Maria Antonia herself.
ETPA, standing for Ermelinda Talea Pastorella Arcadia, Maria Antonia’s operas were successfully published by Breitkopf
and enjoyed warm reviews both in their premieres at the court theater, which she sang in, and also throughout other European cities. Music critic Charles Burney praised her opera and her singing in his 1773 work, The present state of music in Germany, the Netherlands and United Provinces. Also of note, the philosopher and music theorist, Antonio Eximeno y Pujades included an aria from Talestri in his 1774 treatise Dell’ origine e delle regole della musica, putting her in the company of five other selected composers: Palestrina
, Nanini
, Clari
, Pergolesi
, and Corelli
. Although her music is treated somewhat more broadly with less musical analysis, the entire treatise is used to model compositional techniques, implying a high regard for her work by Antonio Eximeno y Pujades, and presumably other contemporaries.
. CD, Berlin: Folkert Uhde, 1999 and 2003.
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
of Bavaria (18 July 1724 – 23 April 1780), Electress
Electress
An Electress was the consort of an Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, one of the Empire's greatest princes.The Golden Bull of 1356 established by Emperor Charles IV settled the number of Electors at seven...
of Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
, was a German composer, singer, harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
ist and patron, known particularly for her operas Il trionfo della fedeltà (Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, summer 1754) and Talestri, regina delle amazoni (Nymphenburg Palace
Nymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace , i.e. "Nymph's Castle", is a Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, southern Germany. The palace was the main summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.-History:...
, February 6, 1760). She was also the Regent of Saxony in 1763-1768. Baptised Maria Antonia Walpurgis Symphorosa, she was known as Maria Antonia.
Family and background
Maria Antonia was born at Nymphenburg PalaceNymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace , i.e. "Nymph's Castle", is a Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, southern Germany. The palace was the main summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.-History:...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
to Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria
Maria Amalia of Austria
Maria Amalia of Austria was the younger daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I and Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
and to Elector Karl Albert of Bavaria (later Emperor Karl VII
Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VII Albert a member of the Wittelsbach family, was Prince-elector of Bavaria from 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 until his death in 1745...
). Throughout her life she received an outstanding education, particularly in the arts (including painting, writing poetry, as well as music).
She was the fourth of seven children of the Elector and his wife.
Marriage
In Munich on 13 June 1747 (by proxy) and again in Dresden on 20 June 1747 (in person) she married Friedrich ChristianFrederick Christian, Elector of Saxony
Frederick Christian, Elector of Saxony was the Prince-Elector of Saxony for less than three months in 1763...
, the heir to the Electorate of Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
; that same year she became a member of the Accademia dell’Arcadia of Rome, a significant institution in operatic reform. With her marriage, she moved to Dresden. She had nine children with Friedrich Christian, seven of whom survived infancy.
- A son (b. and d. Dresden, 9 June 1748).
- Frederick Augustus I of SaxonyFrederick Augustus I of SaxonyFrederick Augustus I was King of Saxony from the House of Wettin. He was also Elector Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and Duke Frederick Augustus I of Warsaw...
(b. Dresden, 23 December 1750 - d. Dresden, 5 May 1827), Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (since 11 December 1806). married Amalie of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, had issue; - Karl Maximilian Maria Anton Johann Nepomuk Aloys Franz Xavier Januar (b. Dresden, 24 September 1752 - d. Dresden, 8 September 1781), known as Karl.
- Joseph Maria Ludwig Johann Nepomuck Aloys Gonzaga Franz Xavier Januar Anton de Padua Polycarp (b. Dresden, 26 January 1754 - d. Dresden, 25 March 1763).
- Anthony of Saxony (b. Dresden, 27 December 1755 - d. Pillnitz, 6 June 1836), successor of his older brother as King of Saxony (1827). married Princess Marie Caroline of SavoyPrincess Maria Carolina of SavoyMaria Carolina of Savoy was a Princess of Savoy from her birth. She was the youngest daughter of the future Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia and married in 1781 to the Electoral Prince of Saxony...
no issue; married Maria Theresa of Austria no surviving issue; - Maria Amalia of SaxonyMaria Amalia of Saxony (1757–1831)Maria Amalia of Saxony was a daughter of Frederick Christian, Elector of Saxony and his wife Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria...
(b. Dresden, 26 September 1757 - d. Neuburg, 20 April 1831), known as Maria Amalia; married on 12 February 1774 to Duke Karl II August of Zweibrücken. - Maximilian, Crown Prince of Saxony (b. Dresden, 13 April 1759 - d. Dresden, 3 January 1838), known as Maximilian.
- Theresia Maria Josepha Magdalena Anna Antonia Walburga Ignatia Xaveria Augustina Aloysia Fortunata (b. Munich, 27 February 1761 - d. Dresden, 26 November 1820), known as Maria Anna.
- Stillborn son (1762).
Regency
She left Dresden during the Seven Years War and took refuge in Prague and Münich (1759), but returned at her husband's accession to the throne in 1763. Her spouse died ten weeks later, and her son succeeded him. Her son being a minor, she served as joint Regent with her brother-in-law Franz Xaver (1730–1806) until her son reached legal majority in 1768. During her regency, she opposed her co-regent's act to give up her son's claim on the Polish throne in 1765. She also founded a textile factory (1763) and a brewery (1766).Musical training and composing
While in Munich, Maria Antonia studied music with renowned opera composers Giovanni Battista FerrandiniGiovanni Battista Ferrandini
Giovanni Battista Ferrandini , an Italian composer of the Baroque and Classical eras, was born in Venice, Italy and died in Munich, at the age of 81....
and Giovanni Porta
Giovanni Porta
Giovanni Porta was an Italian opera composer.One of the masters of early 18th-century opera and one of the leading Venetian musicians, Porta made his way from Rome, to Vicenza, to Verona, then London where his opera Numitore was performed in 1720 by the Royal Academy of Music , and eventually back...
. After moving to Dresden she continued her studies with Nicola Porpora
Nicola Porpora
Nicola Porpora was an Italian composer of Baroque operas and teacher of singing, whose most famous singing student was the castrato Farinelli. One of his other students was composer Matteo Capranica.-Biography:Porpora was born in Naples...
and Johann Adolph Hasse
Johann Adolph Hasse
Johann Adolph Hasse was an 18th-century German composer, singer and teacher of music. Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, though he also composed a considerable quantity of sacred music...
. Indeed, opera played a major part throughout Maria Antonia’s life. The court of Munich celebrated her birth with a performance of the opera Amadis de Grecia (Pietro Torri). Her betrothal to Friedrich Christian was likewise celebrated with opera performances, including Hasse’s La Spartana generosa, sets by Bibiena, and Gluck
Christoph Willibald Gluck
Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck was an opera composer of the early classical period. After many years at the Habsburg court at Vienna, Gluck brought about the practical reform of opera's dramaturgical practices that many intellectuals had been campaigning for over the years...
’s opera Le nozze d’Ercole e d’Ebe. Shortly after moving to Dresden, she penned the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
for Hasse’s oratorio, La conversione di Sant’Agostina (1750), in addition to her composing work. Her own compositional style shows a strong affinity for that of Hasse, especially his conception of opera seria. She also performed actively as a singer and keyboard player in court performances, including leading roles in both of her operas. In addition to her two operas, a number of arias, a pastorale, intermezzos, meditations and motets are attributed to her.
Talestri
The AmazonAmazons
The Amazons are a nation of all-female warriors in Greek mythology and Classical antiquity. Herodotus placed them in a region bordering Scythia in Sarmatia...
queen Thalestris
Thalestris
According to the mythological Greek Alexander Romance, Queen Thalestris of the Amazons brought 300 women to Alexander the Great, hoping to breed a race of children as strong and intelligent as he...
appears in numerous works from Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, and, like many such stories and mythic cycles, it became a frequent subject for works through the late Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and beyond. The French poet Gautier de Coste LaCalprenède revived the tale in the novel Cassandre (1644–1650), though the story was altered from the semi-historical account involving Alexander the Great to one involving Orontes
Orontid Dynasty
The Orontid Dynasty The Orontid Dynasty The Orontid Dynasty (also known by their native name, Yervanduni was a hereditary Armenian dynasty and the rulers of the successor state to the Iron Age kingdom of Ararat...
, Prince of the Massagetes
Massagetae
The Massageteans or Massagetaeans were an Iranian nomadic confederation in antiquity known primarily from the writings of Herodotus. Their name was probably akin to Thyssagetae.-Name:...
, as the male foil
Foil (literature)
In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of another character....
to Talestris.
Several operas took on the same subject matter over the next century, with Maria Antonia crafting her own libretto and music. The plot centers on Talestris’ relationship with a Scythian ruler (and man), Orontes, as in LaCalprenède’s version. In addition to the title character, two other prominent characters are women: Antiope
Antiope
Antiope can mean:* Greek mythology** Antiope , sister of Hippolyte kidnapped by Theseus, during Heracles' ninth labour** Antiope by Zeus, associated with the mythology of Thebes, Greece...
, her advisor, who also falls in love with a Scythian man, Learchus
Learchus
Learchus or Learches is a figure in Greek mythology and was the son of Athamas and Ino as well as the brother of Melicertes.-Mythology:The story of Learchus is part of the Theban Cycle which was elaborated by Ovid in his Metamorphoses...
; and Tomiris, the high priestess of Diana
Diana (mythology)
In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt and moon and birthing, being associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy...
, who is—as revealed near the end of the opera—the mother of Orontes. Ultimately, the plot ends happily, with each couple united and war averted, as the Scythians and Amazons manage to peacefully co-exist. The depiction of the benevolent, thoughtful ruler Talestris coming-of-age as a political leader suggests the possibility that the opera is a semi-autobiographical rendering of Maria Antonia herself.
Critical reception
Although published using the pseudonymPseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
ETPA, standing for Ermelinda Talea Pastorella Arcadia, Maria Antonia’s operas were successfully published by Breitkopf
Breitkopf & Härtel
Breitkopf & Härtel is the world's oldest music publishing house. The firm was founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf . The catalogue currently contains over 1000 composers, 8000 works and 15,000 music editions or books on music. The name "Härtel" was added when Gottfried...
and enjoyed warm reviews both in their premieres at the court theater, which she sang in, and also throughout other European cities. Music critic Charles Burney praised her opera and her singing in his 1773 work, The present state of music in Germany, the Netherlands and United Provinces. Also of note, the philosopher and music theorist, Antonio Eximeno y Pujades included an aria from Talestri in his 1774 treatise Dell’ origine e delle regole della musica, putting her in the company of five other selected composers: Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music and the best-known 16th-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition...
, Nanini
Giovanni Maria Nanino
Giovanni Maria Nanino was an Italian composer and teacher of the late Renaissance. He was a member of the Roman School of composers, and was the most influential music teacher in Rome in the late 16th century...
, Clari
Giovanni Carlo Maria Clari
Giovanni Carlo Maria Clari was an Italian musical composer and maestro di cappella at Pistoia. He was born at Pisa. He gained his initial grounding in musical education from his father, a violinist originally from Rome who was employed in the service of the chapel of the Cavalieri di S...
, Pergolesi
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi was an Italian composer, violinist and organist.-Biography:Born at Iesi, Pergolesi studied music there under a local musician, Francesco Santini, before going to Naples in 1725, where he studied under Gaetano Greco and Francesco Feo among others...
, and Corelli
Arcangelo Corelli
Arcangelo Corelli was an Italian violinist and composer of Baroque music.-Biography:Corelli was born at Fusignano, in the current-day province of Ravenna, although at the time it was in the province of Ferrara. Little is known about his early life...
. Although her music is treated somewhat more broadly with less musical analysis, the entire treatise is used to model compositional techniques, implying a high regard for her work by Antonio Eximeno y Pujades, and presumably other contemporaries.
Works
- Il trionfo della fedeltà, opera, libretto by Maria Antonia (DresdenDresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, summer 1754) - Talestri, regina delle amazoni, opera, libretto by Maria Antonia (Nymphenburg, 6 February 1760)
Discography
Talestri, regina delle amazoni, dramma per musicaDramma per musica
Dramma per musica is a term which was used by dramatists in Italy and elsewhere between the late-17th and mid-19th centuries...
. CD, Berlin: Folkert Uhde, 1999 and 2003.
Titles and styles
- 18 July 1724 – 13 June 1747 Her Serene Highness Maria Antonia, Princess of Bavaria, Duchess of Bavaria
- 13 June 1747 – 5 October 1763 Her Royal Highness The Electoral Princess of Saxony
- 5 October 1763 – 17 December 1763 Her Royal Highness The Electress of Saxony
- 17 December 1763 – 23 April 1780 Her Royal Highness The Dowager Electress of Saxony