Maria Theresia Ahlefeldt (born Princess Maria Theresia of Thurn and Taxis, [full German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

 name: Maria Theresia, Prinzessin von Thurn und Taxis] 16 January 1755 in Regensburg

Regensburg

Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...

, Free Imperial City of Regensburg

Regensburg

Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...

, Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

; died 20 December 1810 in 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...

, Kingdom of Bohemia

Kingdom of Bohemia

The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...

, Austrian Empire

Austrian Empire

The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...

) was a member of the House of Thurn and Taxis and a Princess of Thurn and Taxis by birth and a member of the Ahlefeldt

Ahlefeldt

Ahlefeldt is a Danish and German family of high nobility.The earliest known ancestor is one Benedict Ahlefeldt, , whose son and grandsons served king Atterdag Valdemar IV of Denmark and received significant pawn fiefs and properties in Denmark....

 Danish noble family

Danish nobility

Nobility in Denmark was a leading social class until the 19th or 20th century. Danish nobility exists yet and has a recognized status in Denmark, a monarchy, but its real privileges have been abolished....

 and Countess of Ahlefeldt-Langeland through her marriage to Ferdinand, Count of Ahlefeldt-Langeland. Maria Theresia was a Danish (originally German) 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...

. She is known as the first female composer 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...

.

Family

Maria Theresia was the eldest child and daughter of Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis

Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis

-Titles and styles:*21 March 1704 – 8 November 1739: His Serene Highness The Hereditary Prince of Thurn and Taxis*8 November 1739 – 17 March 1773: His Serene Highness The Prince of Thurn and Taxis-Honours:...

 (1704–73) and his third wife Princess Maria Henriette Josepha of Fürstenberg-Stühlingen (1732–72). She was a younger half-sister of Karl Anselm, 4th Prince of Thurn and Taxis

Karl Anselm, 4th Prince of Thurn and Taxis

-Titles and styles:*2 June 1733 – 8 November 1739: His Serene Highness Prince Karl Anselm of Thurn and Taxis*8 November 1739 – 17 March 1773: His Serene Highness The Hereditary Prince of Thurn and Taxis...

 and niece of Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis.

Early life and marriage

She grew in a cultural environment at the princely court

Thurn und Taxis

The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis is a German family that was a key player in the postal services in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of many castles.- History :...

 in Regensburg

Regensburg

Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...

. Maria Theresia was engaged to Prince Joseph of Fürstenberg 1772-76 until her affair with Prince Philip of Hohenlohe. In 1780, she fled arrest after having married the Danish noble Ferdinand, Count of Ahlefeldt-Langeland (1747–1815) against the will of her family.

Career as a composer

In 1780, Maria Theresia's spouse was marshal at the court of Ansbach

Principality of Ansbach

The Principality of Ansbach or Brandenburg-Ansbach was a reichsfrei principality in the Holy Roman Empire centered on the Bavarian city of Ansbach...

, where she was active in the amateur theatre

Amateur theatre

Amateur theatre is theatre performed by amateur actors. These actors are not typically members of Actors' Equity groups or Actors' Unions as these organizations exist to protect the professional industry and therefore discourage their members from appearing with companies which are not a signatory...

. In 1792-94, her spouse was marshal of the Danish court and director of the Royal Danish Theatre

Royal Danish Theatre

The Royal Danish Theatre is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the...

. Maria Theresia composed music for several ballet

Ballet

Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...

s, opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

s, and plays of the royal theatre. She moved to 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....

 in 1798 and lived from 1800 until her death in Prague.

Selection of work

• La Folie, ou quel Conte! (libretto) 1780s
• Telemak paa Calypsos Øe (music, aria, choir), 1792
• Veddemaalet (music), 1793
• Romance de Nina 1794/98

Ancestry