- In 1823 Schubert composed incidental music for a production of Helmina von Chézy’s play Rosamunde: Fürstin von Zypern (Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus).1
- The commission for Schubert to compose music for Rosamunde came in early December and the production premiered on December 20, so Schubert had to work fast, and reused some of his older music. About half the numbers in the work are recycled.23
- The play, which followed the convoluted adventures of Princess Rosamunde trying to reclaim her rightful throne, was not a success and closed after two performances. Schubert’s music fared much better from the start.
- The playwright, Wilhelmina von Chézy, had also written the (similarly unsuccessful) libretto to Weber’s opera Euryanthe.
- Contemporary critics praised Schubert’s music for Rosamunde, mentioning “the genius of this much-loved master.4
Sources
- Maurice Brown, J.E., Eric Sams, and Robert Winter, “Schubert, Franz,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed January 22, 2020, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000025109.
- Ibid.
- Raymond Ericson, “New Life for a Small Schubertian Gem,” The New York Times (April 20, 1986), accessed January 22, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/20/arts/new-life-for-a-small-schubertian-gem.html.
- “Rosamunde, Fürstin von Cypern D 797,” Bärenreiter, accessed January 22, 2020, https://www.baerenreiter.com/en/shop/product/details/BA5570_01/.
Cut IDs
40053, 42302, 45392