''Die Schweizer Familie'' (''The Swiss Family'') is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

by the Austrian composer

Joseph Weigl Joseph Weigl (28 March 1766 – 3 February 1846) was an Austrian composer and conductor, born in Eisenstadt, Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is ...

. It takes the form of a ''

Singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk-like ...

'' in three acts. The

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

, by

Ignaz Franz Castelli Ignaz Franz Castelli (6 March 1781 – 5 February 1862) was an Austrian dramatist born in Vienna. He studied law at the university, and then entered the government service. During the Napoleonic invasions his patriotism inspired him to wri ...

, is based on the vaudeville ''Pauvre Jacques'' (1807) by Charles-Augustin de Basson-Pierre, known as Sewrin, and

René de Chazet René de Chazet, full name René André Polydore Balthazar Alissan de Chazet, (23 October 1774 – 23 August 1844) was a French playwright, poet and novelist. Short biography The son of an annuities controller, parent of Mackau, the ambassador ...

. The opera was first performed at the

Theater am Kärntnertor or (Carinthian Gate Theatre) was a prestigious theatre in Vienna during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Its official title was (Imperial and Royal Court Theatre of Vienna). History The theatre was built in 1709 to designs by Ant ...

, conducted by the composer, in Vienna on 14 March 1809 and was a great success in German-speaking countries in the early 19th century.

Roles

Synopsis

The Bolls, the Swiss family of the title, have been banished to an unspecified region in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

. Their daughter, Emmeline, pines for the love of Jakob, to whom she is secretly engaged. The local count, whose life was saved by Richard Boll, also shows concern for Emmeline's sufferings and with his help Emmeline and Jakob are reunited.

Recording

*''Die Schweizer Familie'' Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra Dreieck, conducted by Uri Rom (Guild, 2006)

Legacy

Ignaz Moscheles Isaac Ignaz Moscheles (; 23 May 179410 March 1870) was a Bohemian piano virtuoso and composer. He was based initially in London and later at Leipzig, where he joined his friend and sometime pupil Felix Mendelssohn as professor of piano at the ...

wrote a set of 12 variations for piano (Op. 5) on the air "Wer hörte wohl jemals mich klagen".

References

, Klaus Pietschmann (editor): ''Jenseits der Bühne. Bearbeitungs- und Rezeptionsformen der Oper im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert'' (''Schweizer Beiträge zur Musikforschung''; vol. 15). Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel 2011, , . * Werner Bollert: "Joseph Weigl und das deutsche Singspiel". In: ''Aufsätze zur Musikgeschichte''. Postberg-Verlag, Bottrop 1938, . * Hermann Dechant (ed.): ''Die Schweizer Familie''. Score edition (''

Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich ''Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich'' (Monuments of Fine Austrian Music) (1894–) is a historical edition of music from Austria covering the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods. The most recent volume in the edition was published in ...

''). Akademische Verlagsanstalt, Vienna (in preparation). * Klaus Döge: "'welche nicht nur dem Publikum, sondern auch mir selbst wirklich gefiel'. Richard Wagners Einlegearie zu Joseph Weigls ''Die Schweizerfamilie''". In:

Wolfgang Hirschmann Wolfgang Hirschmann (born 1960) is a German musicologist. Born in Fürth, from 1979 to 1985 Hirschmann studied musicology, history of German literature and theatre at the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg where he received his doctorate in 198 ...

(ed.): ''Aria. Eine

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

für

Wolfgang Ruf Wolfgang Ruf (born 29 August 1941) is a German musicologist and emeritus professor. Life Born in Radolfzell, Ruf studied musicology and history at the University of Freiburg, and obtained his doctorate in 1974. Until 1985 he was a research assis ...

''. Olms, Hildesheim 2011, , . * Sabine Henze-Döhring: "Gattungskonvergenzen – Gattungsumbrüche. Zur Situation der deutschsprachigen Oper um 1800". In: Marcus Chr. Lippe [editor), ''Oper im Aufbruch. Gattungskonzepte des deutschsprachigen Musiktheaters um 1800''. published by Marcus Chr. Lippe, Kassel: Bosse 2007 (''Kölner Beiträge zur Musikwissenschaft'', vol. 9), . * August Glück: "Der Kühreihen in J. Weigl's ''Schweizerfamilie''. Eine Studie", in: ''Vierteljahrsschrift für Musikwissenschaft'' 8 (1892), Leipzig 1892, p. 77–90. * Annette Landau: "''Die Schweizerfamilie'' von Joseph Weigl und Ignaz Franz Castelli". In: Anselm Gerhard (editor): ''Schweizer Töne. Die Schweiz im Spiegel der Musik''. Chronos-Verlag, Zürich 2000, . * Klaus Pietschmann: "Gattungs- und Stilvielfalt im musikdramatischen Schaffen Joseph Weigls". In: ''Oper im Aufbruch. Gattungskonzepte des deutschsprachigen Musiktheaters um 1800'', Kassel 2007. * Till Gerrit Waidelich: "Zur Rezeptionsgeschichte von Joseph Weigls ''Schweizer Familie'' in Biedermeier und Vormärz". In: ''Schubert. Perspektiven'', vol. 2 (2002), , . * Till Gerrit Waidelich: "Das Bild der Schweiz in der österreichischen Musik des 19. Jahrhunderts". 190. ''Neujahrsblatt'' der AMG Zürich (2006), Winterthur 2005.

External links