''Erwin und Elmire'' is 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 ...

, described as a ''Schauspiel mit Gesang'', in two acts by the German composer

Johann André Johann André (28 March 1741 – 18 June 1799) was a German musician, composer and music publisher of the Classical period. He was born and died in Offenbach am Main. In 1774, as the patriarch of a Huguenot family, André founded one of the firs ...

, with a libretto by

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...

, after

Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish novelist, playwright, dramatist and poet, who is best known for his novel ''The Vicar of Wakefield'' (1766), his pastoral poem ''The Deserted Village'' (1770), and his pl ...

's ballad of Angelica and Edwin, ''The Hermit'', in chapter 8 of his sentimental novel ''

The Vicar of Wakefield ''The Vicar of Wakefield'', subtitled ''A Tale, Supposed to be written by Himself'', is a novel by Anglo-Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774). It was written from 1761 to 1762 and published in 1766. It was one of the most popular and wid ...

''. André was the first to set Goethe's text in 1775, but he was closely followed by

Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

whose own ''

Erwin und Elmire ''Erwin und Elmire'' is an opera in two acts by Duchess Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, with a libretto by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, after Oliver Goldsmith's ballad of Angelica and Edwin, ''The Hermit'', in his sentimental novel ''The V ...

'' was performed in 1776. Versions followed by

Carl David Stegmann Carl David Stegmann (1751 – 27 May 1826) was a German tenor, harpsichordist, conductor, and composer. Biography He was born in Staucha near Meissen, the son of Johann Ehrenfried Stegmann and Anna Christiana Bretzner. He married Karoline Johan ...

(Hamburg, 1776),

Ernst Wilhelm Wolf Ernst Wilhelm Wolf (baptised 25 February 1735 – 29 or 30 November 1792) was a German composer. Life Wolf was born in Grossen Behringen in Thuringia, today part of the Hörselberg-Hainich municipality. His elder brother Ernst Friedrich was a co ...

(Weimar, 1785) and

Karl Christian Agthe Karl Christian Agthe (16 June 1762 – 27 November 1797) was a German organist and composer. Born in Hettstedt, Agthe served as court organist to Frederick Albrecht, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg. Among his compositions are six ''Singspiele,'' a ball ...

(Ballenstedt, 1785), also

Johann Friedrich Reichardt Johann Friedrich Reichardt (25 November 1752 – 27 June 1814) was a German composer, writer and music critic. Early life Reichardt was born in Königsberg, East Prussia, to lutenist and ''Stadtmusiker'' Johann Reichardt (1720–1780). Johann Fr ...

(concert performance, Berlin, 1793) who based his work on a later revised text by Goethe.

Othmar Schoeck Othmar Schoeck (1 September 1886 – 8 March 1957) was a Swiss Romantic classical composer, opera composer, musician, and conductor. He was known mainly for his considerable output of art songs and song cycles, though he also wrote a number of ...

's songs and

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...

to the play premiered in 1916.

Performance history

The opera was first performed privately in Frankfurt in May 1775. A public production by the Döbbelin Company appeared in Berlin at the Theater in der Behrenstraße on 17 July 1775.

Roles

Synopsis

Elmire is distressed because she believes her cold behaviour towards Erwin has caused him to run away. Bernardo, Elmire’s tutor, persuades her to meet an old hermit in a secluded valley. The hermit is really Erwin in disguise.

References

;Notes ;Sources * *Bauman, Thomas (1992), "Erwin und Elmire (i)" in ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volu ...

'', ed.

Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was publ ...

(London) {{DEFAULTSORT:Erwin und Elmire (Andre) 1775 operas Plays by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Operas by Johann André German-language operas Singspiele Operas