Martin Ludwig Jedemin Rhesa ( lt, Martynas Liudvikas Gediminas Rėza; 9 January 1776 – 30 August 1840) was a Lutheran pastor and a professor at the
University of Königsberg in
East Prussia. He is best remembered as publisher of Lithuanian texts. He was the last prominent prominent advocate of the
Lithuanian language in
Lithuania Minor
Lithuania Minor ( lt, Mažoji Lietuva; german: Kleinlitauen; pl, Litwa Mniejsza; russian: Ма́лая Литва́), or Prussian Lithuania ( lt, Prūsų Lietuva; german: Preußisch-Litauen, pl, Litwa Pruska), is a historical ethnographic r ...
.
Orphaned at an early age, Rhesa was taken in by his distant relatives. Though interested in
linguistics, he studied theology at the
University of Königsberg as it provided a more secure employment after graduation. He became a
military chaplain
A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations.
Although the term ''cha ...
of the and participated in the
Napoleonic Wars, including the
French invasion of Russia and the
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig (french: Bataille de Leipsick; german: Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig, ); sv, Slaget vid Leipzig), also known as the Battle of the Nations (french: Bataille des Nations; russian: Битва народов, translit=Bitva ...
. In 1816, he resigned from the chaplaincy devoting the rest of his life to academics. He received doctorates in philosophy (1807) and theology (1819). In 1810, he became leader of the
Lithuanian language seminar at the University of Königsberg. He revived the seminar and led it until his death, becoming an authority on the Lithuanian language.
Rhesa initiated a new revision to the 1755
Bible translation into Lithuanian which was published in 1816 and 1824. He worked diligently to correct translation errors and to improve the purity of the Lithuanian language (by, for example, replacing
Germanisms with Lithuanian equivalents). Rhesa was the first to publish secular Lithuanian texts in
Lithuania Minor
Lithuania Minor ( lt, Mažoji Lietuva; german: Kleinlitauen; pl, Litwa Mniejsza; russian: Ма́лая Литва́), or Prussian Lithuania ( lt, Prūsų Lietuva; german: Preußisch-Litauen, pl, Litwa Pruska), is a historical ethnographic r ...
, most important of which were the Lithuanian epic poem ''
The Seasons'' by
Kristijonas Donelaitis (1818) and a collection of 85
Lithuanian folk songs
Lithuanian folk songs (in Lithuanian: "liaudies dainos") are often noted for not only their mythological content but also their relating historical events.
Lithuanian folk music includes romantic songs, wedding songs, as well as work songs and ...
and their translations to German (1825). The collection became popular in western Europe and is considered the first study of
Lithuanian folklore
Lithuanian may refer to:
* Lithuanians
* Lithuanian language
* The country of Lithuania
* Grand Duchy of Lithuania
* Culture of Lithuania
* Lithuanian cuisine
* Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...
. These two publications were meant to showcase "creativity, richness and originality of spiritual culture" of the Lithuanian nation.
Rhesa compiled an unfinished German–Lithuanian dictionary. He also published texts in German, including two poetry collections (1809 and 1825) and impressions from his travels during the Napoleonic Wars (1814).
Biography
Early life and education
Rhesa was born on 9 January 1776 in the village of (Karwaiten) on the
Curonian Spit
The Curonian (Courish) Spit ( lt, Kuršių nerija; russian: Ку́ршская коса́ (Kurshskaya kosa); german: Kurische Nehrung, ; lv, Kuršu kāpas) is a long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Balti ...
in the
Kingdom of Prussia. The village was buried under the dunes in 1797. Rhesa's family lived in
Lithuania Minor
Lithuania Minor ( lt, Mažoji Lietuva; german: Kleinlitauen; pl, Litwa Mniejsza; russian: Ма́лая Литва́), or Prussian Lithuania ( lt, Prūsų Lietuva; german: Preußisch-Litauen, pl, Litwa Pruska), is a historical ethnographic r ...
since at least the 16th century and included teachers and publishers. The family is likely of
Curonian origin, but Rhesa considered himself to be a Lithuanian. His father owned an inn in Karvaičiai and guarded the coast. Youngest of eight children, Rhesa was orphaned at the age of 6 and was taken in by distant relatives – first, by a fisherman in then by a postman in Rossitten (now
Rybachy).
In 1785, Rhesa moved to live with his cousin-in-law Christian David Wittich who at the time was priest in Kaukehmen (now ). Wittich recognized Rhesa's academic interests and taught him
Latin and other subjects. In 1791–1794, Rhesa studied at a school in
Löbenicht View of Löbenicht from the Pregel, including its church and gymnasium, as well as the nearby Propsteikirche
Löbenicht ( lt, Lyvenikė; pl, Lipnik) was a quarter of central Königsberg, Germany. During the Middle Ages it was the weakest ...
(a quarter of central
Königsberg now
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...
). To earn a living, Rhesa worked as a tutor. He completed his education in three years (usually, it took four years to graduate). In March 1795, he enrolled at the
University of Königsberg to study theology. He attended lectures by
Immanuel Kant,
Christian Jakob Kraus
Christian Jakob Kraus (; 27 July 1753 – 25 August 1807) was a German comparative and historical linguist.
Biography
A native of Osterode (East Prussia), Kraus studied at the universities of Königsberg and Göttingen. In 1782 he became a p ...
, and was particularly close with professor . Upon theirs deaths, Rhesa composed poems in their memory. Rhesa was interested in linguistics and attended lectures on the
Lithuanian language, but theology was more practical as it provided more secure employment after graduation.
Military chaplain
Rhesa graduated in 1799 and worked as a tutor for a few months. In August 1800, he was ordained as a
military chaplain
A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations.
Although the term ''cha ...
of the at
Fort Friedrichsburg
300px, Friedrichsburg is situated in the western Pregel in this map of Königsberg from 1905.
300px, Fort Friedrichsburg in modern Kaliningrad
Fort Friedrichsburg or Feste Friedrichsburg was a fort in Königsberg, Germany. The only remnant of ...
. In 1806, he joined the
Masonic lodge Under Three Crowns and was its member until his death. In 1807, Rhesa completed his dissertation on the moral explanation of the holy texts based on teachings of
Immanuel Kant, received doctorate in philosophy, and was invited to teach at the university as a ''
privatdozent''. In 1811, he was elected a true member of the .
He continued to work as a military chaplain and in 1811 was promoted to chaplain of a
brigade. With his units participated in the
French invasion of Russia and retreat to France. He was at the
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig (french: Bataille de Leipsick; german: Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig, ); sv, Slaget vid Leipzig), also known as the Battle of the Nations (french: Bataille des Nations; russian: Битва народов, translit=Bitva ...
. During these travels, Rhesa visited
Lithuania proper and searched for academic contacts. He became acquainted with who later unsuccessfully attempted to recruit Rhesa to teach at the
University of Dorpat. Rhesa was able to visit London and obtain 200
pounds sterling from the
British and Foreign Bible Society
The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply the Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world.
The So ...
for the
Bible translation into Lithuanian. He returned to Königsberg in 1816 and resigned from the chaplaincy devoting the rest of his life to academics.
Leader of the Lithuanian language seminar
In 1810, after publishing a treatise on the
Christianization of Lithuania
The Christianization of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos krikštas) occurred in 1387, initiated by King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Władysław II Jagiełło and his cousin Vytautas the Great. It signified the official adoption of Christianity b ...
, Rhesa became an extraordinary professor and director of the Lithuanian language seminar at the university. Earlier in 1809, the university considered shutting down the seminar due to lack of funds, but Rhesa was successful in defending the seminar. On several occasions, Rhesa defended the Lithuanian language against
Germanization
Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, people and culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationalism went hand in hand. In li ...
arguing that language is the greatest treasure bestowed by God upon a nation and the it expresses nation's spirit and character. He even suggested introducing Lithuanian language classes in gymnasiums in Tilsit (now
Sovetsk Sovetsk (russian: Сове́тск) is the name of several urban localities in Russia.
* Sovetsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, formerly Tilsit
*Sovetsk, Kirov Oblast, a town in Sovetsky District of Kirov Oblast;
* Sovetsk, ...
), Gumbinnen (now
Gusev), Insterburg (now
Chernyakhovsk
Chernyakhovsk (russian: Черняхо́вск) – known prior to 1946 by its German name of (Old Prussian: Instrāpils, lt, Įsrutis; pl, Wystruć) – is a town in the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia, where it is the administrative center of ...
).
As the leader of the Lithuanian language seminar, Rhesa revived it and expanded its Lithuanian library. He separated students into two groups, one for beginners and another for more advanced students. The university set the number of students at 12, but the actual numbers was often double that. Rhesa later added the third group for advanced students which he taught without receiving compensation from the university. He long sought to hire a permanent lecturer for the seminar and to introduce Lithuanian language lessons at the so that the university would not have teach the basics. However, that was achieved only after his death. During Rhesa's life, the university grew suspicious of the growing popularity of the seminar. Rhesa was ordered to return it to its roots – abandon academic aspirations and focus on teaching future priests how to communicate with their parishioners who spoke Lithuanian.
Rhesa was considered an authority on the Lithuanian language. In 1830–1831, he was visited by
Jurgis Pliateris and
Simonas Stanevičius
Simonas Tadas Stanevičius (; 26 October 1799 in Kanopėnai near Viduklė – 10 March 1848 in Stemplės near Švėkšna) was a Lithuanian writer and an activist of the "Samogitian Revival", an early stage of the Lithuanian National Revival.
Bio ...
. Russian philologist arrived to Königsberg to learn Lithuanian from Rhesa in 1839. In 1837, Rhesa employed
Friedrich Kurschat, another Prussian Lithuanian, as his assistant. After Rhesa's death Kurschat became the leader the Lithuanian language seminar.
University professor
In April 1819, he defended his thesis on sources and origin of the first three
canonical gospels
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
, received doctorate in theology, and became an ordinary professor. He taught old oriental languages and theology. In 1825, he delivered a lecture to the on the poetry of
Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux
Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux (; 1 November 1636 – 13 March 1711), often known simply as Boileau (, ), was a French poet and critic. He did much to reform the prevailing form of French poetry, in the same way that Blaise Pascal did to reform the ...
(1636–1711) and his poem '.
Intermittently, Rhesa served as dean of the theology faculty (1819, 1821–1823, 1825–1832, 1840) and as prorector of the university (1820/21, 1824/25, 1830/31 winter semesters). Since
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
was heir to the Prussian throne, prorector was an acting rector. In 1829, he became
consistorial councilor of the
Evangelical Church in Prussia
The Prussian Union of Churches (known under multiple other names) was a major Protestant church body which emerged in 1817 from a series of decrees by Frederick William III of Prussia that united both Lutheran and Reformed denominations in Pru ...
. Rhesa was awarded three Prussian state medals – medal for distinction in battle (1814), gold medal for merits for publishing the Lithuanian Bible (1818), and
Order of the Red Eagle (4th class, 1840).
He lived a simple, disciplined life. As a professor, he was strict and thus not liked by his students.
Death, memory, and legacy
Rhesa died on 30 September 1840 and was buried near the
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate (german: Brandenburger Tor ) is an 18th-century neoclassical monument in Berlin, built on the orders of Prussian king Frederick William II after restoring the Orangist power by suppressing the Dutch popular unrest. On ...
in
Kneiphof
Coat of arms of Kneiphof
Postcard of Kneiphöfsche Langgasse
Reconstruction of Kneiphof in Kaliningrad's museum
Kneiphof (russian: Кнайпхоф; pl, Knipawa; lt, Knypava) was a quarter of central Königsberg (Kaliningrad). During the ...
. His tombstone depicted an open Bible with a Lithuanian inscription ''Tai esti visas Šventas Raštas'' (That is the entire holy scripture). The other side has inscriptions referencing his three main publications: collection of Lithuanian folk songs, epic poem ''
The Seasons'', and poetry collection ''Prutena''. The grave was destroyed at the end of World War II. As he remained unmarried and without children, he left his money for the construction of a student dormitory, known as Rhesianum, which was completed in 1854. Rhesa also left personal library of about 3,000 books (among them 65 books and two periodicals in the Lithuanian language). Many of these books were acquired by historian
Friedrich Wilhelm Schubert
Friedrich Wilhelm Schubert (20 May 1799 in Königsberg – 21 July 1868 in Königsberg) was a German historian.
He studied at the universities of Königsberg and Berlin, becoming an associate professor at Königsberg in 1823. In 1826 he was na ...
who published the first biography of Rhesa in 1855. Rhesa's manuscripts ended up at the
Prussian State Archive Königsberg. In 1945, some of the materials were brought to Lithuania and are now stored at the
Vrublevskis' Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.
In 1975, to commemorate his 200th birth anniversary, a wooden sculpture by sculptor was erected near the former location of his native Karvaičiai village. Sculptor erected a stone sculpture in Rhesa's memory in
Juodkrantė in 1994. In 2005, on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the founding of
Königsberg, the
Lithuanian Ministry of Culture gifted a sculpture by Sakalauskas to
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...
. In 2009, during the celebrations of the millennium of Lithuania, a symbolic Tree of Unity was unveiled in
Vingis Park
Vingis Park ( lt, Vingio parkas) is the largest park in Vilnius, Lithuania, covering . It is located in a curve of the Neris River, hence its Lithuanian name: 'vingis' means "bend", "curve"; the same meaning has the historical Polish name of the l ...
in
Vilnius. A hundred names of most prominent Lithuanians, including Rhesa, were inscribed on the monument.
In 2007, a culture center named after Rhesa was opened in
Juodkrantė. In 2008,
Neringa Municipality established an award named after Rhesa for scientific, educational, or cultural achievements benefiting the
Curonian Spit
The Curonian (Courish) Spit ( lt, Kuršių nerija; russian: Ку́ршская коса́ (Kurshskaya kosa); german: Kurische Nehrung, ; lv, Kuršu kāpas) is a long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Balti ...
. The award ceremony is held annually on Rhesa's birthday.
Albinas Jovaišas published the first monograph about Rhesa in 1969. Since 2009, the
Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore
An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body.
In some countries, institutes can ...
has been working on collecting and publishing all works by Rhesa. Five volumes edited by Liucija Citavičiūtė were published by 2020.
Seimas
The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas), or simply the Seimas (), is the unicameral parliament of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of government in Lithuania, enacting laws and amendmen ...
(Lithuanian parliament) declared 2016 to be the year of Rhesa.
Works
Lithuanian Bible
In 1809, Rhesa established contacts with
Wilhelm von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand von Humboldt (, also , ; ; 22 June 1767 – 8 April 1835) was a Prussian philosopher, linguist, government functionary, diplomat, and founder of the Humboldt University of Berlin, which was named afte ...
, Prussian Minister of Education, who promised to support a new revision to the 1755
Bible translation into Lithuanian. The same year, Rhesa organized an editorial committee of local priests to review and revise the Lithuanian bible. Rhesa was the only university professor fluent in Lithuanian, thus most of the work was done by him. The war interrupted the efforts, but the bible was published in 1816 and 1824. In connection with this work, Rhesa published two philological studies in German: about the history of Bible translations into Lithuanian (1816) and with critical remarks on the translations (two parts in 1816 and 1824).
Rhesa was concerned with correcting various translation errors that misunderstood and twisted the original Biblical texts. To that end he critically reviewed the German
Luther Bible
The Luther Bible (german: Lutherbibel) is a German language Bible translation from Latin sources by Martin Luther. The New Testament was first published in September 1522, and the complete Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments with Apoc ...
, compared it with the
Hebrew Bible, Greek
Septuagint, Latin
Vulgate
The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible.
The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels us ...
, and consulted their translations into Syrian, Arabic, and other old languages. He also had various books on
Biblical criticism by more than 150 authors. He was further concerned with the purity of the Lithuanian language – he worked to remove
Germanisms and replace them with Lithuanian equivalents. He was less successful in identifying and removing Slavic loanwords. To find suitable Lithuanian words, Rhesa utilized the manuscript of the Lithuanian bible by
Jonas Bretkūnas Jonas Bretkūnas, Johann(es) Bretke, also known as Bretkus (born 1536 in Bammeln near Friedland – 1602 Königsberg was a Lutheran pastor and was one of the best known developers of the written Lithuanian language. He translated the Bible into L ...
.
Lithuanian secular texts
While many religious texts in Lithuanian were published in
Lithuania Minor
Lithuania Minor ( lt, Mažoji Lietuva; german: Kleinlitauen; pl, Litwa Mniejsza; russian: Ма́лая Литва́), or Prussian Lithuania ( lt, Prūsų Lietuva; german: Preußisch-Litauen, pl, Litwa Pruska), is a historical ethnographic r ...
with government's assistance, Rhesa was the first to publish secular Lithuanian texts.
''The Seasons''
After about a decade of work, Rhesa published the Lithuanian epic poem ''
The Seasons'' (german: Das Jahr, lt, Metai) by
Kristijonas Donelaitis and its translation to German in 1818. It was Rhesa who decided to title the poem ''The Seasons'' and start it with the part about spring. Rhesa's publication was more aimed at the educated German-speaking public than at academic study. As such, he freely edited the text, deleting 469 lines and adding a few new ones based on surviving letters and other drafts. He also added or modified words to strengthen the
dactylic hexameter.
The publication started with a dedication (23-line German poem) to
Wilhelm von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand von Humboldt (, also , ; ; 22 June 1767 – 8 April 1835) was a Prussian philosopher, linguist, government functionary, diplomat, and founder of the Humboldt University of Berlin, which was named afte ...
who had encouraged Rhesa to publish ''The Seasons''. As an introduction, Rhesa added a study in German of the poem which discussed poem's genre and goals, artistic and educational value, verse and accentuation as well as difficulties translating it to German. Rhesa emphasized poem's originality and argued that it was not inspired by other German or classical works. He praised poem's linguistic richness, its strong Lithuanian character, and focus on the life and culture of Lithuanian
serfs. Rhesa also included the first biography of Donelaitis. At the end, Rhesa added 82 comments to explain Lithuanian customs and traditions, for example he described the preparation of certain dishes, making of
bast shoe
Bast shoes are shoes made primarily from bast — fiber taken from the bark of trees such as linden. They are a kind of basket, woven and fitted to the shape of a foot. Bast shoes are a traditional footwear of the forest areas of Norther ...
s, or use of a crooked staff known as ''
krivulė''.
Lithuanian folk songs
=Content
=
In 1825, Rhesa published a collection of 85
Lithuanian folk songs
Lithuanian folk songs (in Lithuanian: "liaudies dainos") are often noted for not only their mythological content but also their relating historical events.
Lithuanian folk music includes romantic songs, wedding songs, as well as work songs and ...
and their translations to German titled ''Dainos oder Litthauische Volkslieder''. It was the first published book of Lithuanian songs. The publication also included seven melodies, a study of Lithuanian folk songs by Rhesa, and detailed philological and other notes at the end. The book was dedicated to
Karl vom Stein zum Altenstein, Minister of Education. A new edition of the songs was published by
Friedrich Kurschat in 1843. Other editions were published in two volumes in 1935–1937 by
Mykolas Biržiška
Mykolas Biržiška (; ; 24 August 1882, in Viekšniai – 24 August 1962, in Los Angeles), a Lithuanian editor, historian, professor of literature, diplomat, and politician, was one of the twenty signatories of the Act of Independence of Lithua ...
and in 1958–1964.
The introductory study of the folk songs was an expanded and reworked version of his 1809 introduction to his poetry collection ''Prutena'' and his 1818 article published in '. In his study on the folk songs, Rhesa divided them into three main genres (songs, hymns, and archaic laments (''rauda'')) and identified their main characteristics. According to Rhesa, Lithuanian songs are natural and simple. They express tender and sincere feelings, not deep philosophical truths. They use plentiful
diminutives which charm the listener but make the songs particularly hard to translate. While many songs are love songs, the word "love" is essentially missing. The feelings of love are expressed as gentle melancholy of the pure heart longing for the beloved. According to Rhesa, the songs are deeply virtuous and have no indecent references. Some songs have preserved remnants of the ancient
Lithuanian mythology
Lithuanian mythology ( lt, Lietuvių mitologija) is the mythology of Lithuanian polytheism, the religion of pre-Christian Lithuanians. Like other Indo-Europeans, ancient Lithuanians maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure. I ...
and contain references to pagan gods
Perkūnas
Perkūnas ( lt, Perkūnas, lv, Pērkons, Old Prussian: ''Perkūns'', ''Perkunos'', Yotvingian: ''Parkuns'', Latgalian: ''Pārkiuņs'') was the common Baltic god of thunder, and the second most important deity in the Baltic pantheon after ...
,
Žemyna
Žemyna (also Žemynėlė or Žemelė) (from lt, žemė – ''earth'') is the goddess of the earth in Lithuanian religion. She is usually regarded as mother goddess and one of the chief Lithuanian gods similar to Latvian Zemes māte. Žemyna ...
, etc. He then described the common
metre (
iamb,
trochee
In English poetic metre and modern linguistics, a trochee () is a metrical foot consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one. But in Latin and Ancient Greek poetic metre, a trochee is a heavy syllable followed by a light one ...
,
amphibrach
An amphibrach () is a metrical foot used in Latin and Greek prosody. It consists of a long syllable between two short syllables. The word comes from the Greek ἀμφίβραχυς, ''amphíbrakhys'', "short on both sides".
In English accen ...
, or mixed), melody (which is difficult to record), and
rhythm
Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular rec ...
(not an essential feature of Lithuanian songs).
Rhesa claimed that he worked on this publication for 15 years. He wanted to visit
Lithuania proper to collect songs there, but was unable. Therefore, the publication includes only ten songs from Lithuania proper, all of them reprinted from '. To get more interesting songs, Rhesa published an appeal to friends of the Lithuanian language to send him song samples. Songs from
Lithuania Minor
Lithuania Minor ( lt, Mažoji Lietuva; german: Kleinlitauen; pl, Litwa Mniejsza; russian: Ма́лая Литва́), or Prussian Lithuania ( lt, Prūsų Lietuva; german: Preußisch-Litauen, pl, Litwa Pruska), is a historical ethnographic r ...
were contributed by nine priests and officials. Rhesa had more helpers and collected more songs (about 200) than what was published. 145 of the unpublished songs were collected and published in 1964. Since the collection also included 56 melodies composed by Vytautas Paltanavičius, it became very popular among folk assembles.
=Reception
=
In 1820, Rhesa sent a manuscript with 89 songs to
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 tre ...
hoping to get his critique, support, or recommendation, but Goethe never replied. He did, however, publish a favorable review of ''Dainos'' in '. Goethe also wrote a second review, but it was only published posthumously in 1833. His review became instrumental in popularizing Lithuanian songs in western Europe. In total, at least nine reviews of ''Dainos'', including by
Jacob Grimm in ' and
Franciszek Siarczyński
Franciszek Siarczyński (1758–1829) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest, member of the Piarist religious order, historian, geographer, teacher, writer and publicist.
He was a lecturer of grammar, history and geography at the Collegium Nobili ...
, were published in various German and Polish journals.
Songs from the collection were translated to Czech by
František Čelakovský, Polish by
Kazimierz Brodziński
Kazimierz Brodziński (8 March 1791 in Królówka – 10 October 1835 in Dresden) was an important Polish Romantic poet.
Life
He was born in Królówka near Bochnia. He came from the low nobility. He was a student at schools in Tarnów, wh ...
, ,
Antoni Edward Odyniec, , Russian by (published by
Adam Kirkor in 1854), English by Uriah Katzenelenbogen (19 songs published in 1935). Selected songs were republished in various other collections, including by
Simonas Daukantas
Simonas Daukantas ( pl, Szymon Dowkont; 28 October 1793 – 6 December 1864) was a Lithuanian/Samogitian historian, writer, and ethnographer. One of the pioneers of the Lithuanian National Revival, he is credited as the author of the first book o ...
,
Georg Heinrich Ferdinand Nesselmann Georg Heinrich Ferdinand Nesselmann (February 14, 1811 in Fürstenau, near Tiegenhof, West Prussia (now Kmiecin, within Nowy Dwór Gdański) – January 7, 1881 in Königsberg) was a German orientalist, a philologist with interests in Baltic ...
,
Nikolai Berg, , .
Rhesa's study on the folk songs became highly influential and his main ideas were repeated by various authors, including by
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (; 24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish ...
,
Kazimierz Brodziński
Kazimierz Brodziński (8 March 1791 in Królówka – 10 October 1835 in Dresden) was an important Polish Romantic poet.
Life
He was born in Królówka near Bochnia. He came from the low nobility. He was a student at schools in Tarnów, wh ...
,
Józef Ignacy Kraszewski
Józef Ignacy Kraszewski (28 July 1812 – 19 March 1887) was a Polish writer, publisher, historian, journalist, scholar, painter, and author who produced more than 200 novels and 150 novellas, short stories, and art reviews, which makes him the ...
, , .
The songs from Rhesa's collection inspired several artists to create Lithuanian-themed works, including poet
Julius Zeyer
Julius Zeyer (26 April 1841 – 29 January 1901) was a Czech prose writer, poet, and playwright.
Personal life
Zeyer was born on 26 April 1841 in Prague. His mother, Elisabeth Eleonora (née Weisseles), came from a German Jewish-turned-Catholic ...
, composer
Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example ...
(song for male choir), writer
Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Jordan
Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Jordan, sometimes shortened to Wilhelm Jordan (8 February 1819 in Insterburg in East Prussia, now in Russia25 June 1904 in Frankfurt am Main), was a German writer and politician.
Life
Jordan was the son of the pastor Char ...
(about 30 song-inspired texts), poet
Adelbert von Chamisso
Adelbert von Chamisso (; 30 January 178121 August 1838) was a German poet and botanist, author of '' Peter Schlemihl'', a famous story about a man who sold his shadow. He was commonly known in French as Adelbert de Chamisso (or Chamissot) de Bo ...
(five poems), author
Józef Ignacy Kraszewski
Józef Ignacy Kraszewski (28 July 1812 – 19 March 1887) was a Polish writer, publisher, historian, journalist, scholar, painter, and author who produced more than 200 novels and 150 novellas, short stories, and art reviews, which makes him the ...
(borrowed elements for epic poem ').
The songs were also used by researchers in other fields. For example,
Friedrich Kurschat and
August Schleicher
August Schleicher (; 19 February 1821 – 6 December 1868) was a German linguist. His great work was ''A Compendium of the Comparative Grammar of the Indo-European Languages'' in which he attempted to reconstruct the Proto-Indo-European languag ...
used the collection in their linguistic studies of the Lithuanian language. Historian
Teodor Narbutt
Teodor Narbutt ( lt, Teodoras Narbutas; 8 November 1784 – 27 November 1864) was a Polish–Lithuanian romantic historian and military engineer in service of the Russian Empire. He is best remembered as the author of a nine-volume Polish-langu ...
used the songs to describe the
Lithuanian mythology
Lithuanian mythology ( lt, Lietuvių mitologija) is the mythology of Lithuanian polytheism, the religion of pre-Christian Lithuanians. Like other Indo-Europeans, ancient Lithuanians maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure. I ...
in his multi-volume
history of Lithuania
The history of Lithuania dates back to settlements founded many thousands of years ago, but the first written record of the name for the country dates back to 1009 AD. Lithuanians, one of the Balts, Baltic peoples, later conquered neighboring la ...
. Later authors, starting with
Aleksander Brückner
Aleksander Brückner (; 29 January 1856 – 24 May 1939) was a Polish scholar of Slavic languages and literatures (Slavistics), philologist, lexicographer and historian of literature. He is among the most notable Slavicists of the late 19th ...
, expressed doubts whether songs with mythological elements are truly authentic. Albinas Jovaišas suspected that as many as 30 songs had mythological elements artificially inserted by Rhesa when he edited the texts.
Other Lithuanian texts
In addition to manuscripts by Donelaitis, Rhesa also owned Lithuanian texts by and
Adam Friedrich Schimmelpfennig. In 1980, researchers discovered a published copy of Mielcke's 332-line Lithuanian poem ''Pilkainis''. The copy is missing publisher's information, but it is believed that the publication was prepared and published by Rhesa around 1820–1825.
In 1824, Rhesa published a 70-page collection of 96
fables by
Aesop
Aesop ( or ; , ; c. 620–564 BCE) was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables''. Although his existence remains unclear and no writings by him survive, numerous tales cr ...
and
Christian Fürchtegott Gellert
Christian Fürchtegott Gellert (4 July 171513 December 1769) was a German poet, one of the forerunners of the golden age of German literature that was ushered in by Lessing.
Biography
Gellert was born at Hainichen in Saxony, at the foot of ...
translated into Lithuanian and six Lithuanian fables by
Kristijonas Donelaitis. Rhesa added a Lithuanian introduction which is one of a few original Lithuanian texts authored by him. Unlike other publications, the collection of fables was intended for less educated villagers, therefore the introduction briefly and simply explained was fables are and described biography of Aesop. Donelaitis' fables likely served as an inspiration to the six fables of
Simonas Stanevičius
Simonas Tadas Stanevičius (; 26 October 1799 in Kanopėnai near Viduklė – 10 March 1848 in Stemplės near Švėkšna) was a Lithuanian writer and an activist of the "Samogitian Revival", an early stage of the Lithuanian National Revival.
Bio ...
published in 1829 (the publication also included Donelaitis' texts).
In 1811, he wrote a history of the 100-year old Lithuanian language seminar at the
University of Königsberg in German. The work remained unpublished until a Lithuanian translation was prepared and published in 2003. The work was accompanied by a 81-line Lithuanian poem in
dactylic hexameter which was published in 1824. It is a
panegyric thanking for teaching Lithuanian language, criticizing the pope, and praising
Martin Luther, Duke
Albert
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Alber ...
, and King
Frederick William I. Another Lithuanian panegyric by Rhesa was published in 1816 and 1818. His poem praising King
Frederick William III of Prussia, Tsar
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg.
The son of Gra ...
, Emperor
Francis I of Austria
Francis II (german: Franz II.; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor (from 1792 to 1806) and the founder and Emperor of the Austrian Empire, from 1804 to 1835. He assumed the title of Emperor of Austria in response ...
for their victory over Napoleon was included in an ornate publication with poems in 43 languages celebrating the victory.
Rhesa had more Lithuanian texts which remained unpublished, including numerous Lithuanian folk songs and
proverbs. He compiled an unfinished German–Lithuanian dictionary of spoken language based on Donelaitis' texts and Lithuanian folklore. Surviving records show that he drafted content for the letters B, D, G, I, J. It is known that Rhesa wrote at least two Lithuanian poems, one dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Lithuanian language seminar at the
University of Königsberg and another praising the victory of the coalition against the
First French Empire. Rhesa also attempted to recruit to write a
history of Lithuania
The history of Lithuania dates back to settlements founded many thousands of years ago, but the first written record of the name for the country dates back to 1009 AD. Lithuanians, one of the Balts, Baltic peoples, later conquered neighboring la ...
in Lithuanian.
German publications
Poetry
Rhesa wrote poetry from at least 1797. The first six poems were published in 1799. Rhesa published two volumes of ''Prutena, oder preussische Volkslieder'' (Prutena, or Prussian Folk Songs), a collection of 61 Germans poems in 1809 and 41 poems in 1825. The poems often feature elements from the
history of Lithuania
The history of Lithuania dates back to settlements founded many thousands of years ago, but the first written record of the name for the country dates back to 1009 AD. Lithuanians, one of the Balts, Baltic peoples, later conquered neighboring la ...
,
mythology, or folklore. Rhesa did not distinguish
Prussian Lithuanians
The Prussian Lithuanians, or Lietuvininkai (singular: ''Lietuvininkas'', plural: ''Lietuvininkai''), are Lithuanians, originally Lithuanian language speakers, who formerly inhabited a territory in northeastern East Prussia called Prussian Lithuan ...
from
Lithuanians
Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another million or two make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Unit ...
and thus wrote about all Lithuanians. He idealized history, portrayed
Old Prussians
Old Prussians, Baltic Prussians or simply Prussians (Old Prussian: ''prūsai''; german: Pruzzen or ''Prußen''; la, Pruteni; lv, prūši; lt, prūsai; pl, Prusowie; csb, Prësowié) were an indigenous tribe among the Baltic peoples that ...
as noble people who valued freedom more than life. At the same time, Rhesa expressed loyalty to the
Kingdom of Prussia. For example, he praised Prussian commander
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Fürst von Wahlstatt (; 21 December 1742 – 12 September 1819), ''Graf'' (count), later elevated to ''Fürst'' (sovereign prince) von Wahlstatt, was a Prussian ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal). He earned ...
and
Louise, Queen of Prussia. He also lovingly described everyday village people and serene scenes of nature. One of his poems, a sentimental elegy, describes his native village which was buried by shifting sand dunes. Some of his poems are love stories, for example
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...
, Grand Duke
Vytautas
Vytautas (c. 135027 October 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian: ', be, Вітаўт, ''Vitaŭt'', pl, Witold Kiejstutowicz, ''Witold Aleksander'' or ''Witold Wielki'' Ruthenian: ''Vitovt'', Latin: ''Alexander Vitoldus'', O ...
and
Anna
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) ...
, a young warrior who was killed in the
Battle of Grunwald
The Battle of Grunwald, Battle of Žalgiris or First Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respec ...
, a young fisherman.
His poetry reflected
classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aesthet ...
and many of his poems are
idyll
An idyll (, ; from Greek , ''eidullion'', "short poem"; occasionally spelt ''idyl'' in American English) is a short poem, descriptive of rustic life, written in the style of Theocritus' short pastoral poems, the ''Idylls'' (Εἰδύλλια).
...
s (his favorite was Ancient Greek poet
Theocritus
Theocritus (; grc-gre, Θεόκριτος, ''Theokritos''; born c. 300 BC, died after 260 BC) was a Greek poet from Sicily and the creator of Ancient Greek pastoral poetry.
Life
Little is known of Theocritus beyond what can be inferred from h ...
). However, he was also influenced by
romantic poetry
Romantic poetry is the poetry of the Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. It involved a reaction against prevailing Enlightenment ideas of the 18t ...
and
sentimentalism. A few of his poems are
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
s. A few poems borrowed elements from
Lithuanian folk songs
Lithuanian folk songs (in Lithuanian: "liaudies dainos") are often noted for not only their mythological content but also their relating historical events.
Lithuanian folk music includes romantic songs, wedding songs, as well as work songs and ...
, but overall elements from the
classical antiquity are dominant. ''Prutena's'' title alluded to folk songs perhaps following the example of the poems by
Ossian
Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora'' (1763), and later combined under ...
. The collection includes 22 poems that are described as Lithuanian folk songs, but only six are authentic songs, others are imitations. Rhesa's poetry reflects his values – quiet resignation to the greater power or destiny. Life's purpose is to add a little crumb to the greatness built by others. His poetry lacks imagination, depth of feeling, originality both in depiction and in expression.
Other German texts
In 1814, Rhesa published his diary from the military travels through
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 squar ...
,
Pomerania,
Berlin,
Silesia,
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohe ...
,
France,
England in 1813–1814. He focused not on military movements, but on different cultures, national identities, art. He searched for people's soul (''Volksseele'') as described by
Johann Gottfried Herder. A Lithuanian translation was published in 2000.
Rhesa was tasked with continuing a
biographical dictionary
A biographical dictionary is a type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information. Many attempt to cover the major personalities of a country (with limitations, such as living persons only, in ''Who's Who'', or deceased people only ...
, first published by in 1777, of all priests in western Prussia. It was published in two volumes in 1834. Rhesa also wrote a 1,074-page manuscript on the history of the Catholic Church. It was used for his lectures and was revised as late as 1839. He also left a 672-page manuscript on the
Gospels of Matthew and
John.
Notes
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rheza, Ludwig
1776 births
1840 deaths
Balticists
Lithuania Minor
19th-century Lutheran clergy
German military chaplains
German male poets
Lithuanian folk-song collectors
People from the Kingdom of Prussia
People from East Prussia
University of Königsberg alumni
Academic staff of the University of Königsberg
Translators of the Bible into Lithuanian