English: Frederick Louis Christian
, house =
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzol ...
, father =
Prince August Ferdinand of Prussia
, mother =
Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt
, house = Brandenburg-Schwedt
, father = Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt
, mother = Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Schwedt
, death_date =
, death_place = Berlin, Brandenburg
, plac ...
, birth_date = 18 November 1772
, birth_place =
Friedrichsfelde Palace
The Friedrichsfelde Palace (german: Schloss Friedrichsfelde) is a Neoclassical-style building in the centre of the Tierpark Berlin in Berlin-Friedrichsfelde. It was property of various noble Prussians and occasionally owned by Prussian Kings ...
,
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, death_date =
, death_place =
Battle of Saalfeld
The Battle of Saalfeld took place on 10 October 1806, at which a French force of 12,800 men commanded by Marshal Jean Lannes defeated a Prussian- Saxon force of 8,300 men under Prince Louis Ferdinand. The battle took place in Thuringia in wha ...
Prince Frederick Louis Christian "Ferdinand" of Prussia (german: Friedrich Ludwig Christian; 18 November 1772 – 10 October 1806), was a
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
n prince, soldier, composer and pianist. Prince Louis Ferdinand fought in the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
. The 1927 German film ''
Prinz Louis Ferdinand
''Prinz Louis Ferdinand'' is a 1927 German silent historical drama film directed by Hans Behrendt and starring Kurt Junker, Christa Tordy, Hans Stüwe and Jenny Jugo. It was partly shot at the EFA Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were desig ...
'' was a
biopic
A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...
of his life.
Early life
Louis Ferdinand was born on 18 November 1772 in
Friedrichsfelde
Friedrichsfelde () is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') within the borough (''Bezirk'') of Lichtenberg, Berlin.
History
The locality was first mentioned in a document of 1265 with the name of ''Rosenfelde''. In 1699 it was renamed Friedrichsfelde ...
Palace, near
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. He was a son of
Prince August Ferdinand of Prussia and
Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt
, house = Brandenburg-Schwedt
, father = Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt
, mother = Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Schwedt
, death_date =
, death_place = Berlin, Brandenburg
, plac ...
, and was a nephew of King
Frederick the Great
Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...
. He was given the baptismal name Friedrich Ludwig Christian, but was known as Louis and was soon given the nickname Ferdinand (after his father), so that he could be distinguished from his
second degree nephew, also named Louis,
Prince Friedrich Ludwig Karl of Prussia (1773–1796).
Military career
Louis Ferdinand participated in the
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...
, fighting in the
War of the First Coalition
The War of the First Coalition (french: Guerre de la Première Coalition) was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797 initially against the Kingdom of France (1791-92), constitutional Kingdom of France and then t ...
in 1792 to 1794 near Longwy and Verdun, took part in the
Valmy cannonade and was wounded during the
Siege of Mainz. Newly promoted to major general, he took part in the
Battle of Kaiserslautern
The Battle of Kaiserslautern (28–30 November 1793) saw a Coalition army under Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel oppose a Republican French army led by Lazare Hoche. Three days of conflict resulted in a victory by th ...
in November 1793. On 23 February 1795 Louis Ferdinand was appointed chief of the “von Baden” infantry regiment. From the end of May 1796, he served as a brigadier to the corps of his
nephew
In the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a niece or nephew is a child of the subject's sibling or sibling-in-law. The converse relationship, the relationship from the niece or nephew's perspective, is that of an ...
, which was intended to cover the demarcation line in Westphalia. On the occasion of the military review at Petershagen, Louis Ferdinand was promoted to lieutenant general on 2 June 1799, with a patent from 20 May 1799.
In 1806, he was one of the principal advocates of resuming the war against
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
and the
First French Empire
The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...
, triggering the
War of the Fourth Coalition
The Fourth Coalition fought against Napoleon's French Empire and were defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. The main coalition partners were Prussia and Russia with Saxony, Sweden, and Great Britain also contributing. Excluding Prussia, s ...
.
He died during the opening engagement of the war, at the
Battle of Saalfeld
The Battle of Saalfeld took place on 10 October 1806, at which a French force of 12,800 men commanded by Marshal Jean Lannes defeated a Prussian- Saxon force of 8,300 men under Prince Louis Ferdinand. The battle took place in Thuringia in wha ...
. Louis Ferdinand was in command of 8,300 men when he advanced against marshall
Jean Lannes
Jean Lannes, 1st Duke of Montebello, Prince of Siewierz (10 April 1769 – 31 May 1809), was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was one of Napoleon's ...
' V Corps as they attempted to break out from the passes of
Thuringian Forest
The Thuringian Forest (''Thüringer Wald'' in German), is a mountain range in the southern parts of the German state of Thuringia, running northwest to southeast. Skirting from its southerly source in foothills to a gorge on its north-west side i ...
. In that battle, he engaged a much larger French force (12,800 men), led by Lannes himself. The French held the high ground, while the Prussians had the
Saale River
The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saal ...
behind their backs, which would make a retreat difficult. When he saw his forces beginning to rout, Louis Ferdinand charged the French cavalry. He was killed in combat by Jean-Baptiste Guindey,
quartermaster
Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...
of the French 10th
Hussars
A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...
, after Louis Ferdinand refused an offer to surrender and wounded the French
NCO. As a prominent leader of the Prussian court, his death was deeply felt.
Musical activities
Apart from being a soldier, Louis Ferdinand was also a gifted musician and composer.
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 ...
, Kapellmeister to Frederick II and Frederick William II, considered him a great pianist. Early on Louis Ferdinand also started to compose music, but he was not recognized for his compositional activities until later. His early pieces were performed by the orchestra of Prince Henry, the brother of Fredrick the Great. Later on, Prince Louis Ferdinand joined several salons in Berlin, where he frequently improvised on the piano. Among his circle of acquaintances were figures such as
Schlegel
Schlegel is a German occupational surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Anthony Schlegel (born 1981), former American football linebacker
* August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767–1845), German poet, older brother of Friedrich
* Brad Schlege ...
,
Wackenroder
Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder (13 July 1773 – 13 February 1798) was a German jurist and writer. With Ludwig Tieck and the Schlegel brothers, he has co-founded the German Romanticism.
Life
Wackenroder was born in Berlin. He was a close friend o ...
, and
Tieck Tieck may refer to:
*Christian Friedrich Tieck (1776–1851), German sculptor
* Dorothea Tieck (1799–1841), German translator
*Ludwig Tieck (1773–1853), German poet
** 8056 Tieck, asteroid named after Ludwig Tieck
** Schlegel-Tieck Prize, litera ...
, all of whom were highly interested in music.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
dedicated his
Third Piano Concerto to him, a sign of high esteem for his piano playing.
Anton Reicha
Anton (Antonín, Antoine) Joseph Reicha (Rejcha) (26 February 1770 – 28 May 1836) was a Czech-born, Bavarian-educated, later naturalized French composer and music theorist. A contemporary and lifelong friend of Beethoven, he is now best rem ...
's massive variation cycle, ''
L'art de varier
''L'Art de varier'' ("The Art of Varying"), Op. 57, is a set of variations for piano composed by Anton Reicha. It was composed around 1803–4 and published in Leipzig. The set comprises a theme in F major and 57 variations, ranging from very ...
'', was also written for Louis Ferdinand.
Due to his early death, there are only 13 published musical compositions by Louis Ferdinand with
opus number
In musicology, the opus number is the "work number" that is assigned to a musical composition, or to a set of compositions, to indicate the chronological order of the composer's production. Opus numbers are used to distinguish among compositio ...
. Most are
chamber works
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...
, with the exception of the two
rondo
The rondo is an instrumental musical form introduced in the Classical period.
Etymology
The English word ''rondo'' comes from the Italian form of the French ''rondeau'', which means "a little round".
Despite the common etymological root, rondo ...
s for piano and orchestra (Op. 9 and 13). Like
Chopin, all of his surviving works feature the piano. Despite his limited oeuvre, Louis Ferdinand's music was innovative for his time, in a style that was more expressive and individualistic than the prevailing
Classical mode, and he is widely considered to be a pioneering composer of the
Romantic movement;
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...
, for example, called him "that most Romantic of all princes". His close friendships with Tieck, Schlegel, and Wackenroder, all founding figures of
German Romanticism, may have had an influence on his worldview and consequently his music.
In 1842,
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
wrote an ''Élégie sur des motifs du Prince Louis Ferdinand de Prusse'', S. 168, for piano solo.
Musical works
The following is a complete list of compositions by Prince Louis Ferdinand with
opus numbers
In musicology, the opus number is the "work number" that is assigned to a musical composition, or to a set of compositions, to indicate the chronological order of the composer's production. Opus numbers are used to distinguish among compositions ...
:
[H. Kretzschmar: ''Louis Ferdinand, Prinz von Preussen: Musikalische Werke''. Leipzig, 1910.]
*Opus 1:
Piano Quintet
In classical music, a piano quintet is a work of chamber music written for piano and four other instruments, most commonly a string quartet (i.e., two violins, viola, and cello). The term also refers to the group of musicians that plays a pian ...
in C minor (published 1803)
*Opus 2:
Piano Trio
A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music. The term can also refer to a group of musi ...
No. 1 in A-flat major (published 1806)
*Opus 3: Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major (published 1806)
*Opus 4:
Andante
Andante may refer to:
Arts
* Andante (tempo), a moderately slow musical tempo
* Andante (manga), ''Andante'' (manga), a shōjo manga by Miho Obana
* Andante (song), "Andante" (song), a song by Hitomi Yaida
* "Andante, Andante", a 1980 song by A ...
with Variations in B-flat major for
piano quartet A piano quartet is a chamber music composition for piano and three other instruments, or a musical ensemble comprising such instruments. Those other instruments are usually a string trio consisting of a violin, viola and cello.
Piano quartets for ...
(published 1806)
*Opus 5: Piano Quartet No. 1 in E-flat major (published 1806)
*Opus 6: Piano Quartet No. 2 in F minor (published 1806)
*Opus 7:
Fugue
In music, a fugue () is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the c ...
in G minor for piano (published 1807)
*Opus 8:
Notturno in F major for flute, 2 horns and piano quartet (published 1808)
*Opus 9:
Rondo
The rondo is an instrumental musical form introduced in the Classical period.
Etymology
The English word ''rondo'' comes from the Italian form of the French ''rondeau'', which means "a little round".
Despite the common etymological root, rondo ...
No. 1 in B-flat major for piano and orchestra (published 1808)
*Opus 10: Piano Trio No. 3 in E-flat major (published 1806)
*Opus 11:
Larghetto
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
with Variations in G major for piano quintet (published 1806)
*Opus 12:
Octet
Octet may refer to:
Music
* Octet (music), ensemble consisting of eight instruments or voices, or composition written for such an ensemble
** String octet, a piece of music written for eight string instruments
*** Octet (Mendelssohn), 1825 compos ...
in F minor for clarinet, 2 horns, 2 violins, 2 cellos and piano (published 1808)
*Opus 13: Rondo No. 2 in E-flat major for piano and orchestra (published 1823)
Family
Ludwig von Wildenbruch was the elder of two illegitimate children born to Henriette Fromme.
Ancestry
References
* B. Nadolny: ''Louis Ferdinand''. Düsseldorf, 1967
* E. Klessmann: ''Louis Ferdinand von Preussen, 1772–1806''. Munich, 1972
* B.H. McMurtry: ''The Music of Prince Louis Ferdinand''. diss., University of Illinois, 1972
* N. Miller: ''"Ein höchst poetische Natur...": Prinz Louis Ferdinand und der Klassizismus in der preussischen Musik'', Mendelssohn-Studien, v (1982): 79–98
*
E. Wintzer: Prinz Louis Ferdinand von Preussen als mensch und musiker (Prince Louis Ferdinand from Prussia as a Person and Musician) 1915
External links
*
*
https://web.archive.org/web/20060218033530/http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/riley/787/Napoleon/Prussia/Commanders/Princelouis.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louis Ferdinand of Prussia
1772 births
1806 deaths
Prussian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
Musicians from Berlin
People from the Margraviate of Brandenburg
Prussian princes
German Classical-period composers
German Romantic composers
House of Hohenzollern
German male classical composers
19th-century German male musicians
Burials at Berlin Cathedral
Military personnel killed in the Napoleonic Wars
Military personnel from Berlin
People from Lichtenberg