Prince Frederick Louis Christian "Ferdinand" of Prussia (; 18 November 1772 – 10 October 1806), was a

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n prince, soldier, composer and pianist. Prince Louis Ferdinand fought in the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. 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 filmed at the EFA Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were des ...

'' depicts 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 of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. He was a son of

Prince August Ferdinand of Prussia Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia (; 23 May 1730 – 2 May 1813) was a Prussian prince and general, as well as ''Herrenmeister'' ("Master of the Knights") of the Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Order of Saint John. He belonged to the House o ...

and Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt, and was a nephew of King

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

. 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 cousin, 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 () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

, fighting in the

War of the First Coalition The War of the First Coalition () was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797, initially against the Constitutional Cabinet of Louis XVI, constitutional Kingdom of France and then the French First Republic, Frenc ...

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 First French Republic, Republican French army led by Lazare Hoche. Three days of conflict resul ...

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

cousin A cousin is a relative who is the child of a parent's sibling; this is more specifically referred to as a first cousin. A parent of a first cousin is an aunt or uncle. More generally, in the kinship system used in the English-speaking world, ...

, 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 (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and the

First French Empire The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...

, triggering the

War of the Fourth Coalition The War of the Fourth Coalition () was a war spanning 1806–1807 that saw a multinational coalition fight against Napoleon's First French Empire, French Empire, subsequently being defeated. The main coalition partners were Kingdom of Prussia, ...

. 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 Napol ...

' V Corps as they attempted to break out from the passes of

Thuringian Forest The Thuringian Forest (''Thüringer Wald'' in German language, German ) is a mountain range in the southern parts of the Germany, German state of Thuringia, running northwest to southeast. Skirting from its southerly source in foothills to a gorg ...

. 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 ( ) and Thuringian Saale (), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale ...

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 army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

of the French 10th

Hussars A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...

, 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 F ...

, 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), American football player * August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767–1845), German poet, brother of Friedrich * Brad Schlegel (born 1968), C ...

Wackenroder Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder (13 July 1773 – 13 February 1798) was a German jurist and writer. With Ludwig Tieck and the Schlegel brothers, he co-founded German Romanticism. Life Wackenroder was born in Berlin. He was a close friend of Tieck ...

, 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 The Sc ...

, 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. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

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 naturalization, naturalized French composer and music theorist. A contemporary and lifelong friend of Ludwig van Be ...

's massive variation cycle, '' L'art de varier'', 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 music, 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 publication of that work. Opus numbers are used to distinguish among ...

. 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 or rondeau is a musical form that contains a principal theme (music), theme (sometimes called the "refrain") which alternates with one or more contrasting themes (generally called "episodes", but also referred to as "digressions" or "c ...

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 music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

, for example, called him "that most Romantic of all princes". His close friendships with Tieck, Schlegel, and Wackenroder, all founding figures of

German Romanticism German Romanticism () was the dominant intellectual movement of German-speaking countries in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, influencing philosophy, aesthetics, literature, and criticism. Compared to English Romanticism, the German vari ...

, may have had an influence on his worldview and consequently his music. In 1842,

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

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 music, 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 publication of that work. Opus numbers are used to distinguish among com ...

: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 (since 1842) a string quartet (i.e., two violins, viola, and cello). The term also refers to the group of musicians that ...

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 European classical music, classical chamber music. The term can also ...

No. 1 in A-flat major (published 1806) *Opus 3: Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major (published 1806) *Opus 4: Andante 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 classical music, a fugue (, from Latin ''fuga'', meaning "flight" or "escape""Fugue, ''n''." ''The Concise Oxford English Dictionary'', eleventh edition, revised, ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson (Oxford and New York: Oxford Universit ...

in G minor for piano (published 1807) *Opus 8:

Notturno Notturno is the Italian word for nocturne. It may refer to: Film * ''Tango notturno'', a 1937 German film * ''Notturno'' (film), a 2020 Italian-French-German documentary Music * ''Euroclassic Notturno'', classical music recordings assembled by B ...

in F major for flute, 2 horns and piano quartet (published 1808) *Opus 9:

Rondo The rondo or rondeau is a musical form that contains a principal theme (music), theme (sometimes called the "refrain") which alternates with one or more contrasting themes (generally called "episodes", but also referred to as "digressions" or "c ...

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 for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given composition, and is often also an indication of the composition's character or atmos ...

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 compo ...

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 * Elisabeth Wintzer: ''Prinz Louis Ferdinand von Preussen als Mensch und Musiker''. (Prince Louis Ferdinand from Prussia as a Person and Musician) Leipzig 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 Composers from the Kingdom of Prussia Prussian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Composers 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 People of the War of the First Coalition