Matthison, Friedrich von

Poet

Matthison, Friedrich von

1761 - 1831

Friedrich von Matthisson was a German poet, an early member of the German Romantic movement. His best known poem is probably Adelaide, which was set to music by Beethoven.

He was born at Hohendodeleben near Magdeburg, the son of the village pastor, on the 23rd of January 1761. After studying theology and philology at the university of Halle, he was appointed in 1781 master at the classical school Philanthropinum in Dessau. This once famous seminary was, however, then rapidly decaying in public favor, and in 1784 Matthisson was glad to accept a travelling tutorship. He lived for two years with the Swiss author Bonstetten at Nyon on Lake Geneva.

In 1794 he was appointed reader and traveling companion to Princess Louisa of Anhalt-Dessau (wife of Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau). They visited Switzerland, Tyrol, and Italy. For a time, they were joined in their travels by Danish author and salonist Friederike Brun. After Princess Louisa's death in 1811, he entered the service of the king of Württemberg, was ennobled, created counselor of legation, appointed intendant of the court theatre and chief librarian of the royal library at Stuttgart. He resided for a time in Italy. In 1828 he retired and settled at Wörlitz near Dessau, where he died on the 12th of March 1831.

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Song List

This list is likely to be of songs that have been performed at Oxford International Song Festivals and Oxford Song events, and may not be comprehensive of this composer's compositions. This database is ever growing as a work in progress, with further songs regularly being added.

Adelaide (1814) D95 Franz Schubert
Adelaide (1795) Op. 46 Ludwig van Beethoven
Am Seegestad’, in lauen Vollmondnächten (1823) Felix Mendelssohn
An Laura, als sie Klopstocks Auferstehungslied sang (1814) D115 Franz Schubert
Andenken (1814) WoO 136 Ludwig van Beethoven
Andenken (1877) Hugo Wolf
Andenken (1814) D99 Franz Schubert
Der Abend (1814) D108 Franz Schubert
Der Geistertanz (1814) D116 Franz Schubert
Die Schatten (1813) D50 Franz Schubert
Geist der Liebe, D747 Franz Schubert
Klage (1816) D415 Franz Schubert
Lebenslied (1816) D508 Franz Schubert
Lied aus der Ferne (1814) D107 Franz Schubert
Lied der Liebe (1814) D109 Franz Schubert
Naturgenuss (1815) D188 Franz Schubert
Romanze (1814) D114 Franz Schubert
Vollendung (1817) D579a Franz Schubert

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