Ave Maria

Composer: Friedrich Freiherr von Flotow  (1812-1883), 1844

AveWiki link

... adapted ... by E. Gresham.  (BL) to  'Alessandro Stradella'  (adapted score not available)

A biographical dictionary of musicians (ed. Theodore Baker) G. Schirmer, 1905 - Biography & Autobiography - 695 pages
	Flotow, Friedrich Freiherr von opera composer b Teutendorf Mecklenburg Apr 27 1812 d Darmstadt January 24 1883 After studying composition at Paris from 1827 under Reicha the July Revolution 1830 caused him to retreat to Mecklenburg where he wrote two small works Pierre et Catherine (privately perf 1831) and Die Bergknappen (1835) Returning to Paris he brought out Séraphine (Chateau Royaumont 1836) Rob Roy and Le naufrage de la Méduse (Paris Renaissance Th. 1839 his first incontestable success; also given Homburg 1845 as Die Matrosen) A series of less fortunate ventures followed La duchesse de Guise 1840; Le forestier (1840; at Vienna 1847 as Der Förster, at London 1848 as Leolinc); L'Enclave de Camoens 1843 at the Opera Comique and the ballet Lady Harriet (Opera 1843 afterwards rewritten as Martha) With Alessandro Stradella (Hamburg 1844 rewritten from a 1 act piece lyrique Stradella given in Paris 1837) his name became familiar in Germany after I'Ame en peine (Paris Opera 1846 in Hal as Il Boscajuolo ossia L'Anima della Tradita) came his most genuinely and widely popular work Martha (Vienna 1847). The March Revolution 1848 drove him from Paris Die Gross itrstin Berlin Opera 1850 was fairly succ and Indra Berlin 1853 decidedly so balRMbezahl Frankfort 1854 Hilda S55 ar JA bin Der Miiller von Meran 1856 failed From 1856 63 F acted as in tendant of court music at Schwerin from 1S63 8 he was again in Paris The operettas La Veuve Grapin Paris 1859 and Pianella Paris i860 the operas IVinter marc hen Vienna 1862 Zilda Paris 1866 and Am Runenstein Prague 1868 and the ballets Die Lihelle Vienna 1866 and TannkSnig Darmstadt 1867 belong to this period for Schwerin he wrote music to a Fac keltanz but no operas He settled on one of his estates near Vienna in 1868 but made frequent visits to Vienna, Paris and Italy; his last years were spent in Darmstadt. In 1870 his earlier triumphs were renewed with L'Ombre (Paris Op Com 1870; in London 1878 as The Phantom); Xaida (Milan 1873); and II fiord Harlem (Turin 1876) were revised from early works never produced. He rewrote Indra as I'Enchanteresse (Paris and London 1878, in Ital as Alma I'incancatrice, in German as Die Hexe) after his death 3 more operas were performed Rosellana; Der Graf Saint-Megrin (Cologne 1884) and Die Musikanten (Hanover 1887) Flotow had a fund of fresh and pleasing melody and rhythmic variety and a good knowledge of stage effect. The failure of many of his operas is due to amateurish scoring and shallowness of sentiment. Yet Stradella and Martha still hold the boards despite Fetis' dismal prophecy 'Mais tout cela sera bientôt oublié.'

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Page last modified: May 04, 2013

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