Seckendorff, Karl Siegmund, Freiherr von

Seckendorff, Karl Siegmund, Freiherr von, German writer and composer; b. Erlangen, Nov. 26, 1744; d. Ansbach, April 26, 1785. He studied literature and jurisprudence at the Univ. of Erlangen. He was an officer in the Austrian army (1761–74), then in the diplomatic service in Weimar (1776–84); shortly before his death, he was appointed Prussian ambassador in Ansbach (1784). At Weimar he was on close terms with Goethe, who allowed him to write music for a number of his poems before their pubi. (Der Fischer, Der König in Thule, etc.); in these songs, Seckendorff caught the characteristic inflections of folk melodies.

Works

DRAMATIC: Lila, Liederspiel (Weimar, 1776); Le marché (La foire) du village, ballet-comique (1776); Proserpina, monodrama (Weimar, 1778); Die Laune des Verliebten (Weimar, May 20, 1779; not extant); ]ery und Bätely, Singspiel (Weimar, July 12, 1780; not extant); Der Geist der Jugend, comédie-ballet (Weimar, Jan. 30, 1782; not extant); Der Blumenraub, operetta (1784); Die Empfindsamkeit(n.d.). other: Chamber music; Volks- und andere Lieder for Voice and Piano (3 vols., Weimar, 1779–82) and other lieder in contemporary collections; keyboard music, including 2 sonatas for 3 Pianos.

Bibliography

V. Knab, K.S. v.S. (1774–1785): Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des deutschen volkstümlichen Liedes und der Musik am weimarischen Hof im 18. Jahrhundert (diss., Univ. of Bonn, 1914).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire