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 The grave of Helmina von Chézy at the Cimetière de Plainpalais, Genève. Picture by Androom (21 Aug 2019) |
Chézy, Helmina von |
| JOURNALIST, POET, LIBRETTIST (SWITZERLAND) |
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BORN 26 Jan 1783, Berlin - DIED 28 Jan 1856, Genève BIRTH NAME Klncke, Wilhelmine Christiane von GRAVE LOCATION Genève, Genève: Cimetière de Plainpalais, Rue des Rois (H-820) |
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Helmina von Chézy was the daughter of the Prussian officer Carl Friedrich von Klencke. Her mother Caroline Louisa (1754-1802) was a poet and the daughter of another poet, Anna Louisa Karsch (1722-1791). Her parents had split before she was born. In 1799 she married, but she divorced her husband in 1800. After her mother's death she moved to Paris where she worked as a correspondent for German newspapers. From 1803 to 1807 she was the editor of "Französische Miszellen". In Paris she befriended Dorothea Schlegel and Dorothea introduced her to the orientalist Antoine-Léonard de Chézy. She married him in 1805 and two sons were born. Wilhelm Theodor von Chézy (1806-1865) became an author and Max von Chézy (1808-1846) became a painter. In 1810 she translated Schlegel's lectures from French into German together with Adalbert von Chamisso. She had a short romantic affair with Von Chamisso and another affair with the orientalist Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall. In 1810 she and her husband parted. In 1812 she settled in Darmstadt and she worked as a hospital nurse during the German Campaign against Napoleon. After she criticised the conditions in the field she was charged for libel, but she was acquitted in Berlin by a court presided by E.T.A. Hoffmann. In 1817 she moved to Dresden. There she wrote the libretto for Carl Maria von Weber's opera "Euryanthe" (1823). Von Weber liked her work but didn't like her ambition. In 1823 she moved on to Vienna. For her friend Josef Kupelwieser she wrote the drama "Rosamunda". Franz Schubert was to write an ouverture, but he was short of time and used the ouverture of the opera "Alfonso" from 1822 instead. On 20 December 1823 "Rosamunda" was staged with music by Franz Schubert. But but the public didn't like it and after the theatre was almost empty on the second night it was cancelled. In Vienna she met her hero Beethoven and in 1827 she attended his funeral. To her dismay, in 1829 her son left for Paris to live with his father. In 1832 her husband died and she lost her annual alimony payment. Max returned to Munich to live with her, but her other son Wilhelm fell out with her. In 1846 Max died and she was left alone. In 1848 she met the poet Georg Herwegh and she encouraged him to fight for democrazy without violence. She failied to find work as a journalist to make a living and moved to Geneva. There she received a pension from a charitable foundation for artists. Her eyesight failed and she was cared for by her niece Bertha Borngräber who wrote down her memoirs that were edited by Karl August Varnhagen von Ense. She died in Geneva in 1856 and was buried in that city. Related persons • knew Beethoven, Ludwig van • cooperated with Chamisso, Adelbert von • had a love affair with Hammer-Purgstall, Joseph, Freiherr von • has a connection with Hoffmann, Ernst Theodor Amadeus • was a friend of Schlegel, Dorothea von • has a connection with Schubert, Franz • cooperated with Weber, Carl Maria von Events |
| 20/12/1823 | Hemina von Chézy's "Rosamunda" is staged at the Theater an der Wien. The public didn't like the play and after the seond night it was cancelled. It was created by Chézy on request of Joseph Kupelwieser, who intended it to be a benefit for his lover Emilie Neumann. Franz Schubert used the ouverture for the opera "Alfonso und Estralla" from 1822 as music for the play. The libretto of the play was recovered in 1996. [Schubert, Franz] |
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The grave of Helmina von Chézy at the Cimetière de Plainpalais, Genève. Picture by Androom (21 Aug 2019) |
