- Friedrich von Matthisson
Friedrich von Matthisson (
23 January 1761 –12 March 1831 ), German poet, was born atHohendodeleben nearMagdeburg , the son of the village pastor, on the 23rd of January 1761. After studyingtheology andphilology at the university of Halle, he was appointed in 1781 master at the classical school Philanthropy in Dessau. This once famousseminary 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 theSwiss author Bonstetten at Nyon onLake Geneva .In 1794 he was appointed reader and travelling companion to the princess Louisa of
Anhalt-Dessau . In 1812 he entered the service of the king ofWürttemberg , was ennobled, created counsellor of legation, appointed intendant of the court theatre and chief librarian of the royal library atStuttgart . In 1828 he retired and settled atWörlitz nearDessau , where he died on the 12th of March 1831.Matthisson enjoyed for a time a great popularity on account of his poems, "Gedichte" (1787; 15th ed., 1851; new ed., 1876), which
Schiller extravagantly praised for their melancholy sweetness and their fine descriptions of scenery. The verse is melodious and the language musical, but the thought and sentiments they express are too often artificial and insincere. His "Adelaide" has been rendered famous owing to Beethoven's setting of the song Of his elegies, "Die Elegie in den Ruinen eines alten Bergschlosses" is still a favorite. His reminiscences, "Erinnerungen" (5 vols., 1810-1816), contain interesting accounts of his travels.Matthisson's "Schriften" appeared in eight volumes (1825-1829), of which the first contains his poems, the remainder his "Erinnerungen"; a ninth volume was added in 1833 containing his biography by
Heinrich Doring . His "Literarischer Nachiass", with a selection from his correspondence, was published in four volumes by F. R. Schoch in 1832.References
*1911
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