Carl Blum

Carl Blum, Lithograph by Joseph Teltscher

Carl Wilhelm August Blum (1786 – 2 July 1844) was a German singer, librettist, stage actor, director, guitarist and opera and song composer. Philip J. Bone wrote that Blum was "a universal genius, uniting in one person the poet, the dramatist, composer, singer and performer."[1] He was composer to the Court of the King of Prussia.[1]

He has been confused with or named incorrectly in literature as Karl Ludwig Blum.[2]

History and career

Carl Blum workshop, built in 1874 (after the musician's death). Located on Carl Blum Straße (Carl Blum Street).

Blum studied guitar from age 15.[1] He joined a group of traveling comedians in 1805, directed by Quandt, working as a singer and guitarist.[1] After leaving the group for more musical study, he joined the Königsberger Theater in Berlin in 1810, working with C. von Weber.[1] He became guitar instructor to the royal princesses and produced his first opera, Claudine de Villa Bella.[1] In 1817, he went to Vienna and became a student to Antionio Salieri. Here he composed the opera Das Rosen-Hütchen (The Little Hat of Roses), which was performed 39 times.[1]

In 1820, the King of Prussia appointed him composer to the court, after his success in Vienna.[1]

He visited Paris to study the styles of Boieldieu, Cherubini and Auber.[1] After visiting London, he returned to Berlin in 1822, working there as the director of the royal theatre.[1] In 1827, he directed the Königsstadt Theater.[1] That same year he went to Italy and did no more theater work, but concentrated on composing.[1] His opera The Orphan of Russia was performed in 1829.

He introduced comic operas or vaudevilles to Germany, and his were preferred by Germans.[1]

Among his successful songs were compositions for the Austrian soprano Pauline Anna Milder-Hauptmann.[3]

Books

Stage works

Original works

(mostly to his own libretto)

Edited and translated

Works for guitar

Other compositions

External links

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Philip J. Bone: The Guitar and Mandolin. Biographies of Celebrated Players and Composers for these Instruments (London: Schott and Co., 1914), p. 42–45
  2. ↑ Der Name Karl Ludwig Blum findet sich z. B. in Meyers Konversations-Lexikon in der Auflage von 1888 (Blum. article in: Meyers Konversations-Lexikon, 4. Aufl. 1888–1890, Bd. 3, S. 45 f. ), im Tonkünstlerlexikon von Frank-Altmann (Paul Frank und Wilhelm Altmann: Kurzgefaßtes Tonkünstler-Lexikon. Für Musiker und Freunde der Musik (Regensburg, 1936), 15th ed. 1983, p. 61) und in der ADB (Joseph Kürschner (1875), "Blum, Carl", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB) (in German), 2, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 737–738), dort ist allerdings im modernen Index der Online-Version die falsche Zuschreibung vermerkt. Gelegentlich nannte er sich wohl auch selbst so. Dies führt, auch in den Bibliothekskatalogen, zu wiederholten Verwechslungen mit dem Historiker Karl Ludwig Blum.
  3. ↑ The Harmonicon 1825, p. 162: "The concert of the greatest attraction has been that of the celebrated Madame Milder, on which occasion she sung, with great effect, the Troubadour, a new song, composed expressly for her by Carl Blum, accompanied by him on the guitar."
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