That book is golden with stories about Fritz micromanaging his musicians, including, btw, also female sopranos, not just the castrati. The female lead soprano at the Berlin opera he was particularly involved (and surprisingly complimentary about in general) with; in addition to being a good singer, she also had an abusive dad, so there might have been additional sympathy on that count. All singers, including the great Salimbene (who was one of the legendary castrati on a European level), however, had to endure getting lectured by Fritz.
As for Quantz: when he was about to visit Bayreuth Fritz wrote to Wilihelmine not to give him more than what Fritz gave him per appearance for otherwise he might demand a salary raise upon his return to Berlin, so Fritz' introduction scene in Mein Name ist Bach where he refuses to pay for an uncommissioned composition by Emmanuel Bach was dead on the money at least, no pun intended. :) But yes, fictional Quantz saying "he could be your father" re: J.S. Bach was a line just there get the audience to see Fritz' reaction and introduce Fritz' Dad issues early on in the movie, i.e. exposition duty over historical likelihood for Quantz of all the people to have said it. Otoh, who else would say it? The rest of the people in the scene are all younger than Fritz and utterly dependent on him. You have to consider that the film makers couldn't assume their audience would know all about Fritz' background already going in. This is a Swiss-German movie produced for an international audience who may know who Bach was but might or might not be aware Frederick the Great was his contemporary at best, so they had to include exposition somehow.
Back to the book about Fritz as a musician I've just read: also includes analyses of his operas - Coriolano (same myth Shakespeare's play is based on, worthy of note that you get one of the most famous disapproving mother, not father figures here, and the son eventually decides to listen to his mother knowing full well he'll die for it), Silla (good old Lucius Cornelius Sulla, here a misunderstood good dictator sorting everyone's miseries out despite being maligned as an evil tyrant by some of the cast, and and the end retiring as the Republic can now fend for itself) and Montezuma (Fritz strikes a blow for the Aztecs and against bigotted Catholic Spain, ruled, of course, by the Habsburgs at the time the opera is set; the book's author points out that Montezuma, being a good guy, isn't presented as an ideal ruler, either, and that his goodness and passivity allows the evil Habsburgs Spaniards to genocide his country).
The author argues against what some biographers apparantly have claimed - i.e. that Fritz lost interest in opera post 7-years-war - and backs it up with quotes from documents to prove it. Down to him visiting the opera with his last state guest ever in the year of his death. Who was that last guest? Why, none other than great-nephew Carl August from Weimar. She also provides details about the singers, the concerts, the arrangements (down to such details that when Fritz was visiting Bayreuth post-reconciliation with Wilhelmine, she re-arranged the musical presentation of one of her works in his honor in such a way that the style the songs were presented would echo his favourite castrato singer (Salimbene) and composer (Hasse).
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Re: Yuletide ideas and the Other Royal Murder Dad
Date: 2019-09-23 09:44 am (UTC)As for Quantz: when he was about to visit Bayreuth Fritz wrote to Wilihelmine not to give him more than what Fritz gave him per appearance for otherwise he might demand a salary raise upon his return to Berlin, so Fritz' introduction scene in Mein Name ist Bach where he refuses to pay for an uncommissioned composition by Emmanuel Bach was dead on the money at least, no pun intended. :) But yes, fictional Quantz saying "he could be your father" re: J.S. Bach was a line just there get the audience to see Fritz' reaction and introduce Fritz' Dad issues early on in the movie, i.e. exposition duty over historical likelihood for Quantz of all the people to have said it. Otoh, who else would say it? The rest of the people in the scene are all younger than Fritz and utterly dependent on him. You have to consider that the film makers couldn't assume their audience would know all about Fritz' background already going in. This is a Swiss-German movie produced for an international audience who may know who Bach was but might or might not be aware Frederick the Great was his contemporary at best, so they had to include exposition somehow.
Back to the book about Fritz as a musician I've just read: also includes analyses of his operas - Coriolano (same myth Shakespeare's play is based on, worthy of note that you get one of the most famous disapproving mother, not father figures here, and the son eventually decides to listen to his mother knowing full well he'll die for it), Silla (good old Lucius Cornelius Sulla, here a misunderstood good dictator sorting everyone's miseries out despite being maligned as an evil tyrant by some of the cast, and and the end retiring as the Republic can now fend for itself) and Montezuma (Fritz strikes a blow for the Aztecs and against bigotted Catholic Spain, ruled, of course, by the Habsburgs at the time the opera is set; the book's author points out that Montezuma, being a good guy, isn't presented as an ideal ruler, either, and that his goodness and passivity allows the evil
HabsburgsSpaniards to genocide his country).The author argues against what some biographers apparantly have claimed - i.e. that Fritz lost interest in opera post 7-years-war - and backs it up with quotes from documents to prove it. Down to him visiting the opera with his last state guest ever in the year of his death. Who was that last guest? Why, none other than great-nephew Carl August from Weimar. She also provides details about the singers, the concerts, the arrangements (down to such details that when Fritz was visiting Bayreuth post-reconciliation with Wilhelmine, she re-arranged the musical presentation of one of her works in his honor in such a way that the style the songs were presented would echo his favourite castrato singer (Salimbene) and composer (Hasse).