![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cahnAnd including Emperor Joseph II!
from Derek Beales: Joseph II, Volume 2: Against the World, 1780 - 1790:
Joseph's alleged comment to Mozart about the Entführung, "Too many notes", has been taken as evidence of his ignorance. But he probably said something like, "Too beautiful for our ears, and monstrous many notes." It is always necessary to bear in mind, when appraising the emperor's remarks, his peculiar brand of humor or sarcasm. He was usually getting at someone. And he did not use the royal "we". The ears in question were those of the Viennese audience, whom he was mocking for their limited appreciation of Mozart's elaborate music.
(though not gonna lie, I think it is a LOT of notes)
from Derek Beales: Joseph II, Volume 2: Against the World, 1780 - 1790:
Joseph's alleged comment to Mozart about the Entführung, "Too many notes", has been taken as evidence of his ignorance. But he probably said something like, "Too beautiful for our ears, and monstrous many notes." It is always necessary to bear in mind, when appraising the emperor's remarks, his peculiar brand of humor or sarcasm. He was usually getting at someone. And he did not use the royal "we". The ears in question were those of the Viennese audience, whom he was mocking for their limited appreciation of Mozart's elaborate music.
(though not gonna lie, I think it is a LOT of notes)
Ceci ce n'est pas un write up: the McKay biographies
Date: 2022-02-09 11:45 am (UTC)McKay sums up the Elector's relationships with the first marriage children was "loved "Charles Emmanuel" - it startled to find Karl Emil in this form -, didn't think much of future F1, nor did the French envoy, then Ludwig dies and F1's paranoia goes through the roof, but he was fab with the children of the second marriage. And that's it. There are no human details, either good or bad, like there had been in the F1 biographies - good, that the Elector in his "how to teach my sons" instructions wanted them to learn geography via interesting stories about the places in question, for example, and bad, the way he treated both the not Karl Emil sons once Karl Emil was dead, including the refusal to visit the dying Ludwig, which was too much even for the Team Dorothea French envoy. There's a lot of family drama here, and hardly anything makes it into the biography. It's not even mentioned that future F1 being humpbacked and having inverted legs was one big reason why his father didn't think much of him even before Karl Emil died. And we don't learn much about Henrietta other than her being an heiress, well read and "serious" - such details like her being appalled at Danckelmann's Severus-Snape-like teaching style and argueing that gentleness - douceur - is better for children than harsh shoutings just don't exist, and so no one comes to life there. (Same with Dorothea.)
Instead, you have a lot about the various mlitary compaigns and treaties, which without previous human investment isn't where my interest lies. What McKay does get across well is how deeply his 30 Years War childhood and youth imprinted on the Elector (remember, he spent most of his childhood in Küstrin, spelled Polish Kosztryn in this book), and how consequently he saw "defense of the Protestant Faith" as his great mission in life, and consequently deeply distrusted the Habsburg Emperors. Because Richelieu and Mazarin had both allied France with the Protestants against the Habsburgs in that war, the Elector teaming up with Louis was a natural follow-up, though once Louis started to kick out Huguenots, it led to some massive rethinking on the Elector's part. He also was flexible enough in his alliances as needs must, and build up a standing army so that being at the mercy of other people's armies would not happen again, which is one reason why Brandenburg started out as impoverished and ravaged as all the German principalities after the most devasting war in Europe before the 20th century and ended up as the most important Electorate in the HRE. But McKay points out that the only city within the Electorate who really benefited from the Elctor's rule was Berlin - Berlin and Cölln, two towns, became one under his rule -, whereas all the others both in Brandenburg and the duchy of Prussia (for which the Elector swore homage to both the Poles and the Swedes at different points of his alliances) went downhill, especially Königsberg. This was partly because the Elector couldn't tax his nobles for all the rebuilding of the devastated country, so the cities and the peasants bore the brunt of it, but also for religious reasons - Königsberg folk were Lutheran Protestants, and the Elector was a Calvinist. (Who didn't see the Lutherans as as bad as the Catholics, but two thirds of his household and administration officials were all Calvinists, which in a mainly Lutheran realm (especially before the Huguenots arrived from France) isn't exactly representative. There was much mutual suspicion, and one rebellious Königsberg guy tortured to death on the wheel.
Mostly, though, I'm frustrated, because the biography doesn't manage (in my mind) to make the Elector come alive as a human being, nor anyone else in his surroundings. I might have to try Hohenzollern anti Jürgen Luh's biography for that one.
Re: Ceci ce n'est pas un write up: the McKay biographies
Date: 2022-02-09 02:24 pm (UTC)I haven't had time to read the Great Elector one yet, but it's on my list.
ETA: Meant to say, I would love it if you read a bio of the Great Elector more focused on the human side and did "un write up" for us!
Say about Nancy G. what you want, but she can tell a story.
I know! She's great! That's why I wanted to do a readalong. So disappointing.
Instead, you have a lot about the various mlitary compaigns and treaties, which without previous human investment isn't where my interest lies.
From flipping through it when it arrived, I indeed saw that this was what it focused on, and I admit that I'm looking forward to it. ;)
Speaking of biographies, have you been able to ascertain whether the Stabi's copy of Leopold is in German or not? I'm just curious whether it's worth the horrendous expense of shipping these volumes to the US for my Leopold interests. But it's going to be months before I get around to it (the reading list grows ever longer! in both German and English!), so definitely no rush.
Re: Ceci ce n'est pas un write up: the McKay biographies
Date: 2022-02-09 05:59 pm (UTC)The Great Elector: Ordered two biographies from the Stabi while I was at it.
Re: Ceci ce n'est pas un write up: the McKay biographies
Date: 2022-02-09 06:15 pm (UTC)Correspondence: how badly do you want it? I can look into Google translate...
Re: Ceci ce n'est pas un write up: the McKay biographies
Date: 2022-02-10 10:31 am (UTC)Re: Ceci ce n'est pas un write up: the McKay biographies
Date: 2022-02-09 10:31 pm (UTC)Re: Ceci ce n'est pas un write up: the McKay biographies
Date: 2022-02-10 10:31 am (UTC)Re: Ceci ce n'est pas un write up: the McKay biographies
Date: 2022-02-11 05:58 am (UTC)Yeah, and so can Massie. Whyyyyy is it so much to ask that my biographies be both accurate and have a good story? :P (I guess Orieux got pretty high marks that way.)
I just can't call him Friedrich Wilhelm, that's too confusing
haha, thank you!
the Elector had two good marriages - more than most royals got in the era
indeed, two more than than most royals got :P
"Charles Emmanuel" - it startled to find Karl Emil in this for
*blinks* Yeah, wow, I wouldn't have even realized that was Karl Emil.
There's a lot of family drama here, and hardly anything makes it into the biography.
Well, what even is the point then?!
Re: Ceci ce n'est pas un write up: the McKay biographies
Date: 2022-02-11 07:47 am (UTC)Well, what even is the point then?!
Exactly. If he wants me to pay attention to the battles and the diplomatic manoeuvring, he has to give me family drama!
Re: Ceci ce n'est pas un write up: the McKay biographies
Date: 2022-02-13 08:13 pm (UTC)