Court I Music I City
From the collection of sheet music belonging to Miss Caroline Auguste von Sternenfels, a lady-in-waiting at the court of Karlsruhe
Concerts in Bruchsal, Schwetzingen, and Bretten—The “Hof | Musik | Stadt” Research Center collaboration project presents, through a series of concerts, an extraordinary collection of chamber music scores by musicians from the 18th-century Karlsruhe court.
A stack of chamber music scores—well-known and lesser-known compositions, quite a few by musicians from the Karlsruhe court in the late 18th century—discovered among the archival records of the House of Baden at Salem Castle—poses a mystery: Who collected the scores, who played them, and how did they end up in Salem?
Some copies bear the ownership notation “de Sternenfels.” There is much to suggest that the scores belonged to Caroline Auguste Friederike von Sternenfels (d. 1805), a lady-in-waiting to Margravine Amalie of Baden. She had compositions transcribed, purchased sheet music, and, like the Margravine herself, subscribed to a music magazine.
Thus, the newly discovered sheet music sheds light on the musical practices of a court society at the end of the Ancien Régime: People not only listened to concerts by the court orchestra but also made music themselves—sensitive and thoroughly sophisticated compositions.
The research center Hof I Musik I Stadt in Schwetzingen is providing musicological support for this extraordinary project; the unique features of the collection and the performed works will be presented in a series of concerts and a public symposium. After 200 years, a selection of the most beautiful pieces will once again be heard. The highly varied program alternates between vocal pieces, sung by the tenor Bernhard Gärtner from Karlsruhe, and instrumental works for violin, cello, and harpsichord by the largely unknown composers Mezger, Lachnith, Bucher, and Kornacher. Kirstin Kares serves as musical director. Prior to the concert in Bruchsal, a public symposium featuring lectures will introduce attendees to the significance of the collection. A CD featuring recordings of the works is currently in production and is scheduled for release in early December 2023.
Concerts:
July 7, 2023, at Bruchsal Palace
Sept. 7, 2023 at the Hirsch Palace, Schwetzingen
October 20, 2023 in the Citizens’ Hall of the Old Town Hall in Bretten
Links:
https://hofcapelle-carlsruhe.de
Date: July 9, 2023
Concert
Location: Palais Hirsch, Schlossplatz 2, Schwetzingen
Start time: 5:00 p.m.
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