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Der Freischütz

Der Freischütz (J. 277, Op. 77 The Marksman[1] or The Freeshooter[2]) is a German opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind, based on a story by Johann August Apel and Friedrich Laun[3] from their 1810 collection Gespensterbuch. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin.[4] It is considered the first German Romantic opera.[5]

Der Freischütz

The Marksman or The Freeshooter

Friedrich Kind

German

18 June 1821 (1821-06-18)
Schauspielhaus Berlin

The opera's plot is mainly based on August Apel's tale "Der Freischütz" from the Gespensterbuch though the hermit, Kaspar and Ännchen are new to Kind's libretto. That Weber's tunes were just German folk music is a common misconception.[6] Its unearthly portrayal of the supernatural in the famous Wolf's Glen scene has been described as "the most expressive rendering of the gruesome that is to be found in a musical score".[7]

In the : 2 piccolos, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, strings (violin I and II, viola, cello, double bass);

orchestra pit

Onstage: 1 , 2 horns, 1 trumpet, violins, cellos.

clarinet

The opera is scored for a standard-sized orchestra composed of:

wrote a piano transcription of the overture in 1846 (S.575).

Franz Liszt

wrote an introduction and variations on a theme from Der Freischütz for guitar in c. 1851.[18]

Carolus Arnoldus Craeyvanger

composed 4 piano études on the Freischütz themes (Op. 127)[19]

Stephen Heller

included an arrangement of the duet "Schelm, halt fest!" (Ännchen and Agathe) in his L'art du chant appliqué au piano (Op.70).

Sigismond Thalberg

(1959). An Introduction to Music. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-09149-2.

Boyden, David D.

Brown, Clive (1992). "Freischütz, Der (The Freeshooter)". In (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan. pp. 296–299. ISBN 978-1-56159-228-9..

Stanley Sadie

Casaglia, Gherardo (2005).. L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).

"Der Freischütz, 18 June 1821"

(1997). The Earl of Harewood; Antony Peattie (eds.). The New Kobbé's Opera Book. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 978-0-399-14332-8.

Kobbé, Gustav

(1983–1984). "Weber's Freischütz: Conceptions and Misconceptions". Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association. 110. Taylor & Francis: 79–90. doi:10.1093/jrma/110.1.79. JSTOR 766237.

Finscher, Ludwig

Fisher, Burton (2002). . Opera Journeys Publishing. ISBN 1-930841-56-6.

Weber's 'Der Freischütz'

Singleton, Esther (1899). "Der Freischütz", , pp. 77–90. Dodd, Mead & Company

A Guide to the Opera

Tusa, Michael C. (2006). "Cosmopolitanism and the National Opera: Weber's Der Freischütz". . 36 (3). MIT Press: 483–506. doi:10.1162/002219506774929809. JSTOR 3656477. S2CID 144738574.

Journal of Interdisciplinary History

: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

Der Freischütz

opera-guide.ch (in German)

Libretto

opera-arias.com

English libretto

Creative Commons-licensed in Ogg and MP3 formats

Recordings of Der Freischütz

Archived 2016-10-17 at the Wayback Machine, details and synopsis, Naxos Records

Der Freischütz (The Marksman)

opera.stanford.edu

Discography