Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
Encyclopedia
Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels (Weissenfels, 23 February 1682 – Sangerhausen
, 28 June 1736), was a duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
-Querfurt and member of the House of Wettin.
He was the sixth (but second surviving) son of Johann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
, and Johanna Magdalene of Saxe-Altenburg.
and promotion of the sciences, education, and culture of his predecessors; in this tradition the created the Seminarium illustre in Weissenfels in 1716. His liberal spending, which far exceeded the resources of his small duchy, led to a complete financial collapse in 1719. To deal with the crisis, the Electorate of Saxony
created a debit commission that controlled the finances of the duchy until its male line was extinct (both the duke and his brother had no male descendants). The commission was requested by the Emperor Charles VI of Austria; it substantially limited the duke's capacity to shape political policies.
wrote the famous cantata
Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208 (The lively hunt is all my heart's desire) as occasional music with a pastoral character. It was performed in Weissenfels in the evening after a hunting party.
Christan is named four times in Salomon Franck
's libretto for the cantata and equated with the classical deity Pan
. The hunt is characterized as a high virtue and a privilege for princes to be able to enjoy.
It is probable that Bach wrote the piece at the request of his patron, Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar, to be used as a gift for Christian.
For Christian's 43rd birthday in 1725 Bach wrote the Shepherd cantata Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen, BWV 249a
(en: "Escape, disappear, disperse, ye sorrows"), its music is lost but survived as the parody setting of the Easter Oratorio
.
on 12 May 1712, Christian married Luise Christine of Stolberg-Stolberg-Ortenberg.
For this occasion, the Elector Frederick August I of Saxony, had the Weissenfelser Hunt Cup (de: Weißenfelser Jagdpokal) made as a gift for the couple. It was a costly and complex masterpiece of gold forging executed by the brothers Johann Melchior
and George Christoph Dinglinger; it took as its artistic inspiration the duke's preference for the hunt. The cup stayed in the possession of the ducal house of Saxe-Weissenfels until it became extinct; after this, it again came into the possession of the Electorate of Saxony and can be admired today in the Green Vault
(de: Grünes Gewölbe).
Christian's marriage was childless. Without heirs, he was succeeded on his death by his younger brother, Johann Adolf II
.
Sangerhausen
Sangerhausen is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, without being part of it.It is situated southeast of the Harz, approx. 35 km east of Nordhausen, and 50 km west of Halle...
, 28 June 1736), was a duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
Saxe-Weissenfels
Saxe-Weissenfels was a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire from 1656/7 until 1746 with its residence at Weißenfels. Ruled by a cadet branch of the Albertine House of Wettin, the duchy passed to the Electorate of Saxony upon the extinction of the line....
-Querfurt and member of the House of Wettin.
He was the sixth (but second surviving) son of Johann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
Johann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
Johann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels , was a duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt and member of the House of Wettin....
, and Johanna Magdalene of Saxe-Altenburg.
Government of the Duchy
Christian inherited the Duchy of Saxe-Weissenfels after the death of his older brother Johann Georg without surviving male issue on 16 March 1712 and continued the policy of patronagePatronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
and promotion of the sciences, education, and culture of his predecessors; in this tradition the created the Seminarium illustre in Weissenfels in 1716. His liberal spending, which far exceeded the resources of his small duchy, led to a complete financial collapse in 1719. To deal with the crisis, the Electorate of Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
created a debit commission that controlled the finances of the duchy until its male line was extinct (both the duke and his brother had no male descendants). The commission was requested by the Emperor Charles VI of Austria; it substantially limited the duke's capacity to shape political policies.
Bach cantatas
For his 31st birthday in the year 1713, the composer Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
wrote the famous cantata
Bach cantata
Bach cantata became a term for a cantata of the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach who was a prolific writer of the genre. Although many of his works are lost, around 200 cantatas survived....
Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208 (The lively hunt is all my heart's desire) as occasional music with a pastoral character. It was performed in Weissenfels in the evening after a hunting party.
Christan is named four times in Salomon Franck
Salomon Franck
Salomon Franck, 6 March 1659 – 11 July 1725), was a German lawyer, scientist, and gifted poet.His name is widely associated with some of Johann Sebastian Bach's best-known cantatas, mainly those composed as of 1714 in Weimar.-Biography:Franck was born in Weimar...
's libretto for the cantata and equated with the classical deity Pan
Pan (mythology)
Pan , in Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs. His name originates within the Greek language, from the word paein , meaning "to pasture." He has the hindquarters, legs,...
. The hunt is characterized as a high virtue and a privilege for princes to be able to enjoy.
It is probable that Bach wrote the piece at the request of his patron, Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar, to be used as a gift for Christian.
For Christian's 43rd birthday in 1725 Bach wrote the Shepherd cantata Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen, BWV 249a
Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen, BWV 249a
Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen , BWV 249a, is a secular cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, first performed in 1725, also known as Shepherd cantata...
(en: "Escape, disappear, disperse, ye sorrows"), its music is lost but survived as the parody setting of the Easter Oratorio
Easter Oratorio
The Easter Oratorio , BWV 249, is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, Kommt, eilet und laufet , first performed in Leipzig in 1725.- History :...
.
Marriage and Succession
In StolbergStolberg
- Towns in Germany :* Stolberg, Saxony-Anhalt in the district of Sangerhausen in Saxony-Anhalt, seat of the counts of Stolberg* Stolberg in the district of Aachen in North Rhine-Westphalia, part of the Duchy of Jülich until 1794, awarded to Prussia in 1815* Stollberg, in the Erzgebirgskreis in the...
on 12 May 1712, Christian married Luise Christine of Stolberg-Stolberg-Ortenberg.
For this occasion, the Elector Frederick August I of Saxony, had the Weissenfelser Hunt Cup (de: Weißenfelser Jagdpokal) made as a gift for the couple. It was a costly and complex masterpiece of gold forging executed by the brothers Johann Melchior
Johann Melchior Dinglinger
Johann Melchior Dinglinger was one of Europe's greatest goldsmiths, whose major works for the elector of Saxony, Augustus the Strong, survived in the Grünes Gewölbe , Dresden....
and George Christoph Dinglinger; it took as its artistic inspiration the duke's preference for the hunt. The cup stayed in the possession of the ducal house of Saxe-Weissenfels until it became extinct; after this, it again came into the possession of the Electorate of Saxony and can be admired today in the Green Vault
Grünes Gewölbe
The Grünes Gewölbe in Dresden is a unique historic museum that contains the largest collection of treasures in Europe. Founded by Augustus the Strong in 1723, it features a rich variety of exhibits from the Baroque to Classicism...
(de: Grünes Gewölbe).
Christian's marriage was childless. Without heirs, he was succeeded on his death by his younger brother, Johann Adolf II
Johann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
Johann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels , was the last duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt and a member of the House of Wettin. He was also a commander in the Saxon army....
.