Emil Devrient
Encyclopedia
Gustav Emil Devrient was a German actor
and an occasional opera
tic bass
.
(1797–1872) and Eduard Devrient
(1801–1877) were his brothers, the actor Ludwig Devrient
(1784–1832) was his uncle and the actors Max Devrient (1857–1929) and Otto Devrient
(1838–1894) were his nephews. The opera singer Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient
was his sister-in-law by her marriage to Karl August.
As a youth, Devrient entered an apprenticeship in his uncle's chemical factory in Zwickau
, but soon followed his brothers to the theatre. His stage debut was in 1821 as Raoul in Schiller's The Maid of Orléans
in Braunschweig
. In 1822 he move to the theatre in Bremen
where he sang bass roles in operas and played the "youthful lover" in plays, a role he played until the end of cereer. The next year he appeared in Dresden as Kaspar in Der Freischütz
, conducted by its composer Carl Maria von Weber
.
When in 1824 he gained an engagement in Leipzig
, Devrient became a full-time actor. There, he met his later wife, the actress Doris (or Dorothea) Böhler (1805–1882); they divorced after a 17-year marriage in 1842 and their four children were put into his custody. His daughter Marie (born 1826) also became an actress. When the Leipzig theatre was closed, he moved in 1828 to Magdeburg
, and in 1829 to Hamburg
. He completed his theatrical education there and moved to the Dresden Hofbühne (Court Theatre) in 1830. He worked there for 38 years until he retired on 1 May 1868, in order, as he put it, "not to outlive himself as an artist." Throughout his career, he toured widely and to great acclaim in Germany and Europe, e.g. to Paris and twice (1852 and 1853) to London.
Devrient was famous for his roles as Marquis Posa in Schiller's Don Carlos
, as Hamlet
, and as Goethe's Egmont
and Torquato Tasso
, which he also performed in his last stage appearance. Devrient died in Dresden and was buried at the Alter Annenfriedhof in the Dresden suburb of Südvorstadt, but the grave is lost.
. The Saxonian Court Theatre made him an honourary member and had a special commemorative medaillon designed for the occasion of his retirement in 1868. A street near the city centre of Dresden is named after him.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and an occasional opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
.
Life
Gustav Emil Devrient was the youngest son of the six children of the silk merchant Tobias Philipp Devrient and his wife Marie Charlotte. The actors Karl August DevrientKarl August Devrient
Karl August Devrient was a German stage actor best known for performances of Schiller and Shakespeare. He was related to other notable German actors, including:* his uncle Ludwig;* his brothers Philipp Eduard and Gustav Emil;...
(1797–1872) and Eduard Devrient
Eduard Devrient
Eduard Devrient was a German baritone, librettist, playwright, actor, theatre director and theatre reformer and historian.Devrient came from a theatrical family...
(1801–1877) were his brothers, the actor Ludwig Devrient
Ludwig Devrient
Ludwig Devrient was a German actor, noted for his playing in the works of Shakespeare and Schiller.Devrient, who was born in Berlin, left a commercial career for the stage in 1804. He was a member of a notable theatrical family. His three nephews were actors...
(1784–1832) was his uncle and the actors Max Devrient (1857–1929) and Otto Devrient
Otto Devrient
Otto Devrient was a German actor and playwright.Devrient was the son of Philipp Eduard Devrient. He first went on stage in 1856, training in Stuttgart, Berlin and Leipzig...
(1838–1894) were his nephews. The opera singer Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient
Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient
Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient, born Wilhelmine Schröder , was a German operatic soprano. As a singer she combined a rare quality of tone with dramatic intensity of expression, which was as remarkable on the concert platform as in opera.- Biography :Schröder was born in Hamburg, the daughter of the...
was his sister-in-law by her marriage to Karl August.
As a youth, Devrient entered an apprenticeship in his uncle's chemical factory in Zwickau
Zwickau
Zwickau in Germany, former seat of the government of the south-western region of the Free State of Saxony, belongs to an industrial and economical core region. Nowadays it is the capital city of the district of Zwickau...
, but soon followed his brothers to the theatre. His stage debut was in 1821 as Raoul in Schiller's The Maid of Orléans
The Maid of Orleans (play)
The Maid of Orleans is a tragedy by Friedrich Schiller, written in 1801 in Leipzig. During his lifetime, it was one of Schiller's most frequently-performed pieces.-Plot:...
in Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
. In 1822 he move to the theatre in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
where he sang bass roles in operas and played the "youthful lover" in plays, a role he played until the end of cereer. The next year he appeared in Dresden as Kaspar in Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz is an opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin...
, conducted by its composer Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
.
When in 1824 he gained an engagement in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Devrient became a full-time actor. There, he met his later wife, the actress Doris (or Dorothea) Böhler (1805–1882); they divorced after a 17-year marriage in 1842 and their four children were put into his custody. His daughter Marie (born 1826) also became an actress. When the Leipzig theatre was closed, he moved in 1828 to Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, and in 1829 to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. He completed his theatrical education there and moved to the Dresden Hofbühne (Court Theatre) in 1830. He worked there for 38 years until he retired on 1 May 1868, in order, as he put it, "not to outlive himself as an artist." Throughout his career, he toured widely and to great acclaim in Germany and Europe, e.g. to Paris and twice (1852 and 1853) to London.
Devrient was famous for his roles as Marquis Posa in Schiller's Don Carlos
Don Carlos (play)
Don Carlos is a historical tragedy in five acts by Friedrich Schiller; it was written between 1783 and 1787 and first produced in Hamburg in 1787...
, as Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, and as Goethe's Egmont
Egmont (play)
Egmont is a play by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, which he completed in 1788. Its dramaturgical structure, like that of his earlier 'Storm and Stress' play Götz von Berlichingen , is heavily influenced by Shakespearean tragedy; in contrast, however, to the earlier work, the portrait in Egmont of the...
and Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso (play)
Torquato Tasso is a play by the German dramatist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe about the sixteenth-century Italian poet, Torquato Tasso. The play was first conceived in Weimar in 1780 but most of it was written during his two years in Italy, between 1786 and 1788. He completed the play in...
, which he also performed in his last stage appearance. Devrient died in Dresden and was buried at the Alter Annenfriedhof in the Dresden suburb of Südvorstadt, but the grave is lost.
Honours
Devrient was the first actor to receive the Knight's Cross of the Saxonian Civil Order and was made a Court Councillor (Hofrat). From 1832 until his death in 1872 he was the second holder of the Iffland-RingIffland-Ring
The Iffland-Ring is a diamond-studded ring with the picture of August Wilhelm Iffland ....
. The Saxonian Court Theatre made him an honourary member and had a special commemorative medaillon designed for the occasion of his retirement in 1868. A street near the city centre of Dresden is named after him.
External links
- Biography by Corinna Kirschstein, Institut für Sächsische Geschichte und Volkskunde