Friedrich von Matthisson (23 January 1761 – 12 March 1831) was a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

.

Biography

He was born at Hohendodeleben

Hohendodeleben

Hohendodeleben is a village and a former municipality in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Wanzleben-Börde....

 near 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....

, the son of the village pastor, on the 23rd of January 1761. After studying theology

Theology

Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...

 and philology

Philology

Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...

 at the university of Halle

University of Halle-Wittenberg

The Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg , also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg within Saxony-Anhalt, Germany...

, he was appointed in 1781 master at the classical school Philanthropinum

Philanthropinum

The Philanthropinum was a reformist, progressive school in Dessau, Germany from 1774–93.-History:...

 in Dessau. This once famous seminary

Seminary

A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...

 was, however, then rapidly decaying in public favor, and in 1784 Matthisson was glad to accept a travelling tutorship. He lived for two years with the Swiss author Bonstetten

Charles Victor de Bonstetten

Charles Victor de Bonstetten , was a Swiss liberal writer.By birth a member of one of the great patrician families of Bern, he was educated in his native town, at Yverdon, and at Geneva, where he came under the influence of Rousseau and of Charles Bonnet, and imbibed liberal sentiments...

 at Nyon on Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...

.

In 1794 he was appointed reader and traveling companion to Princess Louisa of Anhalt-Dessau

Anhalt-Dessau

Anhalt-Dessau was a principality and later a duchy located in Germany. It was created in 1396 following the partition of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. The capital of the state was Dessau. Anhalt-Dessau experienced a number of partitions throughout its existence with Anhalt-Köthen being...

 (wife of Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau

Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau

Leopold III Frederick Franz, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau , known as "Prince Franz" or "Father Franz", was a German prince of the House of Ascania...

). They visited Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, Tyrol

Tyrol

Tyrol is an historical region in Western Central Europe. The term has its origin in the former County of Tyrol, and today can be referred to different regions and entities.- Prehistory :...

, and Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. For a time, they were joined in their travels by Danish

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 author and salonist Friederike Brun

Friederike Brun

Friederike Brun, née Münther , was a Danish author and salonist.She was married to the affluent merchant Constantin Brun and during the Danish Golden Age of the first half of the 19th century she arranged literary salons at Sophienholm, their summer retreat north of Copenhagen.-Early...

. After Princess Louisa's death in 1811, he entered the service of the king of Württemberg, was ennobled, created counselor of legation, appointed intendant

Intendant

The title of intendant has been used in several countries through history. Traditionally, it refers to the holder of a public administrative office...

 of the court theatre and chief librarian of the royal library at Stuttgart

Stuttgart

Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....

. He resided for a time in Italy. In 1828 he retired and settled at Wörlitz

Wörlitz

' is a town and a former municipality in the district of Wittenberg, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Oranienbaum-Wörlitz. It is situated on the left bank of the Elbe, east of Dessau...

 near Dessau

Dessau

Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...

, where he died on the 12th of March 1831.

Writings

Matthisson enjoyed for a time a great popularity on account of his Poems , which Schiller extravagantly praised for their melancholy sweetness and their fine descriptions of scenery. The 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica praises his verse as melodious and written with musical language, but complains that the thought and sentiments expressed are too often artificial and insincere. The 1905 New International Encyclopaedia

New International Encyclopedia

The New International Encyclopedia was an American encyclopedia first published in 1902 by Dodd, Mead and Company. It descended from the International Cyclopaedia and was updated in 1906, 1914 and 1926.-History:...

 judges “his verse melodious and graceful, especially in rural description, but never strong.” His Adelaide was rendered famous by Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...

's setting. Of Matthisson's elegies, Elegy in the Ruins of an Old Castle was still popular in 1911, and is praised by the 1879 American Cyclopaedia as one of his finest lyrics. He edited selections from the lyric poets of Germany under the title of Lyrische Anthologie (20 vols., Zürich, 1803-07). His Reminiscences , contain interesting accounts of his travels.

Matthisson's Writings appeared in eight volumes (1825-1829), of which the first contains his poems, the remainder his Erinnerungen; a ninth volume was added in 1833 containing his biography by Heinrich Döring

Heinrich Döring

Heinrich Doring, born Michael Johann Heinrich Döring was a German writer, theologian and mineralogist....

. His Literary Remains , with a selection from his correspondence, was published in four volumes by F. R. Schoch in 1832.