Rudolf Baumbach
Encyclopedia
Rudolf Baumbach was a German
poet.
Born in Kranichfeld
in Thuringia
, Germany
, the son of a local medical practitioner, he received his early schooling at the gymnasium
of Meiningen
, to which place his father had moved. After studying natural science
at Leipzig
as a member of the German Student Corps
Thuringia and in various other universities, he engaged in private tuition, both independently and in families, in the Austria
n towns of Graz
, Brünn
and Trieste
.
In Trieste he caught the popular taste with an Alpine
legend, Zlatorog (1877), and songs of a journeyman apprentice, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (1878), both of which ran into many editions. Their success decided him to embark upon a literary career. In 1885, he returned to Meiningen, where he received the title of Hofrat, and was appointed ducal librarian. He remained in Meiningen for the twenty years until his death in 1905.
Baumbach was a poet of the breezy, vagabond school and wrote, in imitation of his greater compatriot, Joseph Viktor von Scheffel
, many excellent drinking songs, among which Die Lindenwirtin ("The Linden Hostess") has endeared him to the German student world. But his real strength lay in narrative verse, especially when he had the opportunity of describing the scenery and life of his native Thuringia. Special mention may be made of Frau Holde (1881), Spielmannslieder (1882), Von der Landstraße (1882), Thüringer Lieder (1891) and his prose, Sommermärchen ("Summer legends", 1881).
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.
Born in Kranichfeld
Kranichfeld
Kranichfeld is a town in the Weimarer Land district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Ilm, 18 km southeast of Erfurt, and 16 km southwest of Weimar....
in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, Germany
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...
, the son of a local medical practitioner, he received his early schooling at the gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
of Meiningen
Meiningen
Meiningen is a town in Germany - located in the southern part of the state of Thuringia and is the district seat of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. It is situated on the river Werra....
, to which place his father had moved. After studying natural science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
at 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...
as a member of the German Student Corps
German Student Corps
Corps are the oldest still-existing kind of Studentenverbindung, Germany's traditional university corporations; their roots date back to the 15th century. The oldest corps still existing today was founded in 1789...
Thuringia and in various other universities, he engaged in private tuition, both independently and in families, in the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n towns of Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, Brünn
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
and Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
.
In Trieste he caught the popular taste with an Alpine
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
legend, Zlatorog (1877), and songs of a journeyman apprentice, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (1878), both of which ran into many editions. Their success decided him to embark upon a literary career. In 1885, he returned to Meiningen, where he received the title of Hofrat, and was appointed ducal librarian. He remained in Meiningen for the twenty years until his death in 1905.
Baumbach was a poet of the breezy, vagabond school and wrote, in imitation of his greater compatriot, Joseph Viktor von Scheffel
Joseph Viktor von Scheffel
Joseph Victor von Scheffel was a German poet and novelist.-Biography:He was born at Karlsruhe. His father, a retired major in the Baden army, was a civil engineer and member of the commission for regulating the course of the Rhine; his mother, née Josephine Krederer, the daughter of a prosperous...
, many excellent drinking songs, among which Die Lindenwirtin ("The Linden Hostess") has endeared him to the German student world. But his real strength lay in narrative verse, especially when he had the opportunity of describing the scenery and life of his native Thuringia. Special mention may be made of Frau Holde (1881), Spielmannslieder (1882), Von der Landstraße (1882), Thüringer Lieder (1891) and his prose, Sommermärchen ("Summer legends", 1881).