Gottlieb Konrad Pfeffel (28 June 1736 – 1 May 1809) was a French-German writer and translator from the Pfeffel family. His texts were put to music by

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

and

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

. He is sometimes also known as Amédée or Théophile Conrad Pfeffel, which is the French translation of Gottlieb ("Godlove").

Biography

Gottlieb Konrad Pfeffel was born in

Colmar Colmar (; ; or ) is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Alsace region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is the seat of the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department ...

. His father, Johann Konrad Pfeffel (1682–1738), was the mayor of Colmar and a legal consultant of the French king, but died when Gottlieb was only two years old. His mother was Anna Katharina Pfeffel, nee Herr (1694–1773), daughter of patrician of Colmar Johann Georg Herr. His father was the son of a pastor Johann Konrad Pfeffel (1636–1701). He was raised by his brother (1726–1807), who was ten years older. He went in 1751 to the

University of Halle Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public research university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. MLU offers German and i ...

to study law, with the intention of becoming a diplomat. There, he was a student of the philosopher Christian Wolff. In 1752, Pfeffel translated

Johann Joachim Spalding Johann Joachim Spalding (1 November 1714 – 25 May 1804) was a German Protestant theologian and philosopher of Scottish ancestry who was a native of Tribsees, Swedish Pomerania. He was the father of Georg Ludwig Spalding, a professor at Grauen ...

's ''Gedanken über den Werth der Gefühle in dem Christenthum'' into French. In 1754, he went to

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

for treatment of an eye problem; there, he met the poet

Christian Fürchtegott Gellert Christian Fürchtegott Gellert (4 July 171513 December 1769) was a German poet, one of the forerunners of the golden age of German literature that was ushered in by Lessing. Biography Gellert was born at Hainichen in Saxony, at the foot of the ...

. His eye condition deteriorated, and in 1758, after an operation, he became completely blind and had to abandon his studies. In February 1759, Pfeffel married Margaretha Cleophe Divoux (1738–1809), a merchant's daughter from

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

. They had thirteen children together, of whom seven died before adulthood. His son Gottlieb Conrad August Pfeffel (b. 1759), who studied law in Göttingen, was admitted to the Golden Circle Lodge there in 1781. The other son was (1775–1858) who subsequently became Banker and member of Parliament. He started to establish himself as a writer and translator. In 1762, he translated Magnus Gottfried Lichtwer's ''Fabeln'' in French. He also worked on a translation into German of

Claude Fleury Claude Fleury (6 December 1640, Paris – 14 July 1723, Paris), was a French priest, jurist, and ecclesiastical historian. Destined for the bar, he was educated at the elite, Jesuit College de Clermont (now that of Louis-le-Grand) in Paris. In 1 ...

's ''Histoire ecclésiastique''. Pfeffel opened a military academy for aristocratic Protestants in 1773, since these boys were not allowed at the military academy of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He joined the

Helvetic Society The Helvetische Gesellschaft / Société Helvétique, or Helvetic Society as it is known in English, was a patriotic society and the first Swiss reform society. It was founded by Swiss philosopher Isaak Iselin, poet Solomon Gessner and some 20 ot ...

in 1776, and in 1782 became a citizen of the city of

Biel Biel/Bienne (official bilingual wording; German language, German: ''Biel'' ; French language, French: ''Bienne'' ; Bernese German, locally ; ; ; ) is a bilingual city in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. With over 55,000 residents, it is the ...

(Bienne) in Switzerland, and became an honorary member of the city council in 1783. The

Prussian Academy of Arts The Prussian Academy of Arts () was a state arts academy first established in 1694 by prince-elector Frederick III of Electorate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg in Berlin, in personal union Duke Frederick I of Prussia, and later king in Kingdom of ...

made him an honorary member in 1788. After the French Revolution, Pfeffel lost the military academy and his fortune, and found jobs with the educational board of Colmar, with the publisher Tübingen- Cotta, and as a translator, until

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

granted him an annual pension in 1806. He wrote many articles for the magazine ''Flora''. In 1808, Pfeffel became an honorary member of the

Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities () is an independent public institution, located in Munich. It appoints scholars whose research has contributed considerably to the increase of knowledge within their subject. The general goal of th ...

. He died the next year. His poem ''Der freie Mann'' was put to music by Ludwig van Beethoven (catalogue number

WoO Woo, or variants, may refer to: People * Wu (surname), and several variants and other transliterations ** Wu (surname 伍) ** Wu (surname 武) ** Ng (name): 吳, 伍 * Hu (surname), also pronounced Woo * Woo (Korean surname) * Woo (Korean give ...

117) in 1794 or 1795. Franz Schubert made a

lied In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

of his text ''Der Vatermörder'' ( D10), and

Leopold Kozeluch Leopold may refer to: People * Leopold (given name), including a list of people named Leopold or Léopold * Leopold (surname) Fictional characters * Leopold (''The Simpsons''), Superintendent Chalmers' assistant on ''The Simpsons'' * Leopold B ...

put music to his

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

for the blind Austrian singer

Maria Theresia von Paradis Maria Theresia von Paradis (May 15, 1759 – February 1, 1824) was an Austrian musician and composer who lost her sight at an early age, and for whom her close friend Mozart may have written his Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat major. She was al ...

. In 1773, Pfeffel's ''Philemon und Baucis: Ein Schauspiel in Versen von einem Aufzuge'', a play in verse in one act, was turned into a

singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk- ...

for a

marionette A marionette ( ; ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by ...

theater by

with the new title '' Philemon und Baucis oder Jupiters Reise auf die Erde'' (''Philemon and Baucis or Jupiter's Travels to the Earth''). It was changed into a regular opera in 1776. Pfeffel was a friend or acquaintance of many well-known persons of his period, including

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

Vittorio Alfieri Count Vittorio Amedeo Alfieri (, also , ; 16 January 17498 October 1803) was an Italians, Italian dramatist and poet, considered the "founder of Italian tragedy." He wrote nineteen tragedies, sonnets, satires, and a notable autobiography. Early l ...

and the Swiss poet

Johann Kaspar Lavater Johann Kaspar (or Caspar) Lavater (; 15 November 1741 – 2 January 1801) was a Switzerland, Swiss poet, writer, philosopher, physiognomist and theologian. Early life Lavater was born in Zürich, and was educated at the ''Gymnasium (school), Gy ...

, with whom he corresponded for many years. In 1839, his grandniece

Ernestine von Pfeffel Baroness Ernestine von Pfeffel (1810–1894), was the second wife of the poet Fyodor Tyutchev. Biography Born to Christian Hubert von Pfeffel (1765–1834), Bavarian diplomat and ambassador to London and Paris, and his wife, Caroline née Baro ...

(1810–1894) married

Fyodor Tyutchev Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev (, ; – ) was a Russian poet and diplomat. Ancestry Tyutchev was born into an old Russian noble family in the Ovstug family estate near Bryansk (modern-day Zhukovsky District, Bryansk Oblast of Russia). His f ...

, one of the most famous Russian poets. A statue of Pfeffel by

André Friedrich André Friedrich or Andreas Friederich (17 January 1798, in Ribeauvillé – 9 March 1877, in Strasbourg) was an Alsace, Alsatian artist, sculptor and lithographer active in Germany and France. Life He studied at the Hochschule für Bildende K ...

was placed in the Unterlinden Museum in 1859, and a copy of that statue was placed on the Grand Rue in Colmar in 1927.

Bibliography

* ''Der Einsiedler'', 1761 * ''Philemon und Baucis: Ein Schauspiel in Versen von einem Aufzuge'': 6 editions published between 1763 and 1773 in 4 languages: reprinted as ''Philemon und Baucis, oder, Jupiters Reise auf die Erde : deutsche Marionetten-Oper'': music by

, 1773 * ''Dramatische Kinderspiele'': 5 volumes published between 1763 and 1774: translated in French * ''Magazin für den Verstand und das Herz'', 1764, translated in Russian and French * ''Neue Beyträge zur Deutschen Maculatur'': 2 editions published in 1766 * ''Freymund, oder der übel angebrachte Stolz: ein Lustspiel in fünf Aufzügen'', 1770 * ''Der Einsiedler: ein Trauerspiel in Versen von einem Aufzuge'', 1771 * ''Serena: ein bürgerliches Trauerspiel'', 1776, with Paul Landois * ''Lieder für die Colmarische Kriegsschule'', 1778 * ''Fabeln, der Helvetischen Gesellschaft gewidmet'': 8 editions published between 1783 and 1815 * ''Histoire du regne de Marie-Thérèse'', 1786 * ''Poetische Versuche von Gottlieb Conrad Pfeffel'': 71 editions published between 1789 and 1968 in 4 language: also published in 3 parts, with a further 11 editions, and with three additional parts in 1802, eventually growing to ten bands by 1810 * ''Prosaische Versuche'': 27 editions published between 1794 and 1813, expanded to 10 bands by 1810 * ''Contes et nouvelles'', 1822 (French translation of a selection of his work) * ''Briefe über Religion an Bettina'': 7 editions published in 1824 in 3 language * ''Ausgewählte Unterhaltungen'', Volumes 5–6, 1828 * ''Bloemlezing uit de fabelen en vertellingen'', Dutch translation from 1832 * ''Fabeln und poetische Erzählungen'': 9 editions published between 1840 and 1861: translated as ''Fables et poésies choisies'' in 1840 * ''Historisches Magazin für Verstand und Herz'', 1840 * ''Poetische Werke: Mit Biographie und Portrait: Volumes 1-3'', 1841 * ''G C Pfeffel's Epistel an die Nachwelt'', 1859 * ''Pfeffel-Album: Gaben elsässischer Dichter'', 1859 * ''Gottlieb Konrad Pfeffels Fremdenbuch mit biographischen und culturgeschichtlichen Erläuterungen'', 1892 *''Skorpion und Hirtenknabe; Fabeln, Epigramme, poetische Erzählungen, Biographie eines Pudels und andere Prosa'', 1970 * ''Biographie eines Pudels und andere Satiren'': 2 editions published in 1987

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pfeffel, Gottlib Konrad Place of death missing 1736 births 1809 deaths People from the Province of Alsace 18th-century French dramatists and playwrights 18th-century French journalists 18th-century French male writers 18th-century French poets 18th-century French translators 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights 19th-century French journalists 19th-century French male writers 19th-century French poets 19th-century French translators Alsatian-German people Blind writers Founders of educational institutions French blind people French expatriates in Switzerland French founders French–German translators French male dramatists and playwrights French male journalists French male poets French opera librettists French writers in German French writers with disabilities German blind people German–French translators German writers with disabilities Magazine writers People from Biel/Bienne People from Colmar Prussian Academy of Arts University of Halle alumni Unterlinden Museum Writers from Grand Est

Biography

Bibliography

Notes

Further reading

See also

External links