12 October 1791

Review of Don Juan in the Nationaltheater in Berlin (addendum)

[Bernhard Wessely], Musikalisches Wochenblatt, iv, ?24 Oct 1791

[30]

⁣     ⁣     ⁣   4. Nationaltheater in Berlin.

Musikalisches Wochenblatt, 30a (Resized)

⁣     Mittwochs, den 12ten Oktober. Don Juan
oder der steinerne Gast
, von Mozart.
     
Man vereinige tiefe Kenntniss der Kunst
mit dem glücklichsten Talent, reitzende Me-
lodien zu erfinden, und verbinde dann Bey-
des mit der grösstmöglichsten Originalität,
so hat man das treffendste Bild von Mo-

Musikalisches Wochenblatt, 30b (Resized)

zarts musikalischem Genius. Nie kann man
in seinen Werken einen Gedanken finden,
den man schon einmahl gehört: sogar sein
Akkompagnement ist immer neu. Unauf-
hörlich wird man ohne Ruhe und Rast von
einem Gedanken zum andern gleichsam fort-
gerissen, so dass die Bewunderung des letz-

Musikalisches Wochenblatt, 30c (resized)

[31]

ten beständig die Bewunderung aller vorher-
gehenden in sich verschlingt, und man mit
Anstrengung aller seiner Kräfte kaum die
Schönheiten alle fassen kann, die sich der
Seele darbieten. Sollte man Mozart eines
Fehlers zeihen wollen, so wäre dies wohl
das einzige: dass diese Fülle von Schönhei-
ten die Seele beinahe ermüdet, und dass der
Effekt des Ganzen zuweilen dadurch ver-
dunkelt wird. Doch, wohl dem Künstler,
dessen einziger Fehler in allzugrosser Voll-
kommenheit besteht! —
     Ins Detail einer Mozartschen Oper zu gehn,
ist beinahe unmöglich, weil man weder An-
fang noch Ende zu finden im Stande ist:
doch sey es mir vergönnt, einige der vor-
züglichsten Stücke, nach meinem Gefühle,
anzuzeigen. Hierunter gehört vor allen Din-
gen der Ouverture. Welch einen schaurigen
Eindruck macht nicht der langsame Eingang
aus
D moll; und wie schön sticht nicht das
muntere, aber doch äusserst edle
Allegro aus
D dur dagegen ab, in welchem die Nachah=
mungen meisterhaft gearbeitet und von grosser
Wirkung sind. Ausgezeichnet schön sind
in
Ansehung des Ausdrucks und in Anse-
hung des innern Okonomie [
sic] der Stimmen,
das Quartett im ersten Akt von Juan, D. Anna,
Elvira und Octavio; das Finale zum Schluss
des zweiten Akts, in welchem der Effekt
auf dem Worten:
Bebe, schwarzer Missethä-

Musikalisches Wochenblatt, 31a (resized)

ter, im höchsten Grade erschütternd ist;
ferner das Septett im dritten Akt; und end-
lich der Schluss der Oper, bei welchem das
Grausende der Scene so richtig ausgedrückt
ist, dass sich wirklich beym Zuhören allmäh-
lich die Haare sträuben. Dass auch heitere
Scenen (deren es freilich wenige in dieser
Oper giebt) unserm Komponisten gelingen,
beweisten das Bauernchor zu Anfange des
zweiten Akts, und das allerliebste kleine
Duett:
Gieb mir die Hand, mein Leben,
welches eine bezaubernde Melodie hat. Bei
einer künftigen Anzeige der Hochzeit des
Figaro, wird mehr Gelegenheit seyn, auch diese
Seite von Mozarts Genie ans Licht zu stellen.

[...]

Musikalisches Wochenblatt, 31b (resized)

      
                                                 W.

Musikalisches Wochenblatt, 31c (resized)

[translation:]

⁣     ⁣     ⁣   4. ⁣National Theater in Berlin.

⁣     Wednesday, 12 October, Don Juan oder
der steinerne Gast
, by Mozart.
⁣     If one unites deep knowledge of art with
the happiest talent of inventing charming
melodies, and combines both of these with
the greatest possible originality, then one has
the most apt picture of Mozart’s musical genius.
Never can one find in his works a thought that
one has already heard: even his accompaniment
is always new. One is ceaselessly swept forward
without rest or repose from one thought to
another, so that admiration of what is most recent
continually overwhelms admiration of all that
preceded it; and even exerting all one’s powers,
one can scarcely grasp all the beauties offered
to the soul. If one were to look for fault in
Mozart, there would probably be only one:
that this abundance of beauties almost tires out
the soul, and the effect of the whole is sometimes
thereby obscured. Yet lucky is the artist whose
only fault consists in all too great perfection.
   To go into detail on a Mozart opera is nearly
impossible, because one is not in a position to find
either a beginning or an end. But if I may be
permitted to point to some of the most excellent
pieces, in my opinion. Among these belongs,
above all, the Overture. What a chilling
impression is not made by the slow introduction in
D minor, and how beautiful a contrast on the
other hand is not the cheerful yet extremely noble
Allegro in D major, in which the imitations
are masterfully worked out and of great effect.
Magnificently beautiful, from the standpoint of
expression and the inner economy of the voices,
is the Quartet in the first act of Don Juan, Donna
Anna, Donna Elvira, and Don Ottavio; the Finale
at the close of the second act, in which the effect
at the words “Bebe, schwarzer Missethäter” is
harrowing to the highest degree; further, the
Septet in the third act; and finally the close of
the opera, whereby the horror of the scene is
so accurately expressed, that while listening one’s
hair truly stands on end. That our composer also
succeeds in happy scenes (of which there are
admittedly few in this opera) is shown by the
chorus of farmers at the beginning of the second
act, and the lovely little duet:
Giebt mir die Hand,
mein Leben
, which has an enchanting melody.
In a future report on
Die Hochzeit des Figaro there
will be more opportunity to shed light on this side
of Mozart’s genius.


Commentary

Deutsch (Dokumente, 359–60) gives only the first paragraph of this remarkable early review of Don Giovanni (performed in German as Don Juan in the Nationaltheater in Berlin), unaccountably omitting the longer second paragraph that remarks on the excellence of particular numbers in the opera. The numbers referred to specifically in the review are: the overture; the first-act quartet (“Non ti fidar, o misera” in the original Italian); the final section of the first-act finale (“Bebe, schwarzer Missethater” = “Trema, trema, o scellerato,” described in the review as the finale of the second act; the performance may have used the four-act German translation by Friedrich Ludwig Schröder); the “septet” (evidently the sextet “Sola sola in buio loco”); the close of the opera (referring to Don Juan’s descent into hell); the “Bauernchor” (the chorus “Giovinette che fate all’amore,” at the opening of the second act in this version); and the duet “Gieb mir die Hand, mein Leben” (“Là ci darem la mano”).

Deutsch attributes the review to Bernhard Anselm Weber (1764–1821) but gives no grounds for the attribution. In fact, Weber does not appear on the list of contributors to Musikalisches Wochenblatt or its successor Musikalische Monathsschrift. The only name in the contributors list beginning with “W” (the initial given at the end of the review) is Bernhard Wessely (1768–1826), who was music director of the Nationaltheater in Berlin at this time; it is more likely that Wessely was the author of this review, as well as the other items attributed to “W” in the Wochenblatt. (For more on Wessely, see our entry for 23 Jun 1792.)


Notes

On Musikalisches Wochenblatt, see our entry for 10 Oct 1791. The portion of this review of Don Juan omitted in Dokumente is given here in blue; three minor corrections to Deutsch’s transcription are in red. The first paragraph of this review is also transcribed in Rudolf von Freisauff, Mozart’s Don Juan 1787–1887. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte dieser Oper (Salzburg: Herm. Kerber, 1887), 53; Freisauff attributes the review to Bernhard Anselm Weber.

The complete text of this review is given in Schwob (2015, 178–180), along with a more complete account of its prior publication history. Schwob likewise attributes the review to Weber; as we argue above, it is probably by Bernhard Wessely. Schwob follows Deutsch in dating this issue of Musikalisches Wochenblatt to 29 Oct 1791, but it was more likely published on Mon, 24 Oct, or perhaps a day or two later; see the Notes to our commentary for 10 Oct 1791.


Bibliography

Schwob, Rainer J. ed. 2015. W. A. Mozart im Spiegel des Musikjournalismus, deutschsprachiger Raum 1782–1800. Beiträge zur Mozart-Dokumentation, vol. 1. Stuttgart: Carus Verlag.


Credit: DE

Author: Dexter Edge

Search Term: mozart

Categories: Addenda

First Published: Sun, 21 Sep 2014

Updated: Sun, 15 Jan 2023


Print Citation:

Edge, Dexter. 2014. “Review of Don Juan in the Nationaltheater in Berlin (addendum) (12 October 1791).” In: Mozart: New Documents, edited by Dexter Edge and David Black. First published 21 September 2014; updated 15 January 2023. https://www.mozartdocuments.org/documents/12-october-1791/

Web Citation:

Edge, Dexter. 2014. “Review of Don Juan in the Nationaltheater in Berlin (addendum) (12 October 1791).” In: Mozart: New Documents, edited by Dexter Edge and David Black. First published 21 September 2014; updated 15 January 2023. [direct link]