18 April 1784

Announcement of the first performance of Die Entführung aus dem Serail in Mannheim

Mannheimer Zeitung, no. 46, Saturday, 17 April 1784

[191]
                       Theater=Anzeige.
Auf der hiesigen Nazionalbühne wird mor=
gen, Sonntags den 18. dieses, zum ersten=
mal aufgeführet werden: Die Entführ=
rung aus dem Serail, eine Operette
in drei Aufzügen, von Brezner; die Musik
ist von Herrn Mozart.

Mannheimer Zeitung, 1784, 191

[translation:]

⁣                       Theater Notice
On Sunday the 18th on the National stage
here will be performed for the first time: Die
Entführung aus dem Serail, an opera in
three acts by Bretzner; the music is by
Herr Mozart.

Commentary

(pdf)

Deutsch (Dokumente, 199) states that Entführung was premiered in Mannheim on 18 Apr 1784, citing the Journal von und für Deutschland, May 1784, 581, but without quoting the report. It reads:

⁣     Mannheim. 18 Apr. Die Entführung
aus dem Serail. Oper. 3 A. von Brezner [sic]
die Musik vom Hrn. Mozart. Zum ersten=
mal.

(For a link to this volume of the Journal, see below under Notes.)

The earlier notice in the Mannheimer Zeitung transcribed here confirms both the date and that it was the premiere.

The page following this announcement (192) includes an advertisement for the libretto:

⁣     In der neuen Hof= und Akademischen Buchhand=
lung neben dem Gasthause zum Riesen sind zu haben[:]
Die Entführung aus dem Serail, eine Operette,
24 kr. Kuhnraths philosophische Erklärung des
geheimen, äusserlichen, sichtbaren Glut un [sic] Flam=
menfeuers &c. 24 kr. Menschenhandlungen auf
unebenem Lande, zweiter Theil, 40 kr.

On Sat, 24 Apr 1784, the Mannheimer Zeitung (203–4) advertised a performance of Entführung the following day, Sun, 25 Apr; and the issue of Wed, 4 Aug 1784 includes a notice (391–92) for a performance of the opera that same day.

The Mannheimer Zeitung does not appear to have been consulted for Dokumente, Addenda, NMD, or Neue Folge.

Notes

The first volume of the Journal von und für Deutschland in 1784, containing the issues for Jan to Jun, is not, as of this writing, on Google Books, although many later volumes are. The digital copy consulted here is found on the site of the Universitätsbibliothek of the Universität Bielefeld. That site does not provide permalinks for individual pages; the volume as a whole can be accessed here.

Credit: DE

Author: Dexter Edge

Link(s):

Google Books; BSB

Search Term: mozart

Source Library:

BSB, 4 Eph.pol. 65-1784

Categories: Reception, Addenda

First Published: Mon, 9 Jun 2014

Updated: Mon, 6 Jun 2022

Print Citation:

Edge, Dexter. 2014. “Announcement of the first performance of Die Entführung aus dem Serail in Mannheim (18 April 1784).” In: Mozart: New Documents, edited by Dexter Edge and David Black. First published 9 June 2014; updated 6 June 2022. https://www.mozartdocuments.org/documents/18-april-1784/

Web Citation:

Edge, Dexter. 2014. “Announcement of the first performance of Die Entführung aus dem Serail in Mannheim (18 April 1784).” In: Mozart: New Documents, edited by Dexter Edge and David Black. First published 9 June 2014; updated 6 June 2022. [direct link]