Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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SINGSPIEL SINGSPIEL 469
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Der Teufel ist los, ' founded on the English
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dramatic representation with music ; not any one by Heinrich Schutz in 1627. The earliest instance
of an independent German Singspiel with
particular kind—singing being capable of being
employed in such various ways—but any entertainment
singing and spoken dialogue was Seelewig,' a
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' Dafne,' written by Martin Opitz and composed Kappchen,' etc., produced at the Imperial
in which spoken dialogue and singing sacred Waldgedicht or Freudenspiel. In a
alternate. In time speech gave way at intervals spoken play of Harsdorffer's (1644) were introduced
not only to singing, but to singing by several
Arias after the Italian manner, composed
voices at once. Latei-, when the spoken dialogue (see the Monaishefte fur MiisikgescMchie, 1881,
had been brought into entire subjection to music, Nos. 4, 5, 6) by Siegmund Gottlieb Stadek.
as was the case in Italy after the revolution The piece is intended for private performance,
effected in the whole nature of dramatic representation
and written for three trebles, two altos,
by the rise of opera, not only concerted two tenors, one bass, three violins, three flutes,
vocal pieces were introduced into the German three reeds, and one large horn, the bass being
Singspiel, but instrumental music and its i^rot^g^ taken throughout by a theorbo. No two voices
monody as well. We find the earliest traces of ever sing at the same time, and the insti'uments
the Singspiel in the German miracle -plays, have short symphonies to themselves. The only
which were gradually developed outside the regular stage at that time was the Italian operahouse
churches from the Passions given inside them.
of each capital (that of Vienna being built
The Passions were sung throughout, while in the in 1651, and that of Dresden in 1667) and of
miracle-plays spoken words in German were Nuremberg and other Imperial cities. The
introduced, the singing still being in Latin, as for German Singspiel found a home in Hamburg in
the theatre built in 1678, but soon encountered
example in the Ludus pasohalis ' de passione
Domini' MS. of the 13th century. In course a formidable rival in German opera, founded by
of time the Latin text and consequently the Eeinhard Keiser. After this, half a century
music were thrust into the background. In a went by before the Singspiel was heard of again.
14th-century MS. called ' Marienklage,' preserved
In 1743 the Dobbelin company in Berlin pro-
in the convent of Lichtenthal near Baden, duced without success a German Liederspiel,
Mary sings in German. Indeed we already
find the typical German miracle-play in the piece 'The Devil to pay,' followed by Sohiirer's
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Spiel von den zehn Jungfrauen ' performed at 'Doris'(l747)andScheibe's'Thusnelda'(1749),
Eisenach in 1322, in which all the words sung both very successful. Thus encouraged, Koch's
are German. These plays were generally performed
company began to play Singspiele in Leipzig,
on the eves of the great festivals, such Weimar, and Berlin, their first piece being Die
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as Whitsunday, Epiphany, etc. Gradually the verwandelfen Weiber,' another version of 'The
ecclesiastical element disappeared, leaving only Devil to pay, ' written by C. F. Weisse, composed
the secular, and thus originated the Shrove by J. A. Hiller, and produced at Leipzig in 1764
Tuesday plays, in which the characteristics of with great success. The same authors produced
whole classes of society, priests, doctors, travelling
a succession of similar pieces,
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Der lustige
scholars, etc., were held up to ridicule. Schuster' (1765), 'Lottchen am Hofe,' and
Nuremberg and Augsburg were specially celebrated
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Die Liebe auf dem Lande (1 767), Die Jagd
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for these plays, written for the most part (1771),
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Aerndtekranz ' and Der ' Doriharbier'
by Hans Kosenblut (about 1405), Hans Folz of
(1772). Neefe, Eeichardt, Stegemann,
Worms (about 1480), both living in Nuremberg, Schweitzer, and others, brought to perfection
and Nicolaus Mercator. They gradually, however, this new species, now called Operetta.
degenerated into obscene pieces, until in the Independently of all this going on in North
16tli century Hans Sachs and Jakob Ayrer Germany, the German Singspiel had sprung
(both of whom introduced music into their plays) up in Vienna, starting, curiously enough, with
started the movement which ended in the reformation
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Die doppelte Verwandlung of the German stage. By Ayrer tion from the French 'Le
(1767),
Diable
an
k
adapta-
quatre,'
we still have a 'SchiJns neus singets Spiel,' Sedaine's version of 'The Devil to pay.' Werner,
Der Munch im Kesskorb,' sung in 1618 by five
Haydn's predecessor at Eisenstadt, had
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persons entirely on the melody of the English
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already produced at the Court Gei-man theatre
Roland.' This melody is repeated fifty-four a Tafelstiick {i.e. piece intended for private
times, and one cannot help suspecting that the performance) .called Der Wienerische Tandelmarkt
' English stage was to some extent Ayrer's model.
' (1760). The marionette plays, of which
' A reaction from these ' people's plays ' (as they Haydn was so fond, were Singspiele, and he
might be called) was caused by the school plays
' supplied the court of Esterhaz with Philemon
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in Latin, annually performed by the pupils of und Baucis' (1773), 'Genoveva' (1777), 'Dido,'
the Jesuits. Between the acts German interludes
a parody on a grand opera (1778), and 'Die
with music were introduced, and these were erfuUte Eache ' (1780).
' Der krumme Teufel,'
virtually Singspiele in the modern sense. The to words by Kurz, was a real Singspiel. Dittersdorfs
first Singspiel in imitation of the Italian opera
'Doctor und Apotheker,' 'Liebe im
without any spoken dialogue was the lost Narrenhause,' Hieronymus ' Knicker,' 'Eothe