Christian Felix Weiße (1726–1804) was a German writer and pedagogue. Weiße was among the leading representatives of the Enlightenment in Germany and is regarded as the founder of German children's literature.
Weiße was born as twin on 28 January 1726 in Annaberg in the Ore Mountains as the son of Christian Heinrich Weiße and his wife, Christian Elisabeth. His father was rector at a Latin school and teacher for oriental and modern European languages. When Weiße was one year old, the family moved to Altenburg, Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig, where he then attended the Gymnasium and made his first attempts at writing poetry. His father had died in 1730.
After he finished his studies, Weiße became a private tutor to the Count Geyersberg, also a student in Leipzig. Friedrich Nicolai asked Weiße in 1759 to become editor of the magazine Bibliothek der schönen Wissenschaften (Library of the Beautiful Sciences) which Nicolai had founded two years before; Weiße published this magazine and its successor until 1788. The same year, 1759, Weiße travelled to Paris; on his return, he relinquished the tutor position and became social companion to Count Schulenburg on the count's castle in Burgscheidungen.
Weiße became district tax collector in Leipzig in 1762 and married in the following year Christiane Platner, the daughter of a renowned Leipzig surgeon and sister of Ernst Platner. In 1790, the patronage of Count Schulenburg allowed him to acquire the castle in Stötteritz (today part of Leipzig). He redesigned it completely and established an English garden. The property changed from an estate to a summerhouse and garden where a salon sees guests like Christian Garve, Christoph Martin Wieland, Moritz August von Thümmel and Jean Paul.
Children's magazine Der Kinderfreund (part 11, 1781).
Apart from his poetry and plays, Weiße had great success with his magazine Der Kinderfreund (The Children's Friend) which he published from 1775 until 1782 in 24 volumes; it is regarded as the first magazine for children in Germany. Four of his poems were set to music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Weiße was not appreciated by the literary representatives of the then new movement, Sturm und Drang. His most lasting success were the librettos to Johann Adam Hiller's Singspiele.
Weiße died on 16 December 1804 in Stötteritz; he is buried in the Alter Johannisfriedhof in Leipzig. He was survived by his wife who died in 1813. A notable child from this marriage was the historian and jurist Christian Ernst Weiße.
Worksedit
Librettos
Almost all of the works by Johann Adam Hiller are set to librettos by Weiße, in particular:
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Christian Felix Weisse news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2015 Learn how and when to remove this message Christian Felix Weisse 1726 1804 was a German writer and pedagogue Weisse was among the leading representatives of the Enlightenment in Germany and is regarded as the founder of German children s literature Christian Felix Weisse 1769 by Anton Graff Contents 1 Life 2 Works 3 References 4 External linksLife editWeisse was born as twin on 28 January 1726 in Annaberg in the Ore Mountains as the son of Christian Heinrich Weisse and his wife Christian Elisabeth His father was rector at a Latin school and teacher for oriental and modern European languages When Weisse was one year old the family moved to Altenburg Thuringia 45 km south of Leipzig where he then attended the Gymnasium and made his first attempts at writing poetry His father had died in 1730 His family moved then to Leipzig where he studied philology and theology from 1745 until 1750 at the University of Leipzig During this time he became acquainted with Christian Furchtegott Gellert Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Friederike Caroline Neuber Gottlieb Rabener and Ewald Christian von Kleist After he finished his studies Weisse became a private tutor to the Count Geyersberg also a student in Leipzig Friedrich Nicolai asked Weisse in 1759 to become editor of the magazine Bibliothek der schonen Wissenschaften Library of the Beautiful Sciences which Nicolai had founded two years before Weisse published this magazine and its successor until 1788 The same year 1759 Weisse travelled to Paris on his return he relinquished the tutor position and became social companion to Count Schulenburg on the count s castle in Burgscheidungen Weisse became district tax collector in Leipzig in 1762 and married in the following year Christiane Platner the daughter of a renowned Leipzig surgeon and sister of Ernst Platner In 1790 the patronage of Count Schulenburg allowed him to acquire the castle in Stotteritz today part of Leipzig He redesigned it completely and established an English garden The property changed from an estate to a summerhouse and garden where a salon sees guests like Christian Garve Christoph Martin Wieland Moritz August von Thummel and Jean Paul nbsp Children s magazine Der Kinderfreund part 11 1781 Apart from his poetry and plays Weisse had great success with his magazine Der Kinderfreund The Children s Friend which he published from 1775 until 1782 in 24 volumes it is regarded as the first magazine for children in Germany Four of his poems were set to music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Weisse was not appreciated by the literary representatives of the then new movement Sturm und Drang His most lasting success were the librettos to Johann Adam Hiller s Singspiele Weisse died on 16 December 1804 in Stotteritz he is buried in the Alter Johannisfriedhof in Leipzig He was survived by his wife who died in 1813 A notable child from this marriage was the historian and jurist Christian Ernst Weisse Works editLibrettos Almost all of the works by Johann Adam Hiller are set to librettos by Weisse in particular Die verwandelten Weiber 1766 Lottchen am Hofe 1767 Die Jagd 1770 Works by other composers include Der Dorfbarbier music 1771 by Christian Gottlob Neefe and Johann Adam Hiller Romeo und Julie by Georg Benda is based on Weisse s translation of Shakespeare s Romeo and Juliet Comedies Die Freundschaft auf der Probe 1768 Friendship Tested Collection in 3 volumes 1783 nbsp 1784 title vignette to Briefwechsel der Familie des Kinderfreundes by Daniel Chodowiecki Tragedies Die Befreyung von Theben 1764 The Liberation of Thebes Collection in 5 volumes 1776 1780 Children s books and non fiction Beytrag zum deutschen Theater 5 volumes 1759 1768 Contribution to the German Theatre Kleine Lieder fur Kinder 1766 Little Songs for Children Neues ABC Buch 1772 New Alphabet Book Der Kinderfreund 24 volumes 1775 1782 The Children s Friend Briefwechsel der Familie des Kinderfreundes 12 volumes 1784 1792 Letters from the Family of the Children s Friend Achthundert neue noch nie gedruckte Rathsel 1791 Eight hundred Never Before Printed Riddles Christian Felix Weissens Selbstbiographie 1806 Autobiography References editJakob Minor in German 1896 Weisse Christian Felix Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie in German vol 41 Leipzig Duncker amp Humblot pp 587 590External links edit nbsp German Wikisource has original text related to this article Christian Felix Weisse nbsp Media related to Christian Felix Weisse at Wikimedia Commons Christian Felix Weisse at zeno org in German Poems Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Christian Felix Weisse amp oldid 1125607372, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
