Ernst Ortlepp

Last updated

Ernst Ortlepp (August 1, 1800 - June 14, 1864) was a German poet.

Contents

Ortlepp was born in Droyßig near Zeitz as the son of a Lutheran priest. He went to school in Pforta until he was 19 years old and then studied theology and philosophy in Leipzig. He left the university in 1824 without taking a degree.

Ortlepp returned to Leipzig during the thirties of the 19th century and became famous for his political poems. Some of them were dedicated to Poland and its struggle for independence. Around this time he became an acquaintance of the young Richard Wagner (Ortlepp also met Johann Wolfgang von Goethe a few years before). His critical statements in Fieschi alarmed the Austrian statesman Metternich, who used his power to forbid the further publishment of this poem. Ortlepp finally became Leipzig's persona non grata in 1836. [1]

He went to Württemberg, where he lived since 1837. In this period he made a living by translating the works of other poets like Lord Byron. [2] Ortlepp tried to create a national poem, which he called Germania, during the Revolution of 1848. His financial situation worsened and he was thrown out of Württemberg in 1853. [3] He then returned to his homeland. [3]

Ortlepp's life became even more unstable, after his failed attempt to become a college-teacher in 1856. He got into some trouble, probably caused by alcoholism, and was imprisoned twice at Zeitz. That didn't terminate his poetical career as he was still published in a newspaper of Naumburg. He also wrote verses for private customers.

During the last years of his life, he spent a lot of time at his old school, where several teachers and students became his friends. Among them was Friedrich Nietzsche. Some biographers believe that Ortlepp was Nietzsche's mentor and deeply influenced him.

Ernst Ortlepp died near Pforta on June 14, 1864. The circumstances of his death remain mysterious. Nietzsche wrote the following words in a letter: Der alte Ortlepp ist übrigens todt. Zwischen Pforta und Almrich fiel er in einen Graben und brach den Nacken. In Pforta wurde er früh morgends bei düsterem Regen begraben; vier Arbeiter trugen den rohen Sarg; Prof. Keil folgte mit einem Regenschirm. Kein Geistlicher. Wir sprachen ihn am Todestag in Almrich. Er sagte, er gienge sich ein Logis im Saalthale zu miethen. Wir wollen ihm einen kleinen Denkstein setzen; wir haben gesammelt; wir haben an 40 Thl. [4]

(Translation: Old Ortlepp is dead, by the way. Between Pforta and Almrich, he fell in a roadside ditch and broke his neck. They buried him at Pforta under dusky rain in the early morning; four workers carried the crude coffin; Professor Keil followed with an umbrella. There was no priest. We talked to him at Almrich on the day of his death. He said he was going to rent an accommodation in the Saale valley. We want to erect a small monument for him; we have collected money, about 40 Thaler.) [4]

Literature

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernst Moritz Arndt</span> German historian, writer and politician (1769–1860)

Ernst Moritz Arndt was a German nationalist historian, writer and poet. Early in his life, he fought for the abolition of serfdom, later against Napoleonic dominance over Germany. Arndt had to flee to Sweden for some time due to his anti-French positions. He is one of the main founders of German nationalism during the Napoleonic wars and the 19th century movement for German unification. After the Carlsbad Decrees, the forces of the restoration counted him as a demagogue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludwig Uhland</span> German poet and politician (1787–1862)

Johann Ludwig Uhland was a German poet, philologist and literary historian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philipp Mainländer</span> German philosopher and poet (1841–1876)

Philipp Mainländer was a German philosopher and poet. Born Philipp Batz, he later changed his name to "Mainländer" in homage to his hometown, Offenbach am Main.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustav Freytag</span> 19th-century German writer

Gustav Freytag was a German novelist and playwright.

"God is dead" is a statement made by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. The first instance of this statement in Nietzsche's writings is in his 1882 The Gay Science, where it appears three times. The phrase also appears in Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

<i>St Matthew Passion</i> 1727 sacred oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach

The St Matthew Passion, BWV 244, is a Passion, a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander. It sets the 26th and 27th chapters of the Gospel of Matthew to music, with interspersed chorales and arias. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest masterpieces of Baroque sacred music. The original Latin title Passio Domini nostri J.C. secundum Evangelistam Matthæum translates to "The Passion of our Lord J[esus] C[hrist] according to the Evangelist Matthew".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pforta</span> Gymnasium school in Schulpforte, Germany

Pforta, or Schulpforta, is a school located in Pforta monastery, a former Cistercian monastery (1137–1540), near Naumburg on the Saale River in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Droyßig</span> Municipality in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Droyßig is a municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. On 1 January 2010 it absorbed the former municipality Weißenborn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Der König in Thule</span>

"Der König in Thule" is a German poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, written in 1774.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist</span> Christian song by Martin Luther

"Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist" is a German Christian hymn. The first stanza is a leise from the 13th century which alludes to the Latin sequence Veni Sancte Spiritus for Pentecost. It was widely known, and aside from its Pentecostal origin was also used as a procession song and in sacred plays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludwig Hoffmann (architect)</span> German architect

Ludwig Ernst Emil Hoffmann was a German architect and was one of the most famous architects of Berlin.

<i>Unser lieben Frauen Traum</i> Sacred motet by Max Roger

Unser lieben Frauen Traum Op. 138, No. 4, is a sacred motet for unaccompanied mixed choir by Max Reger. The German text is a poem by an anonymous poet, derived from a Volkslied. The piece is in F major and scored for up to six voices, SSATBB. Composed in Meiningen in 1914, it was published in 1916 after Reger's death as the fourth of Acht geistliche Gesänge. It is often performed in Advent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernst Keil</span>

Ernst Victor Keil was a German bookseller, journalist, editor and publisher. His early publications promoted liberal views and satirized famous politicians leading up to the German revolutions of 1848–49, resulting in government censorship and earning him a short prison stay in 1852. He then developed Die Gartenlaube, a weekly illustrated magazine aimed at enlightening and entertaining the whole family, particularly the middle and lower classes of society. It became the first successful mass-market German language magazine. By the time of his death in 1878, Gartenlaube had reached a paid circulation of 382,000 and an actual readership of at least 2 million, making it one of the most widely read publications in the world at the time. Keil's work had a significant and lasting influence on the formation of a German national identity before, during and after the unification of Germany in 1871.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthias Politycki</span> German novelist and poet (born 1955)

Matthias Politycki is a German novelist and poet. He studied in Munich and Vienna and obtained a PhD in philosophy in 1987. His first novel Aus Fälle/Zerlegung des Regenbogens. Ein Entwickelungsroman. appeared that same year. His breakthrough came in 1997 with Weiberroman and in 2008 with his cruise ship satire In 180 Tagen um die Welt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Köhler</span> German writer, playwright and actor (born 1974)

Karen Köhler is a German writer, playwright and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Spitzer (author)</span> German author, comedian and online producer

Thomas Eduard Spitzer is a German author, comedian and online producer.

Johann Georg Hermann Voigt was a German organist, cellist, violist and composer.

Wir sind des Geyers schwarzer Haufen is an interwar-era German marching song. Composed around the 1920s, the lyrics of the song are sourced from the poem Ich bin der arme Konrad by the Bavarian poet and artillery officer Heinrich von Reder (1824–1909). The melody of the song is arranged by German songwriter and later National Socialist Fritz Sotke (1902–1970) in 1919. As a song about the German Peasants' War, the song lyrics are noted for their strong anti-clerical and anti-noble themes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans-Jürgen Hufeisen</span> German recorder player

Hans-Jürgen Hufeisen is a German recorder player and composer.

Joachim Werzlau was a German pianist, radio consultant and composer. He belonged to the first generation of composers in the GDR, where he was also active in organisations and politics. As a pianist, he played for the theatre, for Mary Wigman's dance school, and a kabarett, among others. He composed popular songs, music for audio plays, film scores, incidental music, and three operas. With films such as Nackt unter Wölfen and Jakob der Lügner, he was the most popular film composer of the GDR of his time.

References

  1. ↑ "Ortlepp in Zeitz - English". www.f-nietzsche.de. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  2. ↑ "The Nietzsche Channel: Nietzsche's Letters. 1880". www.thenietzschechannel.com. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  3. 1 2 "Chronik". Ernst-Ortlepp-Gesellschaft e.V. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  4. 1 2 "Nietzsche Youth Works". www.f-nietzsche.de. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.