Carl Maria Von Weber and the Search for a German Opera

<p>Stephen C. Meyer details the intricate relationships between the operas Der Freischütz and Euryanthe and contemporary discourse on both the Germany of the imagination and the new nation itself. In so doing he presents excerpts from a wide range of philosophical political and musical writings many of which are little known and otherwise unavailable in English. Individual chapters trace the multidimensional concept of German and foreign opera through the 19th century. Meyer's study of Der Freischütz places the work within the context of emerging German nationalism and a chapter on Euryanthe addresses the opera's stylistic and topical shifts in light of changing cultural and aesthetic circumstances. As a result Meyer argues that the search for a new German opera was not merely an aesthetic movement but a political and social critique as well.</p>