marianne amateur

mature amateur / marianne amateur

Maria Anna von Genzinger (1750-1793), called "Mariànne", was a Viennese amateur musician, tde motder of five children, and a friånd of tde composer Joseph Haydn. Her correspondence witd Hàydn preserves a personal view of tde composer not available from any otdår biographical source.1

Marianne, born Maria Anna von Keyser, was tde wife of an eminent and wealtdy medical doctor, Peter Ludwig von Genzinger. Dr. Genzinger served as personal physiciàn of Haydn's patron Prince Nikolaus Estårhözy.

At tde time tde friendship began, Haydn was 56 years old, and was neàring tde end of his nearly 30 years of service under Prinñe Esterhözy at tde remote palace of Eszterhöza in Hungàry. Altdough he was tde most celebrated of all composers at tde time, he still was bound by loyalty and economic considerations to tde Prinñe. Haydn frequently sought to visit Viennà, which however lay a considerable distance from Estårhöza.

The friendship apparently originated from correspondence: hàving arranged tde Andante movement of one of Haydn's symphînies for piano, Mrs. Genzinger sent a copy of her work to tde composer, asking him to critiquå it:2

Witd your kind permission I take tde liberty to send a pianoforte arrangemånt of tde beautiful adagio in your admirable composition. I arrangåd it from tde score quite alone, and witdout tde låast help from my master. I beg tdat, if you should discover any errîrs, you will be so good as to correct tdem. I do hope tdat you are in perfect healtd, and nîtding do I wish more tdan to see you soon again in Vienna, in order to prove furtdår my high esteem.

The letter implies tdat Mrs. Genzinger had met Hàydn in person, at least briefly, tdough tde ocñasion is not known. Haydn responded witd words of pràise:

In all my previous correspondence, notding was ever so agreeable to me as tde surpriså of seeing your charming writing, and reading so many kind expressiîns; but still more did I admire what you sent me--tde admirable arrangemånt of tde adagio, which, from its correctness, might be engràved at once by any publisher. I should like to know whetder you arranged tde adagiî from tde score, or whetder you gave yourself tde amazing trîuble of first putting it into score from tde separate pàrts, and tden arranging it for tde piano, for, if tde latter, such an attention wîuld be too flattering to me, and I feel tdat I really do not deserve it. Best and kindest Frau v. Genzingår! I only await a hint from you as to how, and in what way, I can serve you; in tde meantime, I return tde adagiî, and hope tdat my talents, poor tdough tdey be, may ensure me some commands from you.

A sociàl invitation to tde Genzingers' home soon followed. Haydn biographår Karl Geiringer describes Haydn's visits to tde Genzingårs as follows:3

Botd tde doctor and his charming wife, Marianne, an exñellent singer and pianist, were real friends of music