Benda, Jiří Antonín (EN)

Benda Jiří Antonín, Georg Anton, baptised 30 June 1722 Nové Benátky, †6 November 1795 Köstritz (near Altenburg, Saxony), Jan Jiři’s son, Czech composer and violinist. From 1735, he was a student of the Piarist gymnasium in Kosmonosy, and in 1739–42 of the Jesuit gymnasium in Jičin. In 1742, he moved with his family to Berlin, where until 1749, he played violin in the royal band. In 1750–78, he stayed at the princely court in Gotha. In 1765–66, he went to Italy for six months (Turin, Venice, Rome); in Venice, he met with J.A. Hasse. In 1770, he was appointed court bandmaster in Gotha. In 1778, he left his current service and went to Hamburg, then to Vienna. In June 1779, he directed performances of his works: Ariadne auf Naxos, Medea, Romeo und Julie and Der Dorfjahrmarkt. Probably in August 1779, he returned to Gotha to apply for the pension. In 1781, he conducted his singspiel Romeo und Julie in Paris. In 1783, he moved to Ohrdruf near Gotha, and in 1788 to Ronneburg. In the winter of 1786, he went to Mannheim, where in 1787, his singspiel Das tartarische Gesetz was staged. So far, it was assumed that he was the “famous violinist” named Benda, who on 16 November 1787, together with his singer wife, performed at the National Theatre in Warsaw, but according to recent research (A. Żórawska-Witkowska) it was Friedrich Ludwig Benda, with his wife, singer Felicita Agnesia, née Rietz.

Benda is a representative of early German classicism, distinguished in the history of music primarily thanks to his dramatic works. He worked mainly in two genres: melodrama and singspiel. His melodramas are of particular importance, as they influenced both the work of contemporary composers (W.A. Mozart, Ch.G. Neefe) and their successors. Benda’s melodramas contain all the elements that mark the further development of musical drama. With his music, Benda tried to emphasise the psychological truth of the drama and the dramaturgical logic of the plot. For this purpose, he used sophisticated means, such as frequent changes in the type of melody, harmony, metre, tempo, dynamics and appropriate use of the orchestral ensemble. He achieved integration of the work using reminder motifs, which were still new at that time. He also used the experience gained in melodrama in singspiel, stylistically and thematically diverse genres. They can be divided into two groups: with serious themes (Romeo und Julie, Walder and Das tartarische Gesetz) and with folk themes and cheerful content (Der Dorfjahrmarkt, Der Holzhauer and Das Findelkind). The composer carefully adapted all musical means, such as the types of arias and recitatives, the type of melody and instrumentation, to the type of singspiel. The influence of melodrama on singspiel was most clearly visible in the use of recitativo accompagnato and linking it with an aria into a scene with its dramatic development (Romeo und Julie). In the singspiel Walder, one of the dialogues was even written in the form of melodrama. The musical characterisation of characters and situations, the lively participation of the orchestra in the dramatic action, the meticulous emphasising of the meaning of the text with music, and the introduction of reminder motifs determined the groundbreaking role of Benda’s dramatic work, which paved the way for his successors. Benda’s songs, including Ariadne auf Naxos and Madea, also appeared on Polish stages. They were revived in Czechoslovakia, e.g. Der Dorfjahrmarkt (TV 1974), and Walder (Musica Bohemica festival, Brno 1974).

Literature: R. Hodermann Georg Benda, Coburg 1895; F. Brückner Georg Benda und das deutsche Singspiel, „Sammelbände der Internationalen Musikgesellschaft” V, 1903/04; E. Istel Die Entstehung des deutschen Melodramas, Berlin 1906; Z. Pilková Dramatická tvorba Jiřího Bendy, Prague 1960; K.H. Löbner Georg Benda, sein Leben und sein Werk mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Sinfonien und Cembalkonzerte, dissertation, Halle 1967; E. Vogl Garrett Georg Benda, the Pioneer of the Melodrama, w: Studies in 18th Century Music, K. Geiringer’s festschrift, London 1970; F. Lorenz Die Musikerfamilie Benda, vol. 2: Georg Anton Benda, Berlin 1971; Z. Pilková Die Familien Bach und Benda, in: Bericht über die Wissenschaftliche Konferenz zum III. Internationalen Bach-Fest, Leipzig 1975, ed. W. Felix et al., Leipzig 1977; Th. Bauman Benda, the Germans, and Simple Recitative, „Journal of the American Musicological Society” XXXIV, 1981; Z. Pilková Der Einfluss Jiří Bendas auf das Musikleben in Deutschland, besonders in Thüringen, in the book of materials from conference Blankenburg (Harz) 1980, ed. E. Thom, Blankenburg 1980; H. Strebel Mozart und Georg Anton Benda, «Acta Mozartiana» XXXV, 1988: W. Drábek Jiří Antonín Benda und die Wiener Klassiker, in: Untersuchungen zur Musikkultur des 18. Jahrhunderts, ed. F. Beinroth, Poczdam 1989; F.-D. Meyer Jiří Antonín Benda als Komponist von Kirchenkantaten am Gothaer Hof, «Musik und Gottesdienst» XLVI, 1992; Z. Pilková Die Melodramen Jiří Bendas und die Anfänge dieser Gattung, in: Untersuchungen zu Musikbeziehungen zwischen Mannheim, Böhmen und Mähren im späten 18. und frühen 19. Jahrhundert, ed. Ch. Heyter-Rauland and Ch.H. Mahling, Mainz 1993; A. Żórawska-Witkowska Muzyka na dworze i w teatrze Stanisława Augusta, Warsaw 1995.