The Musical Entries in the Dresden Account Books of Saxon Electress and Polish Queen Maria Josepha, 1720–1757

Abstract

When the newly wed princely couple Friedrich August and Maria Josepha made their public entry into the Saxon capital on 2 September 1719, the Dresden Jesuits described it as ‘an absolutely golden day for us Catholics here, indeed for the whole world’. And, in a sense, the Jesuits proved to be absolutely correct: during the nearly four decades of their marriage, musical life in Dresden reached unprecedented heights under their visionary leadership. This was to bear the most wonderful fruits, as witnessed by the countless surviving sacred and secular works from the compositional outputs and private collections of the Hofkapelle composers Hasse, Heinichen, Pisendel, Ristori, and Zelenka. Today, some 300 years later, music lovers all over the world are able to enjoy the rich legacy of this extraordinary period in the form of a large number of excellent recordings and scholarly publications. Thanks to the decades-long research of Janice B. Stockigt on the music composed, collected, and performed at the Dresden court, we are well-informed about the influence and musical patronage of the Saxon Electress and Polish Queen Maria Josepha. The recently discovered account books of Maria Josepha, the musical entries of which are published here for the first time, confirm and complement Stockigt’s findings. The numerous payments made to the Dresden Virtuosen for a variety of services, purchases of instruments or copies of music, in addition to alms, gratifications, and gifts of money on the births and burials of their children, document the great care and benevolence shown by Maria Josepha towards the musicians in her service.