Frédéric-Charles de Sayn-Wittgenstein

Comte de Berleburg

Portrait of Frédéric-Charles de Sayn-Wittgenstein

**Frédéric-Charles de Sayn-Wittgenstein** (German: Friederich-Karl von Sayn-Wittgenstein, English: Frederick-Charles of Sayn-Wittgenstein; August 25th 1726-April 4th, 1781) was a Sayn-Wittgensteinan prussian aristocrat and courtier of **Frédéric le Grand**. He was a son of a noble family, who enjoyed the privileges of the Prussian court for many decades.

In the public, Frédéric-Charles was a reclusive personality. He did not have many friends, but those who were his friends were among the most brilliant men of the court. However, despite his reserved nature, his manners and loyalty were second to none. He always carried out his duties with meticulous precision.

He spent a lot of his life travelling. His youth was spent mostly in Hungary and southern German areas, where he learned Hungarian. He was always looking for educated people and listening to them for experiences. Art caught him at a young age and he became a supporter of it. He loved poetry and music.

He has always cherished the rank he inherited. He behaved in a manner befitting a count. From a young age he became a devoted supporter of the Prussian throne. Though he travelled around Eastern Europe to learn many cultures and languages, his heart always drew him back to Prussia.

## Early Life

### Childhood and Education

Frédéric-Charles' talent for the humanities was noticed at a young age. He was a hard-working student. Not much into childish games, he preferred reading books and playing the harpsichord. After finishing primary and secondary school, he went on to study law at the Ruprecht-Karl University in Heidelberg.

Around 1736 he visited Leipzig. It was here that he first met the master J.S. Bach. Here he took organ lessons for three years. He has heard many of his works performed in the Church of St Thomas, as well as numerous Collegium Musicum performances. He quickly fell in love with Bach's fugues and oratorios and played them many times in the future.

### Adolesence

As a adolescent, Frédéric-Charles set off for Eastern Europe to study the culture and traditions of the Eastern peoples. After graduating from university in 1744, he set off for Hungary, where he settled in Szeklerland. Here he was a guest of the Altorjai-Apor family for 15 months. During this time he learned Hungarian and adopted many Hungarian customs. During his stay, he met a young Prussian man, Frédéric-Auguste de la Schulenburg, with whom he became close friends. Because of Schulenburg's enthusiasm for music, Frédéric-Charles taught him many Bach pieces, among them the most famous "Passacaglia and Fugue". In a short time he became a fan of Hungarian culture and folk music. He got acquainted with the beauty of Szekler music, where he learned to love many folk tunes, such as the Szekler Verbunk. In addition, he got acquainted with the culture of the Vlach Gypsies. He recorded many folk songs, among them "Chinghirimasri le ceiengri". After his visit to Hungary, he travelled through the mountain ranges of the Carpathians and settled in Zakopane for 6 months. Here he was introduced to the wonders of Polish culture. He partly learned Polish, but his learning of it was not as good as that of Hungarian.

Before heading back to Prussia, they made a last-minute detour to Karlsbad in Bohemia. Here they stayed for 1 month and enjoyed the city's baths. After the Czech vacation, he finally returned to his estate in Berleburg. Here he wrote down his experiences during his trip and then stored them in the castle library.

Besides travelling, Frédéric-Charles also spent his time on music. The mountain ranges of the Carpathians were a great source of inspiration for him. Here he wrote several harpsichord pieces and a fugue. He also wrote down many folk songs from the locals, which he later transcribed into serious works.

## Court Life

After arriving at court, he met his brotherly friend, Monsieur de Schulenburg. He showed Frédéric-Charles around the court and then met Prince-Évêque d'Augsbourg, with whom he developed a good acquaintance. He also met several other counts and ladies one fine morning in the company of Monsieur de Schulenbourg.

## Personality and Apperance

### Apperance

Frédéric-Charles was a charming man. His hair was brown, as are his eyes. His build was athletic. He had a rather tall stature. His appearance was always elegant and restrained. He strove to appear at formal and informal events in keeping with his title.

### Personality

Frédéric-Charles was a reclusive person. As a staunch conservative, he did not like change. He had few friends and he chose his friends carefully. He always looked for talent in others and, when he found it, tried to be their friend.

In the company of his friends, he loved to organise get-togethers where he was the life of the party. He loved to play the harpsichord for them and to talk about music and philosophy. One of his most important points was that formal and non-formal relationships should not be confused. On this he said:

> ,,*Non-formal relationships are dangerous. They lead to ambiguity, misunderstanding and conflict, and they always end in failure. Conversely, formal relationships are as clear as spring water. They have their rules set in stone. They carry no risk of potential ambiguity, and they will last forever.*"
>
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Frédéric-Charles had a lot of experience and knowledge. He spoke a total of 5 languages (German, Hungarian, English, Latin and Polish), could play the harpsichord and the organ, was a very good horse-rider, and had a wealth of knowledge in history, literature and geography.

### Learned compositions

Frédéric-Charles holds a number of harpsichords at the Château de Berlebourg. Here he keeps a library of compositions from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque, as well as numerous folk song records of his stay in Hungary. Over the years he has acquired great virtuosity. He commissioned the sheet music of famous masters such as Vivaldi, Bach, Scarlatti, Händel, Albinoni, Pergolesi and many others. His favorite pieces were the ones he learned from:

* Adagio in G minor (for the organ) by Albinoni,
* Passacaglia in G minor by Händel,
* Winter of the Four Seasons transcription for organ by Vivaldi
* Sarabande by Händel
* Passacaglia in C minor by Bach
* Keyboard Sonata in D Minor by Scarlatti
* Stabat Mater: I. Stabat Mater dolorosa by Pergolesi (He didn't learn it, but he loved it.)

He loved organ music and oratorios. He liked the vocal works of Bach and Pregolesi best. He loved to go to the opera house, but he also visited great cathedrals to listen to the organ. He also made many good friends in the Christian Church. In foreign courts, courtly archbishops and priests were happy to keep him company and discuss theology with him.