Abel Seyler
| Abel Seyler | |
|---|---|
A silhouette of Abel Seyler
|
|
| Born |
August 23, 1730 Liestal, Switzerland |
| Died | April 25, 1801 (aged 70) Rellingen, Denmark-Norway |
| Residence | Liestal, Hamburg, Hanover, Weimar, Gotha, Dresden, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Mannheim, Schleswig, Rellingen |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Era | Age of Enlightenment |
| Known for | Banker (Seyler & Tillemann) and theatre principal (Hamburg National Theatre and Seyler Theatre Company) |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Abel Seyler (23 August 1730, Liestal – 25 April 1801, Rellingen) was a Swiss-born banker, who later became one of the great theatre principals of 18th century Europe. He was "the leading patron of German theatre" in his lifetime, and is credited with introducing Shakespeare to a German language audience, and with promoting the concept of a national theatre in the tradition of Ludvig Holberg, the Sturm und Drang playwrights, and German opera. Already in his lifetime, he was described as "one of German art's most meritorious men."
The son of a Basel calvinist priest, Seyler came to Northern Germany where he became a wealthy merchant and banker in Hamburg, who achieved notoriety for his speculation with financial instruments and for his flamboyant personality. After speculating heavily on currency debasement during the Seven Years' War in close association with his business partner Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann, his companies went spectacularly bankrupt with enormous debts, but he nevertheless retained a portion of his fortune. His great passion was the theatre, and he used his remaining funds to finance and effectively head the Hamburgische Entreprise—also known as the Hamburg National Theatre—employing Lessing as the world's first dramaturg. In 1769, he founded the Seyler Theatre Company, which became one of the most famous theatre companies of Europe during the period 1769–79 and regarded as "the best theatre company in Germany at that time." He commissioned works such as Sturm und Drang by Klinger (which gave its name to the era), Ariadne auf Naxos by Benda and Alceste by Schweitzer, considered "the first serious German opera." Seyler became a freemason in London in 1753 and was a central figure in German freemasonry until his death.
...
Wikipedia