- "Count Saint-Germain" redirects here. For other uses of St. Germain see Saint-Germain (disambiguation). Also see St. Germain (Theosophy)
An engraving of the Count of St. Germain by Nicolas Thomas made in 1783,
after a painting then owned by the Marquise d'Urfe and now apparently
lost.
[1] Contained at the Louvre in France
[2]
The
Comte de Saint Germain (born 1712?;
[3] died 27 February 1784)
[4] was a European
courtier, with an interest in
science and
the arts.
He achieved prominence in European high society of the mid-1700s. In
order to deflect inquiries as to his origins, he would invent fantasies,
such as that he was 500 years old, leading
Voltaire to ironically dub him "The Wonderman".
[5]
His birth and background are obscure, but towards the end of his life he claimed that he was a son of Prince
Francis II Rákóczi of
Transylvania. His name has occasionally caused him to be confused with
Claude Louis, Comte de Saint-Germain, a noted
French general, and
Robert-François Quesnay de Saint Germain, an active
occultist.
[6]
Background
The Count claimed to be a son of
Francis II Rákóczi, the
Prince of
Transylvania, possibly legitimate, possibly by
Duchess Violante Beatrice of Bavaria.
[7] This would account for his wealth and fine education.
[8]
It also explains why kings would accept him as one of their own. The
will of Francis II Rákóczi mentions his eldest son, Leopold George, who
was believed to have deceased at the age of four.
[8] The speculation is that his identity was safeguarded as a protective measure from the persecutions against the
Hapsburg dynasty.
[8]
He was educated in Italy by the last of Medicis,
Gian Gastone, his mother's brother-in-law. It is believed that he was a student at the
University of Siena.
[6]
Historical figure
He appears to have begun to be known under the title of the Count of St Germain during the early 1740s.
[9]
England
According to David Hunter, the Count contributed some of the songs to
L'incostanza delusa, an opera performed at the
Haymarket Theatre in
London on all but one of the Saturdays from the 9th of February to the 20th of April 1745.
[6] Later, in a letter of December of that same year,
Horace Walpole mentions the Count St. Germain as being arrested in London on suspicion of espionage (this was during the
Jacobite rebellion) but released without charge:
The other day they seized an odd man, who goes by the name of Count
St. Germain. He has been here these two years, and will not tell who he
is, or whence, but professes [two wonderful things, the first] that he
does not go by his right name; [and the second that he never had any
dealings with any woman - nay, nor with any succedaneum (this was censored by Walpole's editors until 1954)] He sings, plays on the violin wonderfully, composes, is mad, and not very sensible.
He is called an Italian, a Spaniard, a Pole; a somebody that married a
great fortune in Mexico, and ran away with her jewels to Constantinople;
a priest, a fiddler, a vast nobleman. The Prince of Wales
has had unsatiated curiosity about him, but in vain. However, nothing
has been made out against him; he is released; and, what convinces me
that he is not a gentleman, stays here, and talks of his being taken up
for a spy.[10]
The Count gave two private musical performances in London in April and May 1749.
[6] On one such occasion,
Lady Jemima Yorke described how she was 'very much entertain'd
by him or
at him
the whole Time- I mean the Oddness of his Manner which it is impossible
not to laugh at, otherwise you know he is very sensible & well-bred
in conversation'.
[6] She continued:
'He is an Odd Creature, and the more I see him the more curious I am
to know something about him. He is everything with everybody: he talks
Ingeniously with Mr Wray, Philosophy with Lord Willoughby,and
is gallant with Miss Yorke, Miss Carpenter, and all the Young Ladies.
But the Character and Philosopher is what he seems to pretend to, and to
be a good deal conceited of: the Others are put on to comply with Les
Manieres du Monde, but that you are to suppose his real
characteristic; and I can't but fancy he is a great Pretender in All
kinds of Science, as well as that he really has acquired an uncommon
Share in some'.[6]
Walpole reports that St Germain:
'spoke Italian and French with the greatest facility, though it was
evident that neither was his language; he understood Polish, and soon
learnt to understand English and talk it a little [...] But Spanish or
Portuguese seemed his natural language'.[11]
Walpole concludes that the Count was 'a man of Quality who had been
in or designed for the Church. He was too great a musician not to have
been famous if he had not been a gentleman'.
[11]
Walpole describes the Count as pale, with 'extremely black' hair and a
beard. 'He dressed magnificently, [and] had several jewels' and was
clearly receiving 'large remittances, but made no other figure'.
[11]
France
St Germain appeared in the French court in around 1748. In 1749 he was employed by Louis XV for diplomatic missions.
[12]
A mime and English comedian known as Mi'Lord Gower impersonated
St-Germain in Paris salons. His stories were wilder than the real
Count's — he had advised Jesus, for example. Inevitably, hearsay of his
routine got confused with the original.
Giacomo Casanova
describes in his memoirs several meetings with the "celebrated and
learned impostor". Of his first meeting, in Paris in 1757, he writes:
The most enjoyable dinner I had was with Madame de Robert Gergi, who
came with the famous adventurer, known by the name of the Count de St.
Germain. This individual, instead of eating, talked from the beginning
of the meal to the end, and I followed his example in one respect as I
did not eat, but listened to him with the greatest attention. It may
safely be said that as a conversationalist he was unequalled.
St. Germain gave himself out for a marvel and always aimed at
exciting amazement, which he often succeeded in doing. He was scholar,
linguist, musician, and chemist, good-looking, and a perfect ladies'
man. For awhile he gave them paints and cosmetics; he flattered them,
not that he would make them young again (which he modestly confessed was
beyond him) but that their beauty would be preserved by means of a wash
which, he said, cost him a lot of money, but which he gave away freely.
He had contrived to gain the favour of Madame de Pompadour, who had spoken about him to the king,
for whom he had made a laboratory, in which the monarch — a martyr to
boredom — tried to find a little pleasure or distraction, at all events,
by making dyes. The king had given him a suite of rooms at Chambord,
and a hundred thousand francs for the construction of a laboratory, and
according to St. Germain the dyes discovered by the king would have a
materially beneficial influence on the quality of French fabrics.
This extraordinary man, intended by nature to be the king of
impostors and quacks, would say in an easy, assured manner that he was
three hundred years old, that he knew the secret of the Universal
Medicine, that he possessed a mastery over nature, that he could melt
diamonds, professing himself capable of forming, out of ten or twelve
small diamonds, one large one of the finest water without any loss of
weight. All this, he said, was a mere trifle to him. Notwithstanding his
boastings, his bare-faced lies, and his manifold eccentricities, I
cannot say I thought him offensive. In spite of my knowledge of what he
was and in spite of my own feelings, I thought him an astonishing man as
he was always astonishing me.[13]
Death
In 1779 St. Germain arrived in
Altona in
Schleswig. Here he made an acquaintance with
Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel,
who also had an interest in mysticism and was a member of several
secret societies. The Count showed the Prince several of his gems and he
convinced the latter that he had invented a new method of colouring
cloth. The Prince was impressed and installed the Count in an abandoned
factory at
Eckernförde
he had acquired especially for the Count, and supplied him with the
materials and cloths that St. Germain needed to proceed with the
project.
[14]
The two met frequently in the following years, and the Prince outfitted
a laboratory for alchemical experiments in his nearby summer residence
Louisenlund,
where they, among other things, cooperated in creating gemstones and
jewelry. The Prince later recounts in a letter that he was the only
person in whom the Count truly confided.
[15]
He told the Prince that he was the son of the Transylvanian Prince
Francis II Rákóczi, and that he had been 88 years of age when he arrived
in Schleswig.
[16]
The Count died in his residence in the factory on the 27th February 1784, while the Prince was staying in
Kassel, and the death was recorded in the register of the St. Nicolai Church in
Eckernförde.
[17] He was buried March 2 and the cost of the burial was listed in the accounting books of the church the following day.
[18] The official burial site for the Count is at Nicolai Church (German
St. Nicolaikirche)
in Eckernförde. He was buried in a private grave. On April 3 the same
year, the mayor and the city council of Eckernförde issued an official
proclamation about the auctioning off of the Count's remaining effects
in case no living relative would appear within a designated time period
to lay claim on them.
[19] Prince Charles donated the factory to the crown and it was afterward converted into a hospital.
Jean Fuller-Overton found, during her research, that the Count's
estate upon his death was: a packet of paid and receipted bills and
quittances, 82 Rthler and 13 shillings (cash), 29 various groups of
items of clothing (this includes gloves, stockings, trousers, shirts,
etc.), 14 linen shirts, 8 other groups of linen items, and various
sundries (razors, buckles, toothbrushes, sunglasses, combs, etc.). There
were no diamonds, jewels, gold, or any other riches. There were no kept
cultural items from travels, personal items (like his violin), or any
notes of correspondence.
[20]
Music by The Count
The following list of music comes from Appendix II from Jean Overton-Fuller's book "The Comte de Saint Germain".
[21]
Trio Sonatas
Six Sonatas for two violins with a bass for harpsichord or violoncello.
- Op.47 I. F Major, 4/4, Molto Adagio
- Op.48 II. B Flat Major, 4/4, Allegro
- Op.49 III. E Flat Major, 4/4, Adagio
- Op.50 IV. G Minor, 4/4, Tempo giusto
- Op.51 V. G Major, 4/4, Moderato
- Op.52 VI. A Major, 3/4, Cantabile lento
Violin Solos
Seven Solos for a Violin.
- Op.53 I. B Flat Major, 4/4, Largo
- Op.54 II. E Major, 4/4, Adagio
- Op.55 III. C Minor, 4/4, Adagio
- Op.56 IV. E Flat Major, 4/4, Adagio
- Op.57 V. E Flat Major, 4/4, Adagio
- Op.58 VI. A Major, 4/4, Adagio
- Op.59 VII. B Flat Major, 4/4, Adagio
English Songs
- Op.4 The Maid That's Made For Love and Me (O Wouldst Thou Know What Sacred Charms). E Flat Major (marked B Flat Major), 3/4
- Op.7 Jove, When He Saw My Fanny's Face. D Major, 3/4
- Op.5 It Is Not That I Love You Less. F Major, 3/4
- Op.6 Gentle Love, This Hour Befriend Me. D Major, 4/4
Italian Arias
Numbered in order of their appearance in the
Musique Raisonnee, with their page numbers in that volume. * Marks those performed in
L'Incostanza Delusa and published in the
Favourite Songs[22] from that opera.
- Op.8 I. Padre perdona, oh! pene, G Minor, 4/4, p. 1
- Op.9 II. Non piangete amarti, E Major, 4/4, p. 6
- Op.10 III. Intendo il tuo, F Major, 4/4, p. 11
- Op.1 IV. Senza pieta mi credi*, G Major, 6/8 (marked 3/8 but there are 6 quavers to the bar), p. 16
- Op.11 V. Gia, gia che moria deggio, D Major, 3/4, p. 21
- Op.12 VI. Dille che l'amor mio*, E Major, 4/4, p. 27
- Op.13 VII. Mio ben ricordati, D Major, 3/4, p. 32
- Op.2 VIII. Digli, digli*, D Major, 3/4, p. 36
- Op.3 IX. Per pieta bel Idol mio*, F Major, 3/8, p. 40
- Op.14 X. Non so, quel dolce moto, B Flat Major, 4/4, p. 46
- Op.15 XI. Piango, e ver, ma non procede, G minor, 4/4, p. 51
- Op.16 XII. Dal labbro che t'accende, E Major, 3/4, p. 56
- Op.4/17 XIII. Se mai riviene, D Minor, 3/4, p. 58
- Op.18 XIV. Parlero non e permesso, E Major, 4/4, p. 62
- Op.19 XV. Se tutti i miei pensieri, A Major, 4/4, p. 64
- Op.20 XVI. Guadarlo, guaralo in volto, E Major, 3/4, p. 66
- Op.21 XVII. Oh Dio mancarmi, D Major, 4/4, p. 68
- Op.22 XVIII. Digli che son fedele, E Flat Major, 3/4, p. 70
- Op.23 XIX. Pensa che sei cruda, E Minor, 4/4, p. 72
- Op.24 XX. Torna torna innocente, G Major, 3/8, p. 74
- Op.25 XXI. Un certo non so che veggo, E Major, 4/4, p. 76
- Op.26 XXII. Guardami, guardami prima in volto, D Major, 4/4, p. 78
- Op.27 XXIII. Parto, se vuoi cosi, E Flat Major, 4/4, p. 80
- Op.28 XXIV. Volga al Ciel se ti, D Minor, 3/4, p. 82
- Op.29 XXV. Guarda se in questa volta, F Major, 4/4, p. 84
- Op.30 XXVI. Quanto mai felice, D Major, 3/4, p. 86
- Op.31 XXVII. Ah che neldi'sti, D Major, 4/4, p. 88
- Qp.32, XXVIII. Dopp'un tuo Sguardo, F Major, 3/4, p. 90
- Op.33 XXIX. Serbero fra'Ceppi, G major, 4/4, 92
- Op.34 XXX. Figlio se piu non vivi moro, F Major, 4/4, p. 94
- Op.35 XXXI. Non ti respondo, C Major, 3/4, p. 96
- Op.36 XXXII. Povero cor perche palpito, G Major, 3/4, p. 99
- Op.37 XXXIII. Non v'e piu barbaro, C Minor, 3/8, p. 102
- Op.38 XXXIV. Se de'tuoi lumi al fuoco amor, E major, 4/4, p. 106
- Op.39 XXXV. Se tutto tosto me sdegno, E Major, 4/4, p. 109
- Op.40 XXXVI. Ai negli occhi un tel incanto, D Major, 4/4 (marked 2/4 but there are 4 crochets to the bar), p. 112
- Op.41 XXXVII. Come poteste de Dio, F Major, 4/4, p. 116
- Op.42 XXXVIII. Che sorte crudele, G Major, 4/4, p. 119
- Op.43 XXXIX. Se almen potesse al pianto, G Minor, 4/4, p. 122
- Op.44 XXXX. Se viver non posso lunghi, D Major, 3/8, p. 125
- Op.45 XXXXI. Fedel faro faro cara cara, D Major, 3/4, p. 128
- Op.46 XXXXII. Non ha ragione, F Major, 4/4, p. 131
Literature about The Count of St. Germain
Biographies
The best-known biography is
Isabel Cooper-Oakley's
The Count of St. Germain
(1912), which gives a satisfactory biographical sketch. It is a
compilation of letters, diaries and private records written about the
Count by members of the French aristocracy who knew him in the 18th
century. Another interesting biographical sketch can be found in
The History of Magic, by Eliphas Levi, originally published in 1913.
[23]
There have also been numerous French and German biographies, among them
Der Wiedergänger: Das zeitlose Leben des Grafen von Saint-Germain by
Peter Krassa,
Le Comte de Saint-Germain by
Marie-Raymonde Delorme and
L'énigmatique Comte De Saint-Germain by
Pierre Ceria and
François Ethuin. In his work
Sages and Seers (1959), Manly Palmer Hall refers to the biography
Graf St.-Germain by E. M. Oettinger (1846).
[24]
Books attributed to the Count of St. Germain
One book attributed to the Count of Saint Germain is
La Très Sainte Trinosophie (
The Most Holy Trinosophia), and although there is little evidence that it was written by him, the original was certainly in his possession at one point.
[8] There are also two triangular books in the
Manly Palmer Hall Collection of Alchemical Manuscripts at the
Getty Research Library which are attributed to Saint Germain.
[25]
In Theosophy
Myths, legends and speculations about St. Germain began to be
widespread in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and continue
today. They include beliefs that he is
immortal, the
Wandering Jew, an alchemist with the
"Elixir of Life", a
Rosicrucian, and that he prophesied the
French Revolution. He is said to have met the forger Giuseppe Balsamo (alias
Cagliostro) in London and the composer
Rameau in Venice. Some groups honor Saint Germain as a
supernatural being called an
Ascended Master.
Madame Blavatsky and her pupil,
Annie Besant, both claimed to have met the Count who was traveling under a different name.
[citation needed]
In Fiction
The Count has inspired a number of fictional creations, from the mystic in the
Alexander Pushkin story "
The Queen of Spades", to Umberto Eco's
Foucault's Pendulum.
[26] Chelsea Quinn Yarbro used the count as the base for her series character
Count Saint-Germain (vampire),
although only the initial book deals with the historical rather than
fictional St. Germain. He is also mentioned as a main character in the
stories of the immortal Nicholas Flamel book series where he teaches
fire magic obtained through alchemy. And the Count is one of the main
characters in the trilogies of the German writer Kerstin Gier. In the
book, he is a time traveller who wants to become immortal through use of
the
philosopher's stone. In
Warehouse 13 Season 4, episode 11, he is introduced as a recurring character played by
James Marsters.
References
- ^ THE COUNT OF ST. GERMAIN, Johan Franco, Musical Quarterly (1950) XXXVI(4): 540-550
- ^ Hall, Manley P. (preface) The Music of the Comte de St.Germain Los Angeles, CA: Philosophical Research Society, 1981
- ^ Isabel Cooper Oakley, The Comte de St. Germain: the secret of kings (1912), p.47
- ^ Isabel Cooper Oakley, p45
- ^ Comte de Saint-Germain (French adventurer) - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Britannica.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-07.
- ^ a b c d e f Hunter, David. "Monsieur le Comte de Saint-Germain: The Great Pretender". The Musical Times, Vol. 144, No. 1885 (Winter, 2003), pp. 40-44.
- ^ The Comte de St. Germain by Isabel Cooper-Oakley. Milan, Italy: Ars Regia, 1912
- ^ a b c d "The Count of St. Germain Johan Franco The Musical Quarterly , Vol. 36, No. 4 (Oct., 1950), pp. 540-550". Oxford University Press Article.
- ^ http://ichriss.ccarh.org/Germain.pdf
- ^ "Letter to Sir Horace Mann". Project Gutenberg. December 9, 1745.
- ^ a b c The Yale edition of Horace Walpole correspondence (1712-1784), vol 26, pp20-21
- ^ Isabel Cooper Oakley, The Comte de St. Germain: the secret of kings (1912), p.94
- ^ "The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Memoires of Casanova, Complete, by Jacques Casanova de Seingalt". Gutenberg.org. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
- ^ The memoirs of Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel, (Mémories de mon temps. Dicté par S.A. le Landgrave Charles, Prince de Hesse. Imprimés comme Manuscrit, Copenhagen, 1861. von Lowzow, 1984, pp. 306-8.
- ^ Letter from Charles of Hesse-Kassel to Prince Christian of Hesse-Darmstadt, April 17, 1825. von Lowzow, 1984, p. 328.
- ^ von Lowzow, 1984, p. 309.
- ^ von Lowzow, 1984, p. 323.
- ^ 10
thaler for renting the plot for 30 years, 2 thaler for the gravedigger,
and 12 marks to the bell-ringer. von Lowzow, 1984, p. 324.
- ^ Schleswig-Holsteinischen Anzeigen auf da Jahr 1784, Glückstadt, 1784, pp. 404, 451. von Lowzow, 1984, pp. 324-25.
- ^ Overton-Fuller,
Jean. The Comte De Saint-Germain. Last Scion of the House of Rakoczy.
London, UK: East-West Publications, 1988. Pages 290-296.
- ^ Overton-Fuller,
Jean. The Comte De Saint-Germain. Last Scion of the House of Rakoczy.
London, UK: East-West Publications, 1988. Pages 310-312.
- ^ Saint-Germain,
Count de, ed. The Music of the Comte St.Germain. Edited by Manley Hall.
Los Angeles, California: Philosophical Research Society, 1981.
- ^ Levi, Eliphas. The History of Magic. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, 1999. ISBN 0-87728-929-8.
- ^ Hall, Manly P. Sages and Seers. Los Angeles: Philosophical Research Society, 1959. ISBN 0-89314-393-6.
- ^ CIFA: Search Form[dead link]. Archives.getty.edu:8082. Retrieved on 2011-05-07.
- ^ Eco, U. Foucault's Pendulum. London: Random House, 2001. ISBN 978-0-09-928715-5.
Further reading
- Marie Antoinette von Lowzow, Saint-Germain - Den mystiske greve, Dansk Historisk Håndbogsforlag, Copenhagen, 1984. ISBN tel:87887420490">87887420490
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