Haydn Michael: Die Ährenleserin

Once again, Wolfgang Brunner and his Salzburg Hofmusik have unearthed a music-dramatic work by Michael Haydn: the Singspiel "Die Ährenleserin" was written in 1778 for the Benedictine monastery theater of Kremsmünster, based on a libretto by the librettist Christian Felix Weiße. The story is simple and touching: Emilie is picking up ears of corn from the ground and is accosted by Krums, the overseer of Herr Mildenau, who accuses her of stealing grain. Mr. Mildenau's two children, Franz and Henriette, come along and take the poor girl Emilie's side: she has an honest and noble face. Herr von Mildenau joins them, and in conversation with Emilie it turns out that she is the daughter of his best friend, who had been killed in the war, and that he can finally, now vicariously, make amends to her. He takes Emilie and her mother into his home. Michael Haydn's commissioned composition "Ninfe inbelli", also written for an Upper Austrian Benedictine monastery, is of a completely different character and high compositional stature. On January 19, 1765, Princess Josepha of Bavaria stayed overnight at Lambach Abbey on her way from Munich to Vienna and was honored with a cantata of homage. Most likely Maria Magdalena Lipp, Haydn's later wife, who had been hired as a Salzburg court singer only a few days before, took over the highly virtuosic solo part of the cantata.