Die Zauberharfe, D. 644: Overture (Rosamunde Overture)

Due to the fact that Franz Schubert (1797-1828) had the endurance to maintain such a prolific output across the span of his short life, it is no surprise then that he was accustomed to borrowing from earlier work to fulfil new obligations. The DIE ZAUBERHARFE OVERTURE is one such example. The incidental music to Georg von Hofmann’s play was first performed on August 19, 1820 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. Three years later, he used it as a replacement for another borrowed overture, this time introducing the incidental music to Helmina von Ch?y’s play, ROSAMUNDE. It was heard again in this context at the same theater on December 20, 1823. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 4.2.3.0: Timp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set).t