Das Dorfchen and the 'unsinnsgesellschaft': Schubert's Elise

Musical Times, Spring 1999 by Steblin, Rita

RITA STEBLIN traces the relationship between Schubert's Elise (Ferdinand Dorflinger) and the origins of his celebrated male quartet 'Das Dorfchen' (D.598)

THERE WERE TWO MEN who dressed up as women in the 'Unsinnsgesellschaft', the nonsense society of young intellectuals that formed around Franz Schubert in the years 1817-18.1 One was the seemingly effeminate 'Nina Wutzerl', in actuality Johann Carl Smirsch (1793-1869), an 'amateur painter of flowers and fruit'. 'Nina' has already been scrutinised in a recent issue of The Musical Times.2 The other was the super-macho 'Elise Gagernadl, gebohrne von Andivy' (fig.1), a hitherto unknown member of the Schubert circle who, as I will argue here, served as the inspiration for several of Schubert's compositions, including his male quartet 'Das Dorfchen'.3

Who was 'Elise Gagarnadl von Antifi' (spelling standardised) and what does this code name signify? The membership list attached to the first issue of the weekly handwritten newsletter Archiv des menschlichen Unsinns, dated 17 April 1817, contains the entry: 'Dorflinger Ferd: unter dem Namen, Elise v Antifi gebor: Gagarnadl' Archival research in Vienna confirms that in real life 'Elise' was the Viennese bookkeeper and former soldier Ferdinand Dorflinger (1790-1818).5 Dorflinger was born on II March 1790 in the Viennese suburb of Josefstadt, in today's eighth district. His father and grandfather were silk ribbon manufacturers, originally from Stuttgart. Church documents show that on 14 September 1817, in the parish of St. Rochus in the Viennese district of Landstrasse, Ferdinand Dorflinger married the 24-year-old Josepha Syson. The church is located a few doors away from what was the club's regular meeting place: the 'Red Rooster' inn, at Landstrasser Hauptstrasse 40. Dorflinger's marriage - five months after the founding of the club - was a precipitous event causing much merriment in the society, as will be demonstrated. Church records also expose the piquant reason for the hasty marriage: less than four months later, on 10 January 1818, Dorflinger's wife gave birth to a daughter, Aloysia. After the wedding, the couple lived in the building where an eating establishment and billiard hall, the Cafe Wallner, was located. This building, which also housed the residences of at least four other club members (known as 'Walneser'), still stands today in Vienna's third district, at Landstrasser Hauptstrasse 32. The society's New Year's eve celebration in 1817, to which Schubert brought two women, took place in this building, in the apartment of the merchant and aspiring actor Peter Senft ('Ephraim Spitznabel').6 On 9 March 1818, just short of his 28th birthday, Dorflinger died suddenly of a lung haemorrhage. Estate records, located in Vienna's city hall, show that the burial costs exceeded the value of his assets. Someone was around to comfort Dorflinger's widow, for on 20 August 1820 she gave birth to a second daughter, Wilhelmine, the child's father being listed in the church documents as 'unknown'.

'Elise' arrived at the New Year's eve party in 1817 wearing a woman's fancy outfit in basic white (fig. 1). The dress was decorated with a blue bodice and blue ribbons on the sleeves, waist and hem, but was ridiculously short, revealing the ankles and calves. The costume also featured a golden cap, the typical headgear of pretentious female cooks, and green endive leaves in the bodice. The endives reflect the word 'Andivy' (also spellt 'Antifi'), a Viennese dialect expression for endive salad. 'Gagarnadl' comes from dialect expressions for egg ('Nadl') and the cackling of chickens ('Gackern'). Since the 'Unsinnsgesellschaft' regularly met at the 'Red Rooster' inn ('Zum rothen Hahn'), many of the internal jokes centre around barnyard fowl.7 Elise's portrait was painted and signed by 'Damian Klecks', the code name for Schubert's close friend Leopold Kupelwieser (1796-1862). This talented painter, at the beginning of his career, has portrayed Dorflinger here with a dish-rag in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, attributes which signify a rather strange breed of Biedermeier cook.

Dorflinger is also clearly depicted in the second group scene of club members celebrating the New Year's Eve party, painted by Johann Nepomuk Hoechle (1790-1835) (fig.2).8 Known in the 'Unsinnsgesellschaft' as 'Kratzeratti Klanwinzi', Hoechle won lasting fame as the Kaiser's 'battle' painter; in musical circles today he is especially remembered for his Beethoven illustrations. In fig.2 'Elise' is shown on the far right pouring wine into a huge glass. Her bulging, oversized breasts are particularly exaggerated here.

Josef Kupelwieser ('Blasius Leks'), who later penned the libretto to Schubert's opera Fierabras (D.796), glorified the 1817 New Year's feast in a series of long poems. The first one, entitled 'Zur Unsinniade lter Gesang', characterises Elise's entry in the opening procession with these verses:

Elise approaches with high, undulating breasts; Do you recognize the lovely bride, who has married Nonsense? Through the power of her feather she has tamed his strength, And with yielding sense, he is her vassal. Thus she enters the holy place with victorious charm, The hero Quanti Verdradi - leading - offers her his arm.