Der Freischütz



Der Freischütz — literally, "The Free-shooter," i.e., a marksman who uses magic bullets — is an 1821 Singspiel (an opera with spoken sections rather than recitative) by German composer Carl Maria von Weber, to a libretto by Friedrich Kind, based on a tale from August Apel and Friedrich Laun's Gespensterbuch (The Book of Specters). The opera is one of the most important works of the German Early Romantic movement (it is often considered the musical equivalent of the paintings of German master Caspar David Friedrich), and soon gained widespread popularity throughout the Germanys, as well as abroad, with productions in England and America within five years of its premiere. The score is notable for its early use of Leitmotif, including the famous "Samiel diminished seventh" and of Agathe's aria, „Leise, leise, fromme Weise" to characterize the forces of Evil and Good, respectively. It was almost certainly a source of inspiration to the young Richard Wagner, who adored Weber.

A Rock Opera adaptation of this work, entitled The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets, was created through the collaboration of theatre director Robert Wilson, musician Tom Waits, and writer William S. Burroughs. A number of younger fans have learned of the original opera through the use of its music in the Anime Hellsing, or possibly through the use of its translated Japanese title for the character Xigbar in Kingdom Hearts.


 * The Cavalier Years: The setting of the action, specifically at the time of the Thirty Years' War.
 * Deal with the Devil: Made by Caspar; his attempt to wriggle out is the catalyst for the action of the work.
 * Evil Sounds Deep: Played straight with Caspar, but averted in that Cuno and the Hermit are both basses. The devil Samiel is a speaking rôle, but his voice is usually rather high-pitched as well.
 * Flower Motifs: The white roses, that symbolize not only Agathe's own purity and goodness, but also the heavenly powers of whom the Hermit is the representative.
 * French Maid: Ännchen is the soubrette of the piece, a rather chaste German analogue to the French Stock Character.
 * Forging Scene: The casting of the Freikugeln.
 * Holy Roman Empire: Strictly speaking, the setting is in the Bohemian Forest, but in this case "Bohemian" is not to be taken as "ethnically Czech". Kind deliberately left the exact setting vague, although it would most likely be geographically Czech or Hungarian today (possibly what would later be known as the Sudetenland). Nevertheless, the opera was definitely intended as a celebration of German nationalism, of which Weber was an ardent supporter.
 * I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: Anyone going to a place called "The Wolf's Glen" is just asking for trouble.
 * I Just Shot Marvin in the Face: Seems to have happened, but actually averted. Max is an excellent shot, and aims carefully, but he is using a bullet controlled by the Devil. Fortunately, the devil's power cannot prevail against the powers of Good, and the bullet hits the villain, instead.
 * Karmic Death: Caspar suggests that Samiel use the cursed seventh bullet to kill Agathe. Wanna guess whom it hits instead?
 * Leitmotif: A number of themes recur as emotional markers, though the only true Leitmotif is the famous "Samiel diminished seventh", which heralds the devil's arrival.
 * The Lost Woods: The Wolf's Glen.
 * Max Trope: Not Maximillian or Maximus or anything else. Just Max, apparently.
 * Music of Note: Several of the musical numbers (perhaps most notably the Huntsmen's Chorus) took on life as "folksongs," while the Overture became one of the commonest war-horses of the concert-house.
 * Numerological Motif: Invoked in the counting down of the magic bullets, and the ominous and repeated phrase, „Sechse treffen -- sieben äffen!" ("Six strike true -- seven mock you!"), i.e., six of the magic bullets hit whatever the marksman wishes, but the seventh is aimed by the devil.
 * Our Demons Are Different: The devil Samiel in this, though he takes his name from ancient Hebrew sources, is based in character more on the legendary Teutonic "hunting devil" which is probably derived from the god Wôdan / Oðinn and his "wildes Heer" (or "furious host"), which actually appears in the Wolf's Glen scene.
 * Our Ghosts Are Different: Caspar and Max see quite a few varieties, good and bad, in the Wolf's Glen. Max sees the warning figure of his mother, as she was in her shroud — which Caspar causes to be succeeded by the wraith of Agathe leaping to her death in a torrent. Then, as they cast the magic bullets, they behold the apparitions of 1) a gathering of owls, night-ravens, and other winged creatures, 2) an immense black boar, 3) a mysterious wind, 4) four fiery wheels, 5) The Wild Hunt, 6) a general eruption of specters (as chosen by the stage manager) and an earthquake, and 7) Samiel himself.
 * Our Monsters Are Different: At least according to Wagner, the Wolf's Glen is haunted by monsters of deformed shape, indeterminate between toad, snake, and lizard.
 * Owl Be Damned: A monstrous owl watches over the Wolf’s Glen, and others appear during the incantation.
 * Reckless Gun Usage: Actually averted. (See I Just Shot Marvin in the Face, above.)
 * Religion Is Magic: Or, at least, religion is able to counteract magic.
 * Saintly Church: The holy hermit, who gives Agathe the sacred white roses that (possibly) deflect the cursed seventh bullet, and who suggests probation rather than banishment for Max.
 * Spirit Advisor: In the final scene, Samiel appears to claim Caspar's soul; he is invisible to the rest of the cast, all of whom are on stage at that point.
 * Summoning Ritual: Caspar casts a spell to summon up the devil Samiel.
 * Tenor Boy: Max
 * Thirty Years' War: Caspar has fought in this, and claims to have learned some of his knaveries from his fellow soldiers.
 * Throw It In: Weber picked up the flattened notes given to the laughing in the "mocking chorus" from hearing some women choristers in a village church hitting the wrong notes in the service.
 * Untranslated Title:
 * Because "The Freeshot" just sounds lame.
 * It has often been given a subtitle instead, such as "The Marksman".
 * The Wild Hunt: Appears at the casting of the fifth bullet.
 * When the Clock Strikes Twelve