A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Chezy, Wilhelmine

CHEZY, Wilhelmine (or Helmine) Christine von, a literary lady of very eccentric life, née von Klencke 1783, at Berlin, married at 16, and divorced the next year; married again at 22, in Paris, to Antoine L. de Chézy, a well-known Orientalist, and was divorced again in 1810. She spent the rest of her life between Heidelberg, Berlin, Dresden, Vienna (1823–28), Munich and Paris, and died at Geneva, 1856. Her claim to notice here is her having written the play of 'Rosamunde,' for which Schubert composed his music, and the libretto of 'Euryanthe' for Weber. In neither case was the genius of the musician sufficient to save the piece from failure. See Hellborn's 'Schubert,' chap, xi; Max M. von Weber's 'Carl Maria von Weber' (1864), ii. 371, 517, 522, &c.; and her own 'Unvergessenes … an meinem Leben,' 1858.

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