Sturm und Drang facts for kids
Sturm und Drang (pronounced "Shtoorm oont Drang") is a German phrase that means "storm and stress." It was a special art movement in German literature and music that happened in the late 1760s and early 1780s.
This movement was all about showing strong feelings and individual thoughts. It was a reaction against the very logical and rule-based ideas of the Age of Enlightenment. People involved in Sturm und Drang wanted to express extreme emotions freely.
The movement got its name from a play by Friedrich Maximilian Klinger called Sturm und Drang. This play was first performed in 1777. Important thinkers like Johann Georg Hamann were connected to it. Famous writers like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller were also part of this movement when they were younger. Later, they moved on to a different style called Weimar Classicism.
History
Breaking Away from Old Rules
The Sturm und Drang movement was a rebellion against the strict rules of French neoclassicism. This older style focused a lot on logic and order. But for the Sturm und Drang artists, feelings and individual experiences were more important than calm, objective views.
They felt that the ideas of the Enlightenment, which valued pure reason and universal rules, didn't fully capture what it meant to be human. Instead, strong emotions and personal feelings became very popular in the late 1700s.
Where the Name Came From
The name Sturm und Drang comes from a play written by Friedrich Maximilian Klinger in 1776. Klinger wrote it for Abel Seyler's famous theatre company.
Klinger's play was set during the American Revolution. It showed very strong emotions and celebrated being an individual, rather than following strict rules. Even though some art from this style existed before Klinger's play, his work made German artists realize they were creating something new. This movement then became linked to many German writers and composers.
Sturm und Drang became known for literature and music that aimed to shock people or fill them with intense feelings. The movement later led to Weimar Classicism and early Romanticism. These new styles added ideas about human freedom and a deeper respect for nature.
There's some debate about which works truly belong to Sturm und Drang. Some people think it only includes works by Goethe, Johann Gottfried Herder, Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz, and their friends, written between 1770 and the early 1780s. Others believe it influenced German art more widely until the end of the 18th century. However, the artists who started the movement later saw it as a time of youthful energy that they eventually moved past.
Influences and Ideas
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Before Sturm und Drang, there was an idea called the Kraftmensch (meaning "strong person"). This idea was about individuals who didn't need to follow any outside rules or be limited by logic. They only needed to listen to themselves. These ideas were very similar to those of Sturm und Drang.
Key thinkers who influenced Sturm und Drang literature were Johann Georg Hamann and Johann Gottfried Herder. Both were from Königsberg and knew Immanuel Kant. Important writings about Sturm und Drang art came from Lenz (Anmerkungen übers Theater) and Goethe (Von deutscher Baukunst). A very important document was the 1773 collection of essays called Von deutscher Art und Kunst. It included writings by Herder on Ossian and Shakespeare, and contributions from Goethe.
In Literature
What Sturm und Drang Literature Was Like
In Sturm und Drang plays, poems, or novels, the main character often acts in violent ways. Their actions are driven by feelings like revenge or greed, not always by noble goals. For example, Goethe's unfinished play Prometheus shows this mix of human ideals and sudden, illogical actions.
Sturm und Drang literature often criticized the upper class. It tried to celebrate everything simple, natural, or intensely real, especially things that were painful or frightening.
Friedrich Schiller's play, Die Räuber (1781), helped create a new type of drama called melodrama. The story is about two noble brothers, Franz and Karl Moor. Franz tries to trick Karl out of his inheritance. Their conflict explores ideas of good and evil. Both Prometheus and Die Räuber are great examples of Sturm und Drang in German literature.
It's worth noting that women writers like Marianne Ehrmann were often left out of discussions about Sturm und Drang. This might be because the movement was very focused on male perspectives, or because later critics didn't look closely enough at their works.
Famous Literary Works
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832):
- Zum Shakespears Tag (1771)
- Prometheus (1772–1774)
- Götz von Berlichingen (1773)
- Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (1774)
- Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805):
- Die Räuber (1781)
- Kabale und Liebe (1784)
- Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz (1751–1792)
- Der Hofmeister oder Vorteile der Privaterziehung (1774)
- Die Soldaten (1776)
- Friedrich Maximilian Klinger (1752–1831):
- Sturm und Drang (1776)
- Die Zwillinge (1776)
- Gottfried August Bürger (1747–1794):
- Lenore (1773)
- Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803):
- Von deutscher Art und Kunst, einige fliegende Blätter (1773)
In Music
What Sturm und Drang Music Was Like
Music from the Classical period that was linked to Sturm und Drang often used minor keys. This helped show difficult or sad feelings. The main musical ideas were often sharp, with big jumps and unexpected tunes.
The speed and loudness of the music would change quickly and without warning, to show strong shifts in emotion. Fast, pulsing rhythms and syncopation (off-beat rhythms) were common. String instruments often used tremolo (a rapid repetition of a note) and sudden, dramatic changes in loudness.
History of the Music
Musical theater became a place where the literary and musical sides of Sturm und Drang met. The goal was to make opera more emotional. For example, in an obligato recitative, the orchestra would play intense music to support a solo singer's dramatic words.
Christoph Willibald Gluck's 1761 ballet, Don Juan, was an early example of Sturm und Drang in music. Its ending was specifically meant to make listeners feel fear. Jean Jacques Rousseau's 1762 play, Pygmalion, also used background music to show the mood of the spoken play. This play was the first melodrama and influenced Goethe.
However, Sturm und Drang had less direct influence on music than on literature. Many musical works from this time that seem to fit the style were also part of broader musical changes happening across Europe. The clearest musical links to Sturm und Drang are found in opera and early forms of program music, like Haydn's Farewell Symphony. Composers like Beethoven and Weber also showed elements of Sturm und Drang in their work.
Haydn
The Austrian composer Joseph Haydn is often said to have had a Sturm und Drang period from the late 1760s to early 1770s. His works from this time often sound more passionate or restless. However, Haydn himself never said that Sturm und Drang was why he changed his style. He still followed classical forms. Even so, you can see how the dramatic musical theatre of the time influenced his instrumental music.
Mozart
Mozart's Symphony No. 25 (the "Little" G-minor symphony, 1773) is one of only two symphonies he wrote in a minor key. Besides its unusual key, it has syncopated rhythms and sharp musical ideas, which are typical of Sturm und Drang. The wind instruments also play a more important role in this piece. However, it's more likely that Mozart was influenced by other composers like Johann Baptist Wanhal, rather than directly by the German literary movement.
Famous Composers and Works
- Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
- Symphonies, keyboard concertos and sonatas including Symphony in E minor Wq. 178 (1757–62)
- Joseph Haydn
- Symphony No. 39 in G minor (1767)
- Symphony No. 45 in F sharp minor Farewell (1772)
- Piano Sonata Hob. XVI/20 in C minor (1771)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183 (1773)
- Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310 (1778)
In Visual Art
In visual arts, the Sturm und Drang movement showed up in paintings of storms and shipwrecks. These artworks highlighted the terrifying and wild power of nature. These early Romantic paintings were popular in Germany from the 1760s to the 1780s. Famous artists included Joseph Vernet and Henry Fuseli.
In Theatre
The Sturm und Drang movement in theatre was short, lasting roughly from 1771 to 1778. In the 1700s, the middle class grew, changing how society and social classes were seen. Playwrights and writers used the stage to discuss and criticize social issues. For example, French writer Louis-Sébastien Mercier suggested using drama to promote political ideas.
After the Seven Years' War ended in 1763, Germans felt a strong sense of national pride. However, the upper class gained more power, increasing the gap between social groups. This led to tension. Sturm und Drang artists felt a new art form was needed to challenge the popular French neoclassical style.
Johann Georg Hamann, a key supporter of Sturm und Drang, believed that the German language and culture were richer before the "abstract" ideas of the 18th century. Germany at the time was made up of many small states, not one united country. The Sturm und Drang movement was a reaction to this lack of unity. It often explored the idea of living life on a smaller scale and wanting to be part of something bigger.
Sturm und Drang also paid close attention to language. This is why Shakespeare was seen as a role model for German writers. They admired his amazing use of language, complex plots, and characters from all walks of life. Many Sturm und Drang writers saw themselves as challenging the Enlightenment. However, the movement also continued some Enlightenment ideas, like showing how society affects individuals.
Sturm und Drang rebelled against the rules of neoclassicism and the Enlightenment. It recognized Shakespeare as a "genius" of theatre and laid the groundwork for 19th-century romanticism. Writers like Heinrich Leopold Wagner, Goethe, Lenz, Klinger, and Schiller used flexible story structures and mixed different types of plays to comment on society. Even though the movement was brief, it had a lasting impact.
Six main playwrights started and made the Sturm und Drang movement popular: Leisewitz, Wagner, Goethe, Lenz, Klinger, and Schiller. The theatre director Abel Seyler played a big part in helping these poets.
Johann Anton Leisewitz
Johann Anton Leisewitz was born in Hanover in 1752. He studied law. He is known for his only complete play, Julius of Taranto (1776). This play is seen as an early version of Schiller's famous work The Robbers (1781). Leisewitz was married to Sophie Seyler, the daughter of theatre director Abel Seyler.
Wagner
Heinrich Leopold Wagner was born in Strasbourg in 1747. He studied law and was part of a literary group. He was a playwright, producer, translator, and lawyer for the Abel Seyler theatre company. Wagner was well known for his play Die Reue nach der Tat ("The Remorse After the Deed") in 1775.
Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in August 1749, in Frankfurt. He wrote his first important play, Götz von Berlichingen, in 1773. It was written in a Shakespearean style, which was a key feature of Sturm und Drang. Shakespeare was admired by German playwrights for breaking traditional theatre rules and creating complex, emotional characters.
Goethe was also known for his stage productions and his long dramatic poem Faust. He directed the theatre at Weimar. After a two-year trip to Italy, where he saw Greek and Roman ruins, Goethe became interested in classical ideas. This led to a new writing style called Weimar Classicism.
Lenz
Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz was born in Sesswegen, now Latvia, in 1751. He studied theology and philosophy. His first poem, Die Landplagen ("Torments of the Land"), came out in 1769. He then wrote Notes on the Theatre, The New Menoza, and Der Hofmeister ("The Tutor") in 1774.
Lenz changed Aristotle's idea that plot is more important than character. He also redefined comedy and tragedy. In Lenz's tragedies, characters make decisions that cause events. In his comedies, the environment pushes the characters through events. Die Soldaten ("The Soldiers") from 1776 is likely Lenz's best example of Sturm und Drang literature. It focuses on how soldiers can harm civilians. Lenz's use of simple dialogue and mixed genres influenced later writers.
Klinger
Friedrich Maximilian Klinger was born in Frankfurt in 1752. He came from a humble family and faced money problems after his father died. He studied law with financial help from Goethe's family. He also worked with the Abel Seyler theatre group for a year and a half.
While Klinger is famous for his Sturm und Drang plays, many of his earlier works were more classical. Some of his plays include Die Zwillinge (1776) and Stilpo und seine Kinder (1780). Klinger's most famous play, Sturm und Drang (1776), gave the movement its name. It's set in revolutionary America, not Germany. The play mixes elements of comedy and tragedy, showing how "the deepest tragic emotion continually alternates with laughter and joviality."
Schiller
Friedrich Schiller was born in Marbach in 1759. He studied medicine at a military academy. He became good friends with Goethe, a very influential writer. They were both interested in questions about art and beauty. This friendship led to the Weimar Classicism period, which combined classical, romantic, and Enlightenment ideas.
After Schiller's plays Die Räuber ("The Robbers") and Kabale und Liebe ("Intrigue and Love"), he became a major poet and wrote famous essays. Die Räuber tells the story of two brothers. The younger brother is angry about how society favors the first-born child. He acts on his feelings without caring about rules. In the play, his views on God were very shocking for the time. This play is a powerful work that explores deep German feelings.
See also
- Antihero
- Jena Romanticism
- Gotthold Ephraim Lessing — his ideas influenced the theatre artists who started the Sturm und Drang movement
