From Königsberg to Bamberg
Biographic Overview
1776 Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann is born in Königsberg (East Prussia) on January 24th as the son of a lawyer of the palace court
1781 Hoffmann attends the reformed Burgschule and is given lessons in piano, violin, singing, as well as composition
1792 law student in Königsberg and, in addition to that, artistic activities
1795 final university exams (first state exam) and work in the administration
1796 moves to Glogau
1798 gets engaged with his cousin Minna Doerffer
second state examination in law
transfer to Berlin
lessons in composition from Johann Friedrich Reichardt
1799 composition of the ballad opera Die Maske ( The Masque)
1800 third state examination in law
Occupation as a fully qualified lawyer at the high court in the city of Posen (today Poland, at that time Prussian)
1802 Hoffmann draws caricatures of well-known persons and, because of that, gets a disciplinary transfer to the town Plock; he breaks up the engagement with Minna Doerffer and marries Maria Thekla Michalina Roher – Trcinska („Mischa“)
1803 First publication of a literary work: Schreiben eines Klostergeistlichen an seinen Freund in der Hauptstadt (Letter from a monk to his friend in the capital)
1804 Transfer to Warsaw as a senior civil servant
composition of the ballad opera Die lustigen Musikanten (The Merry Musicians) – on the musical score his altered third name – Amadeus ( on account of his adoration of Mozart) – appears the first time. Hoffmann draws further caricatures
1805 birth of his daughter Cäcilia who dies in 1807
Co-founder of Warsaw‘s „Musikalische Gesellschaft“ – a musical society
1806 compostion of the e-flat major-sinfonia which he conducts in Warsaw in the palace Mniszekschen Palais
French troops invade Warsaw
Hoffmann loses his occupation as a senior civil servant because of his refusal to swear his oath of office to Napoleon
1807 Hoffman moves to Berlin
unsuccessful attempts to start a career in music
material deprivation and illness
1808 Appointment as musical director at the theatre „Königlich privilegierte Schaubühne“ in Bamberg
Opera-scandal and dismissal as musical director
1809 work at the theater
teaching music and singing lessons to make a living
working as a composer and author
1811 secret love to 13 year old singing student Julia Mark
1813 signing a contract with the Bamberg publisher Kunz for the “Fantasiestücke in Callot´s Manier” (Fantastic pieces in Callot’s manner)
offer of an occupation as musical director in Dresden and Leipzig
departure from Bamberg