Matthäus Casimir von Collin

Matthäus Casimir von Collin (3 March 1779 – 23 November 1824) was a leading poet in the Vienna of his time. Some of his works have been set to music by Schubert, such as Der Zwerg (D. 771), Wehmut (D. 772) and Nacht und Träume (D. 827).^[1]

Matthäus Casimir von Collin was born in Vienna, the younger brother of the Viennese poet and playwright Heinrich Joseph von Collin.

He was editor of the Wiener Jahrbücher für Literatur. He was in sympathy with the Romantic movement, and intimate with its leaders. His dramas on themes from Austrian national history (Belas Krieg mit dem Vater, 1808; Der Tod Friedrichs des Streitbaren, 1813) may be regarded as the immediate precursors of Grillparzer's historical tragedies.

He is the subject of a monograph by F. Laban (1879).

He died in Penzing, a former independent suburb of Vienna.

References

1. Of Dwarves, Perversion, and Patriotism: Schubert's "Der Zwerg," D. 771, by Susan Youens 19th-Century Music © 1997 University of California Press. Free text

Further reading

• Heinrich's Gesammelte Werke appeared in 6 vols. (1812–1814)
• A. Hauffen, Des Drama der klassischen Periode, ii.2 (1891), where a reprint of Regulus will be found.
• M. von Collins Dramatische Dichtungen were published in 4 vols. (1815–1817)
• His Nachgelassene Schriften, edited by J. von Hammer, in 2 vols. (1827)
• J. Wihan, Euphorion, Erganzungsheft, v (1901), contains a study of his life and work.