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Tennis fans, take note: This portion of the Web Site has nothing to do
with said sport. Rather, it discusses both the real and the literary
origins of my nickname, Graf. Of the nickname itself, let it only be
said that it was applied by a co-worker over ten years ago on account
of my interest in Classical music. One of my favourite genres in this
realm is the Kunstlied, also known as the Chanson in French, or Art
Song in English. It is a collective term applied to poetry that has
been set to music, and performed by small groups or individual singers
—and this is just a simple definition!
Among my favourites, is a Kunstlied (or Lied) entitled, "Graf
Eberstein". The poem is an embellished tale of tit-for-tat, based
on supposed events in the life of one Ernst Albrecht von Eberstein, a
17th Century Prussian Nobleman. The poem was written by Ludwig Uhland
and set to music by Carl Loewe.
In this section you will find, not just the poem and its musical
setting, but also a biography of Ernst Albrecht, Graf von Eberstein.
The biographical material was provided by a direct descendant of Graf
Eberstein. There is also an essay describing the extremely complex
hierarchy that comprises the Prussian Nobility, written by Gilbert von
Studnitz, who has given his express and generous permission for its
reproduction here.
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