Simon Rettenbacher
Simon Rettenbacher was a notable Austrian Benedictine monk, poet, and playwright from the seventeenth century, born in 1634 near Salzburg. He is primarily recognized for his contributions to Latin drama, particularly five tragedies published in 1683: *Atys*, *Demetrius*, *Osiris*, *Perseus*, and *Rosimunda*, with *Atys* being the most critically acclaimed. Rettenbacher's education included studies in philosophy, history, and law at Benedictine university in Salzburg, as well as further studies in Italy. After joining the Benedictine order, he taught history and ethics at the University of Salzburg and managed the school at Kremsmünster, where he also directed theatrical productions aimed at educated lay audiences. His writings often included theological themes, seeking to engage and instruct through accessible language and interspersed humor. In addition to his dramas, he was a prolific lyric poet and translator, producing works under the pseudonym Mison Erythraeus. Rettenbacher served as parish priest in Fischlham during the latter part of his life until he passed away in 1706, leaving behind a legacy of literary contributions and scholarly pursuits.
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Simon Rettenbacher
Poet
- Born: October 19, 1634
- Birthplace: Aigen (near Salzburg), Austria
- Died: May 10, 1706
- Place of death: Kremsmünster, Austria
Biography
Seventeenth century Austrian Benedectine monk Simon Rettenbacher wrote poetry, drama, and religious libretti in Latin and German. Although he was a gifted lyricist, influenced by the earlier seventeenth century Jesuit poet Jacob Balde, he is most noted for a set of five Latin tragedies published in 1683: Atys, Demetrius, Osiris, Perseus, and Rosimunda, of which Atys is critically the best regarded.
Born near Salzburg in 1634, Rettenbacher studied philosophy, history, and law at that city’s Benedictine university. He also attended universities in Padua, Rome, and Siena, Italy, before joining the Benedectine order at the Kremsmünster cloister in 1661. After his ordination in 1664, following additional theological study in Salzburg, he returned to Rome to study Hebrew and Arabic under the patronage of Leo Allatius, the Vatican Librarian. From 1667 he was head of the Kremsmünster’s school, a position he held until 1671, when he began teaching history and ethics at the University of Salzburg.
Three of his Latin dramas, Demetrius, Atys, and Perseus, were written and produced at Salzburg, where he was also the theater director. In keeping with Rettenbacher’s theological disposition, these Latin dramas are intended to be instructive, but are written for popular audiences of educated but nonacademic common citizens, not for a monastic audience. They do not follow strict classical form, and although very competent, Rettenbacher is not one of the top tier of the Neo-Latin playwrights of this period. His texts, particularly the theodicy Atys with its aim of elucidating why the Christian God allows innocents to suffer, are nonetheless well written and display an acute understanding of how to reach their intended audience, interspersing comic scenes and musical interludes with more complex theological messages.
In 1671, Rettenbacher returned to the monastery in Kremsmünster, recalled perhaps because of jealous colleagues at Salzburg. He immediately began work on a detailed Latin history of the monastery and an accompanying allegorical play, in preparation for celebration of the monastery’s nine hundredth anniversary in 1677. A 1680 play called Prudentia victrix commemorated the visit of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. Also during this period he wrote extensive amounts of lyric poetry and numerous translations as well as a Hebrew grammar and various theological tracts. He also studied the Turkish and Persian languages and managed the monastery’s library.
Rettenbacher published two works using the pseudonym Mison Erythraeus: a satirical critique of academic life called Ludicra et Satirica, written in 1678, and a German- language historical drama recounting the seige of Weinsberg in 1140 by Emperor Konrad III. The German drama was published the year before Rettenbacher’s earlier Latin tragedies were collected and published, along with poetry, the 1680 play, an opera libretto and another allegorical drama, as Selecta Dramata.
In 1689, Rettenbacher again left Kremsmünster for the village of Fischlham, where he would serve as parish priest for the final seventeen years of his life. He died of a stroke in Kremsmünster in 1706, shortly after his retirement.