"A Great Lover of Music": Frederick William II and Music

Special tour with Sonja Puras, a castle staff member and musicologist with the SPSG

Anton Graff: Friedrich Wilhelm II., 1788 – Porträt Friedrich Wilhelms II. von Anton Graff, 1788

He was “perhaps not a connoisseur, but a great lover”—this is how Frederick William II described not his relationship with women, for which he is primarily known today. It was music that inspired him so deeply, and in this respect, at least, he resembled his uncle and predecessor, the flute-playing “Great” Frederick. Frederick William II was a gifted cellist and had one of the finest orchestras in Europe at his disposal. Haydn and Boccherini composed for him, Beethoven and Mozart performed at his court, and several theaters in Berlin and Potsdam staged new contemporary operas. By promoting German-language stage works—including at the newly founded National Theater on the Gendarmenmarkt—this king also fostered the emerging genre of the Singspiel.

As part of her guided tour of the Marmorpalais, palace staff member and musicologist Sonja Puras presents the (musical) life at the court of Frederick William II with musical examples. Translated with DeepL

Meeting point: Castle Ticket Office

Price: €12.00

Reduced price: €10.00

Next date:

• Date Sunday, 13/September/2026 14:00
• Venue Marmorpalais
• Address Im Neuen Garten 10, 14467 Potsdam