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William Tell ( German Wilhelm Tell) was a legendary hero of disputed historical accuracy said to have lived in Canton of Uri in Switzerland in the early 14th century.
He was known as an expert marksman with his crossbow. At the time, the Habsburg emperors were seeking to dominate Uri. Hermann Gessler, the newly appointed Austrian governor of Altdorf raised a pole in the village's central square with his hat on top and forced all the local townsfolk to bow before it. As Tell passed by without bowing, he was arrested. He received the punishment of either successfully shooting an apple off the head of his son, or dying.
Tell had been promised freedom if he shot the apple. On November 18, 1307, Tell did split the fruit with a single bolt from his crossbow, thankfully, without mishap (this is, however, a story which appears in several Germanic countries, such as Denmark, England and HolsteinHolstein also refers to a breed of cattle. Holstein Hol shtayn) is the southern part of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, between the rivers Elbe, Eider and the Schlei firth. The capital of Holstein is Kiel. 1111- 1474 an Imperial Reichsunmittelbar County of, see Palnatoke).
However, Tell soon said that if he had ended up killing his son in that trial, he would have turned the crossbow on Gessler. Gessler became enraged at that comment, and he arrested Tell. Tell was furious and vowed to get revenge. Indeed he did, escaping from Gessler and shooting him with a crossbow bolt. When he returned to his town, he was hailed as a hero.
This defiance of the Austrian governor sparked a rebellion, leading to Switzerland's independence.
Schiller and Rossini
Friedrich von Schiller used the Tell legend as the basis for his play William Tell (german:Wilhelm Tell). Gioachino Rossini in turn used Schiller's play as the basis for his operaCharles Garnier's Opera, Paris, opened 1875 Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music. The drama is presented using the typical elements of theater such as scenery, costumes, and acting. However, the words of the opera, William TellWilliam Tell is an opera by Gioacchino Rossini. The libretto was written by Etienne de Jou and Hippolyte Bis based on Friedrich Schiller's Wilhelm Tell''. It was first performed in Paris on August 3, 1829. The original version was in French but it is ofte, the overtureOverture (French ouverture meaning opening), in music, the instrumental introduction to a dramatic, choral, or, occasionally, instrumental composition. Frequently an opening to a larger dramatic work such as an opera, earlier usage of the word also referr of which achieved great popularity as the theme musicA television program's theme music is a melody closely associated with the show, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits. If it is accompanied by lyrics, it is a theme song . The purpose of the music is to establish a mood for the for the television show The Lone Ranger.
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