Carl Maria von Weber, who is also known for Abu Hassan, Die Drei Pintos, Euryanthe, Oberon, Peter Schmoll und Seine Nachbarn, and Silvana, wrote Der Freischütz, a three-act Romantische Oper. Johann Friedrich Kind wrote the libretto for Der Freischütz, which was based on Johann August Apel and Friedrich Laun’s Gespenterbuch, which was also the basis for a number of other early nineteenth-century theatrical works.
Der Freischütz was the first musical work to be staged at the rebuilt Schauspielhus in Berln on June 18, 1821. Der Freischütz’s premiere is significant because it marks a turning point in the effort to establish German opera as a separate entity from Italian opera. Richard Wagner saw Weber conduct Der Freischütz when he was nine years old, found it inspiring, and went on to become a well-known opera composer.
Cuno, the head ranger, and his two assistants, Max and Caspar, are the central characters in Der Freischütz. Agathe, Cuno’s daughter, is in love with Max, but she has set a condition for their marriage: Max must win Prince Ottocar’s shooting contest. This is also a requirement for the post of head ranger to be passed down through the generations. Kilian, a peasant, wins the first round of the competition and teases Max for missing all of his shots. The arrival of the other foresters, including Cuno and Caspar, puts an end to the fight between the two.
Caspar has made a deal with the Black Huntsman, Samiel, and he uses the opportunity to suggest that Max’s gun is bewitched, unbeknownst to anyone else. Caspar finds it easy to tempt Max because he is so disheartened. He shares wine with Max, allowing him to shoot an enormous eagle with a gun loaded with a Freikügel, a magical bullet that always hits its target. Unfortunately, Caspar says, the one Max fired was his last, but if Max agrees to meet him at Wolf’s Glen at midnight, he can get seven more. Caspar’s plan is to substitute Max for himself as a victim for Samiel.
Act II of Der Freischütz opens in Cuno’s house, where Agathe and a relative are relaxing, though strangely, a picture of one of Cuno’s ancestors has fallen off the wall, injuring Agathe. She is worried after her morning visit to the Hermit, but her mood improves as she concentrates on her wedding. Max appears and informs her that he needs to collect a deer near Wolf’s Glen. Agathe is terrified just thinking about this place, but Max assures her that foresters are not afraid to go into the woods at night, and that he must hurry while the moon is still visible.
Caspar casts a spell in the glen to summon Samiel. Samiel agrees to give Caspar three more years in exchange for a new victim, and suggests that the new victim be Agathe, whom Samiel controls. As he enters the glen, Max has terrifying visions, but he persists. The seven bullets are fired amid terrifying forebodings, culminating in the appearance of Samiel himself, who knocks both Caspar and Max out.
The hunters are already practicing in Act III of Der Freischütz. The bullets have been divided between Max and Kaspar, and Max’s first three shots have been flawless. He’s down to one bullet, which Samiel is in charge of. The action shifts to Agathe’s room, where she is dressed in her wedding gown and recalls a dream in which she was a white dove who fell out of the sky when Max fired his gun. The bridesmaids arrive, but the picture has fallen off the wall again, and among the wedding garlands is a funeral wreath. They make a new wreath out of the Hermit’s roses.
The Prince arrives for the shooting contest’s conclusion, and Cuno requests that it be completed before the bride arrives. The Prince instructs them to shoot a white dove, but as Max prepares to fire, Agathe enters, screaming that she is the dove and that he should not shoot. The dove flies away when the Hermit moves the bough. Max fires, and Agathe and Caspar, who were hiding behind the tree where the dove was perched, both fall. Samiel is present when Caspar passes away. Agathe is discovered to be alive. Max confesses, and the Prince exiles him. The Prince commutes Max’s sentence to a year of probation, after which the Prince will preside over the wedding.