Daniel Itzig

German banker (1723–1799)

Daniel Itzig

Daniel Itzig (also known as Daniel Yoffe, 18 March 1723 in Berlin – 17 May 1799 in Potsdam) was a court Jew of Kings Frederick II the Great and Frederick William II of Prussia.

## Biography

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Medal posted for Daniel Itzig's 70th birthday in 1793

Itzig was born in Berlin. His family was mercantile. Itzig was a banker and a mintmaster in partnership with Veitel Heine Ephraim. Together they leased all the mints in Saxony and Prussia. During the Seven Years' War they assisted Frederick the Great in debasing the Saxonian currency[1] and spreading the Ephraimiten, not only in Saxony, but also in Silesia, Poland, Bohemia and Courland.

Itzig was one of the very few Jews in Prussia to receive full citizenship privileges, as a "Useful Jew". He became extraordinarily wealthy as a consequence.

Book by Romineli commemorating Itzig in Berlin

Together with his son in law David Friedlander, Itzig was appointed to lead a committee which was to discuss ways to improve the Jewish civil and social standing in Prussia, which led to the removal of many restrictions. He funded early members of the Haskalah secular movement, including Rabbi Israel of Zamosch (Moses Mendelssohn's teacher), Samuel Rominow (an Italian Jewish artist) and Isaac Satanow.[2]

In 1761 he began planning a school for poor Jewish boys in Berlin, and in 1778 his son together with Daniel Friedlander opened the first "free school" (Freischule) called "Hinuch Neorim", Hebrew: 'Teaching the Youth'. The school and adjacent printing house later became one of the main institutions of the Haskalah movement. At the same time he founded and funded a Yeshiva and brought Rabbi Hirschel Levin and Rabbi Joseph ben Meir Teomim to Berlin to teach there.

Itzig was the official head ('Oberältester') of the Jewish community in Berlin from 1764 until his death in 1799.[3] He was made the Prussian court banker by Frederick's successor, Frederick William II of Prussia in 1797.

## Legacy

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His wife Miriam Wulff's ancestors included Rabbi Moses Isserles of Kraków and Joseph ben Mordechai Gershon.[4] Many of Itzig's thirteen children (see Itzig family) became influential in German Jewish society. Two of his granddaughters married two of Moses Mendelssohn's sons. One of them was Lea (née Solomon), mother of Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Hensel, a pianist and composer. By her, Lea was grandmother of mathematician Kurt Hensel. A non-Jewish descendant of Daniel Itzig was Wilhelm Cauer.

## See also

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* Itzig family

## References

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1. ^ Conway (2012) 145.
2. ^ Masa BaArav, (Hebrew), Samuel Romanelli, Berlin 1781
3. ^ Conway (2012) 145.
4. ^ Daniel Itzig in the Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1904)

## Sources

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* Conway, David (2012). Jewry in Music: Entry to the Profession from the Enlightentment to Richard Wagner. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

## External links

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* Itzig children

* v
* t
* e

Felix Mendelssohn

* Mendelssohn-Werkverzeichnis
* List of compositions

Vocal|

| Stage|

* A Midsummer Night's Dream
* "Wedding March"
* Antigone
* Oedipus at Colonus
* Die beiden Neffen
* Die Heimkehr aus der Fremde
* Die Hochzeit des Camacho

|

Sacred|

* Oratorio: St. Paul / Paulus
* Elijah / Elias
* Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen
* Wer bis an das Ende beharrt
* Christus
* Other: "Psalm 42"
* Vom Himmel hoch (chorale cantata)
* Drei Motetten
* Lobgesang (Symphony No. 2)
* Verleih uns Frieden
* "Hear my prayer"
* Lord, have mercy upon us
* Jauchzet dem Herrn, alle Welt (Psalm 100)
* Mitten wir im Leben sind

Other|

* Die erste Walpurgisnacht
* "On Wings of Song"
* Festgesang
* Festgesang an die Künstler

Orchestral|

| Symphony|

* 13 String Symphonies
* No. 1
* No. 2 (symphony-cantata Lobgesang)
* No. 3 (Scottish)
* No. 4 (Italian)
* No. 5 (Reformation)

|

Concerto|

* Violin and Strings
* Violin
* Piano, Violin and Strings
* Piano: No. 1 – No. 2
* Two Pianos: in E major – in A♭ major

Other|

* Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage
* The Hebrides
* Die schöne Melusine

Chamber|

| String quartet|

* String Quartet in E♭ major
* No. 1
* No. 2
* No. 3
* No. 4
* No. 5
* No. 6
* Four pieces for string quartet

|

Other|

* Violin Sonata: No. 1 – No. 2 – No. 3
* Viola Sonata
* Cello Sonata: No. 1 – No. 2
* Assai tranquillo for cello and piano
* Clarinet Sonata
* Piano Trio: in C minor – No. 1 – No. 2
* Piano Quartet: No. 1 – No. 2 – No. 3
* String Quintet: No. 1 – No. 2
* Piano Sextet
* String Octet

Solo|

* Piano: Lieder ohne Worte (Songs Without Words) – Variations sérieuses – Fantasie, Op. 28 – Preludes and Fugues, Op. 35
* Organ: Six Organ Sonatas

People|

* Daniel Itzig (mother's side great-grandfather)
* Moses (father's side grandfather)
* Bella Salomon (mother’s side grandmother}
* Sara Levy (née Itzig) (mother’s side great aunt)
* Abraham (father)
* Lea Mendelssohn Bartholdy (mother)
* Fanny and Rebecka (sisters)
* Paul (son)

Other|

* Mendelssohn Foundation
* Mendelssohn Scholarship
* MendelssohnKammerChor Berlin
* Fanny & Felix Mendelssohn Museum
* Mendelssohn House, Leipzig
* Mendelssohn is on the Roof

* Category
* Audio

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* Israel

People|

* Deutsche Biographie

Other|

* SNAC
* RISM

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