Music at the court of Jülich-Berg

Johann+Wilhelm+of+Pfalz-Neuburg+was+born+April+19%2C+1658+in+D%26uuml%3Bsseldorf.+His+grandfather%2C+Wolfgang+Wilhelm+of+Pfalz-Neuburg%2C+was+given+the+important+dukedom+of+J%26uuml%3Blich-Berg+at+the+beginning+of+the+17th+Century.+His+father%2C+Philipp+Wilhelm+of+Pfalz-Neuburg%2C+ensured+a+complete+education+for+his+son%2C+who%2C+even+at+an+early+age%2C+showed+a+significant+interest+in+the+arts.+Music+and+the+Fine+Arts+became+Johann+Wilhelm%26rsquo%3Bs+dominant+passions.+%3Cbr+%2F%3EHe+married+archduchess+Maria+Anna+Josepha+of+Austria+in+1678%2C+which+gained+him+access+to+the+rich+musical+culture+of+the+Emperor%26rsquo%3Bs+court.+On+August+1%2C+1679%2C+he+became+the+regent+of+the+dukedom+of+J%26uuml%3Blich-Berg+with+capitals+in+both+J%26uuml%3Blich+and+D%26uuml%3Bsseldorf.+D%26uuml%3Bsseldorf+was+the+focal+point+of+his+reign%3B+he+helped+develop+it+to+become+a+center+of+art+and+culture.+After+the+death+of+his+first+wife+in+1689%2C+Johann+Wilhelm+married+Anna+Maria+Luisa+de+Medici+in+1691.+After+the+death+of+his+father+in+1690+he+became+the+Elector+of+Pfalz+and+one+of+the+distinguished+leaders+of+his+era.+Johann+Wilhelm+shared+his+passion+for+art+and+music+with+his+new+wife.+The+opera+performances+during+Carnival+in+D%26uuml%3Bsseldorf+in+the+years+following+1690+became+legendary.+The+court+orchestra%2C+which+Johann+Wilhelm+formed%2C+could+compete+with+Imperial+standards%2C+and+was+admired+by+contemporaries+in+1711+at+the+Imperial+Election+in+Frankfurt.+In+the+words+of+a+guest+of+the+D%26uuml%3Bsseldorf+court%2C+%26ldquo%3B%5Bthe+orchestra+was%5D+a+felicitous+lot+of+fine+artists.%26rdquo%3B+The+amount+of+money+Johann+Wilhelm+invested+in+courtly+show+was+not+atypical+for+its+time%2C+but+he+did+receive+criticism+from+his+fellow+Electors.+Johann+Wilhelm+dreamt+of+being+named+a+King.