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Count of St Germain
Category: Magician
The Comte de Saint Germain (died 27 February 1784) was a musical magician with an ability to heal. He achieved considerable prominence in the European high society of the mid-1700s gaining a reputation that spread far ahead of him. Horace Walpole described the Count as pale, with 'extremely black' hair and a beard. 'He dressed magnificently, [and] had several jewels'. Walpole then went on to say that he was ‘a man of Quality’ and ‘was too great a musician not to have been famous if he had not been a gentleman'.
The Comte de St. Germain - by Isabel Cooper-Oakley - [1912]
The original 'International Man of Mystery,' the Count had no visible means of support, but no lack of resources, and moved in high social circles. He was a renowned conversationalist and a skilled musician. He dropped hints that he was centuries old and could grow diamonds. He never ate in public, was ambidextrous, and as far as anyone could tell, totally celibate. He served as a backchannel diplomat between England and France, and may have played some role in Freemasonry. He hobnobbed with Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great, Voltaire, Rousseau, Mesmer, and Casanova. He dabbled in materials and textile technology as well as alchemy, as did many intellectuals of the time (e.g., Newton). These are established historical facts, documented by the extensive collection of contemporary accounts.
But he was a magician of some proficiency if the stories are anything to go by.
He always appeared about forty years old, popped up from time to time after his official death (on February 27th, 1784), made spot-on, unambiguous prophecies, could transmute matter, and spontaneously teleported to distant locations. This has made him a subject of interest for students of the esoteric. The Theosophists, (of which Ms. Cooper-Oakley was a founding member from whom the observations have been taken), considered St. Germain to be one of the hidden immortals who manipulate history. In the 20th century, the "I Am" Activity, and its successors such as Elizabeth Clare Prophet's adherents, elevated St. Germain to the status of a demigod, an 'Ascended Master.'
Like all magicians his greatest gift was his charisma, the aura and mystique with which he was surrounded and it appeared to fascinate women, the more so because he professed to have never had any dealings with women:
Horace Walpole "Letter to Sir Horace Mann". Project Gutenberg. December 9, 1745
The other day they seized an odd man, who goes by the name of Count St. Germain. He has been here these two years, and will not tell who he is, or whence, but professes two wonderful things; the first, that he does not go by his right name; and the second that he never had any dealings with any woman - nay, nor with any succedaneum (this was censored by Walpole's editors until 1954).
He sings, plays on the violin wonderfully, composes, is mad, and not very sensible. He is called an Italian, a Spaniard, a Pole; a somebody that married a great fortune, and ran away with her jewels to Constantinople; a priest, a fiddler, a vast nobleman. The Prince of Wales has had unsatiated [sic] curiosity about him, but in vain. However, nothing has been made out against him
St. Germain used a variety of names and titles, an accepted practice amongst royals and nobles at the time. These include the Marquis de Montferrat, Comte Bellamarre, Chevalier Schoening, Count Weldon, Comte Soltikoff, Graf Tzarogy and Prinz Ragoczy. In order to deflect inquiries as to his origins, he would invent fantasies. As such, the date and place of his birth and background are unknown, but towards the end of his life he claimed that he was a son of Prince Francis II Rákóczi of Transylvania, possibly by Duchess Violante Beatrice of Bavaria. “ The speculation is that his identity was safeguarded as a protective measure from the persecutions against the Habsburg dynasty”.
Hunter, David. "Monsieur le Comte de Saint-Germain: The Great Pretender". The Musical Times, Vol. 144, No. 1885 quoting Lady Jemima Yorke:
He is an Odd Creature, and the more I see him the more curious I am to know something about him. He is everything with everybody: he talks Ingeniously with Mr Wray, Philosophy with Lord Willoughby, and is gallant with Miss Yorke, Miss Carpenter, and all the Young Ladies. But the Character and Philosopher is what he seems to pretend to, and to be a good deal conceited of: the Others are put on to comply with Les Manieres du Monde, but that you are to suppose his real characteristic; and I can't but fancy he is a great Pretender in All kinds of Science, as well as that he really has acquired an uncommon Share in some.
The Count was multi-lingual, but the languages he knew well, imply a different origin from eastern Europe. According to other sources he was most proficient in Spanish.
The Yale edition of Horace Walpole correspondence (1712-1784), vol 26
St Germain spoke Italian and French with the greatest facility, though it was evident that neither was his language; he understood Polish, and soon learnt to understand English and talk it a little [...] But Spanish or Portuguese seemed his natural language…...
St Germain appeared in the French court in around 1748. In 1749 he was employed by Louis XV for diplomatic missions.
The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Memoires of Casanova, Complete, by Jacques Casanova de Seingalt". Gutenberg.org.
St. Germain gave himself out for a marvel and always aimed at exciting amazement, which he often succeeded in doing. He was scholar, linguist, musician, and ‘chemist’, good-looking, and a perfect ladies' man. For a while he gave them paints and cosmetics; he flattered them, not that he would make them young again (which he modestly confessed was beyond him) but that their beauty would be preserved by means of a wash which, he said, cost him a lot of money, but which he gave away freely.
He had contrived to gain the favour of Madame de Pompadour, who had spoken about him to the king, for whom he had made a laboratory, in which the monarch — a martyr to boredom — tried to find a little pleasure or distraction, at all events, by making dyes. The king had given him a suite of rooms at Chambord, and a hundred thousand francs for the construction of a laboratory, and according to St. Germain the dyes discovered by the king would have a materially beneficial influence on the quality of French fabrics.
This extraordinary man, intended by nature to be the king of impostors and quacks, would say in an easy, assured manner that he was three hundred years old, that he knew the secret of the Universal Medicine, that he possessed a mastery over nature, that he could melt diamonds, professing himself capable of forming, out of ten or twelve small diamonds, one large one of the finest water without any loss of weight. All this, he said, was a mere trifle to him. Notwithstanding his boastings, his bare-faced lies, and his manifold eccentricities, I cannot say I thought him offensive. In spite of my knowledge of what he was and in spite of my own feelings, I thought him an astonishing man as he was always astonishing me.
In 1779 St. Germain arrived in Altona in Schleswig. Here he made an acquaintance with Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel, who also had an interest in mysticism and was a member of several secret societies. The Count showed the Prince several of his gems and he convinced the latter that he had invented a new method of colouring cloth.
The Prince was impressed and installed the Count in an abandoned factory at Eckernförde he had acquired especially for the Count, and supplied him with the materials and cloths that St. Germain needed to proceed with the project. The two met frequently in the following years, and the Prince outfitted a laboratory for alchemical experiments in his nearby summer residence Louisenlund, where they, among other things, cooperated in creating gemstones and jewelry.
The Prince later recounts in a letter that he was the only person in whom the Count truly confided. He told the Prince that he was the son of the Transylvanian Prince Francis II Rákóczi, and that he had been 88 years of age when he arrived in Schleswig.
The Count died in his residence in the factory on 27 February 1784, while the Prince was staying in Kassel, and the death was recorded in the register of the St. Nicolai Church in Eckernförde.
Music by The Count
The observations are about his magic, but his music is very beautiful - restful and harmonic, so I have added some links to youtube videos in the following list of music, which comes from Appendix II from Jean Overton-Fuller's book "The Comte de Saint Germain". This one - unidentified by its contributor - is being played by Manly P Hall
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Trio Sonatas - Six Sonatas for two violins with a bass for harpsichord or violoncello. Op.47 I. F Major, 4/4, Molto Adagio Op.48 II. B Flat Major, 4/4, Allegro Op.49 III. E Flat Major, 4/4, Adagio Op.50 IV. G Minor, 4/4, Tempo giusto Op.51 V. G Major, 4/4, Moderato Op.52 VI. A Major, 3/4, Cantabile lento
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Violin Solos - Seven Solos for a Violin. Op.53 I. B Flat Major, 4/4, Largo Op.54 II. E Major, 4/4, Adagio Op.55 III. C Minor, 4/4, Adagio Op.56 IV. E Flat Major, 4/4, Adagio Op.57 V. E Flat Major, 4/4, Adagio Op.58 VI. A Major, 4/4, Adagio Op.59 VII. B Flat Major, 4/4, Adagio
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English Songs - note that the words are not by him, they are contemporary poems set to his music Op.4 The Maid That's Made For Love and Me (O Wouldst Thou Know What Sacred Charms). E Flat Major (marked B Flat Major), 3/4
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Op.5 It Is Not That I Love You Less. F Major, 3/4 Op.6 Gentle Love, This Hour Befriend Me. D Major, 4/4 Op.7 Jove, When He Saw My Fanny's Face. D Major, 3/4
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Italian Arias - Numbered in order of their appearance in the Musique Raisonnee Op.8 I. Padre perdona, oh! pene, G Minor, 4/4, p. 1 Op.9 II. Non piangete amarti, E Major, 4/4, p. 6 Op.10 III. Intendo il tuo, F Major, 4/4, p. 11 Op.1 IV. Senza pieta mi credi*, G Major, 6/8 (marked 3/8 but there are 6 quavers to the bar), p. 16 Op.11 V. Gia, gia che moria deggio, D Major, 3/4, p. 21 Op.12 VI. Dille che l'amor mio*, E Major, 4/4, p. 27 Op.13 VII. Mio ben ricordati, D Major, 3/4, p. 32 Op.2 VIII. Digli, digli*, D Major, 3/4, p. 36 Op.3 IX. Per pieta bel Idol mio*, F Major, 3/8, p. 40 Op.14 X. Non so, quel dolce moto, B Flat Major, 4/4, p. 46 Op.15 XI. Piango, e ver, ma non procede, G minor, 4/4, p. 51 Op.16 XII. Dal labbro che t'accende, E Major, 3/4, p. 56 Op.4/17 XIII. Se mai riviene, D Minor, 3/4, p. 58 Op.18 XIV. Parlero non e permesso, E Major, 4/4, p. 62 Op.19 XV. Se tutti i miei pensieri, A Major, 4/4, p. 64 Op.20 XVI. Guadarlo, guaralo in volto, E Major, 3/4, p. 66 Op.21 XVII. Oh Dio mancarmi, D Major, 4/4, p. 68 Op.22 XVIII. Digli che son fedele, E Flat Major, 3/4, p. 70 Op.23 XIX. Pensa che sei cruda, E Minor, 4/4, p. 72 Op.24 XX. Torna torna innocente, G Major, 3/8, p. 74 Op.25 XXI. Un certo non so che veggo, E Major, 4/4, p. 76 Op.26 XXII. Guardami, guardami prima in volto, D Major, 4/4, p. 78
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Op.27 XXIII. Parto, se vuoi cosi, E Flat Major, 4/4, p. 80 Op.28 XXIV. Volga al Ciel se ti, D Minor, 3/4, p. 82 Op.29 XXV. Guarda se in questa volta, F Major, 4/4, p. 84 Op.30 XXVI. Quanto mai felice, D Major, 3/4, p. 86 Op.31 XXVII. Ah che neldi'sti, D Major, 4/4, p. 88 Op.32, XXVIII. Dopp'un tuo Sguardo, F Major, 3/4, p. 90 Op.33 XXIX. Serbero fra'Ceppi, G major, 4/4, 92 Op.34 XXX. Figlio se piu non vivi moro, F Major, 4/4, p. 94 Op.35 XXXI. Non ti respondo, C Major, 3/4, p. 96 Op.36 XXXII. Povero cor perche palpito, G Major, 3/4, p. 99 Op.37 XXXIII. Non v'e piu barbaro, C Minor, 3/8, p. 102 Op.38 XXXIV. Se de'tuoi lumi al fuoco amor, E major, 4/4, p. 106 Op.39 XXXV. Se tutto tosto me sdegno, E Major, 4/4, p. 109 Op.40 XXXVI. Ai negli occhi un tel incanto, D Major, 4/4 (marked 2/4 but there are 4 crochets to the bar), p. 112 Op.41 XXXVII. Come poteste de Dio, F Major, 4/4, p. 116 Op.42 XXXVIII. Che sorte crudele, G Major, 4/4, p. 119 Op.43 XXXIX. Se almen potesse al pianto, G Minor, 4/4, p. 122 Op.44 XXXX. Se viver non posso lunghi, D Major, 3/8, p. 125 Op.45 XXXXI. Fedel faro faro cara cara, D Major, 3/4, p. 128 Op.46 XXXXII. Non ha ragione, F Major, 4/4, p. 131
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Note
It may be helpful after having read this section to also read the section on the Knights Templar. There is evidence that the Count was a Knight Templar, but it needs to be read in the context of the section on this order.
Observations
For iPad/iPhone users: tap letter twice to get list of items.
- Count of St Germain - A Philosophical sonnet
- Count of St Germain - Covered in diamonds
- Count of St Germain - Dying wool and silk
- Count of St Germain - from Chroniques, de l’Œil de Bœuf
- Count of St Germain - from Franz Gräffer's account
- Count of St Germain - Intercourse with ghosts and supernatural beings, who appear at his call
- Count of St Germain - Music and painting
- Count of St Germain - Out of body to distant lands
- Count of St Germain - Philospher's stone
- Count of St Germain - Prophesies the French Revolution
- Count of St Germain - Teleports from China
- Count of St Germain - The prophecy of Marie Antoinette's fate
- Count of St Germain - Using plants and teas to heal