Otto Heinrich von Gemmingen-Hornberg

Otto Heinrich von Gemmingen zu Hornberg (5 November 1755 – 3 March 1836) was a member of the aristocratic Gemmingen family. He was a diplomat and enlightenment writer, a Freemason and a friend of the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Otto Heinrich von Gemmingen-Hornberg was born at the Free imperial city Heilbronn, where his parents were based for a period. His father, also called Otto Heinrich von Gemmingen (1727–1790), worked as a judge at the imperial district court in Wetzlar, and it was here that he spent the first ten years of his life, receiving his schooling from his father, probably with backup from a tutor. His mother, Marie Elis von Gemmingen-Hornberg (1723-1775), was the widow of Count von Virmont and a daughter of Johann Hermann Franz von Nesselrode. After the death of his grandfather his father gave up his work as a judge in 1766 and the family relocated to Heilbronn. From the lawyerly social milieu in the bustling commercial centre, he would move to a more traditionally aristocratic lifestyle during his earl teenage years, with parties and concerts and fireworks in summer evenings and tobogganing in the winter. It was in this context that the younger Otto Heinrich - generally known as Heinrich in the family - had his first experience of theatre at the "Komödiensaal" in the town hall, making frequent stage appearances in the works of Lessing, Schiller, Shakespeare and other playwrights fashionable at the time. His father nevertheless continued to place emphasis on more serious aspects of his education. Important for any future career in politics or diplomacy was mastery of the French language, and both French and Jurisprudence featured prominently in his studies. Literature and Music were not ignored, however. Heinrich had access not merely to his father's extensive library but also to the public library in the town, which afforded excellent opportunities for building his knowledge. He also became a competent performer on the 'cello and on the piano.