| Surname: | Düben |
| Coat Of Arms: | VonDüben.JPG |
| Coat Of Arms Caption: | Coat of arms of the House of von Düben |
| Caption: | Coat of arms granted to the von Düben family, No. 139. |
| Type: | Swedish noble family |
| Origin: | Holy Roman Empire (present-day Germany) |
| Country: | Sweden |
| Titles: | Freiherr, Count |
| Region: | Mexico, Sweden and United States[1] [2] |
| Traditions: | Baroque music |
The Düben family (pronounced as /de/) is a Swedish family originally from Saxony, Holy Roman Empire, whose members were elevated to the Swedish nobility, that rose to prominence with Andreas Düben (–1662), an organist to the German Church in Stockholm, Swedish Empire.
During the 17th century, the Düben family exerted a significant influence on music at the Royal Court Orchestra, which experienced a golden age during those years. The family collected and composed various works, resulting in a compilation known as the Düben collection. Gustaf Düben, the son of Andreas Düben, was responsible for compiling this collection.
Its members use different surnames; the ennobled individuals and their descendants incorporate a nobiliary particle, "von," into their surnames, as seen in "von Düben" (pronounced as /de/), while the un-ennobled members do not include this particle in their surnames.
The Düben family progenitor, Michael Düben, was an advisor in Lützen. He had a son, Andreas Düben (1558–1625), who became the organist at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.[3] The latter's son and namesake, Andreas Düben, came to Sweden in 1620.[4] In 1625, Düben started serving as an organist at the German Church in Stockholm.[5]
Prominent figures in the family that were not musicians, but still with high-ranking positions include Emerentia von Düben, a lady-in-waiting and the favorite of Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden.[6] Her nephew, Henrik Jakob von Düben, was Sweden's envoy to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the son of the latter, Anders Gustaf von Düben, was compelled to go into exile in 1833 after accompanying Gustav, Prince of Vasa. A. G. von Düben's grandson, Edward Wilhelm von Düben, served as Sweden's vice-consul to Salina Cruz, Mexico.[7] He is the sole male ancestor of all living descendants with agnatic kinship.
Gustaf Düben, an organist and composer, contributed the most to the Düben collection, which is now preserved at the Uppsala University Library. The collection include pieces by renowned composer Dieterich Buxtehude.[8]
The Düben family was ennobled at the House of Nobility on four occasions. In 1719, they were introduced with baronial rank (No. 135 & 139).[9] [10] In 1726, another branch of the family, with untitled noble rank (No. 1785).[11] In 1719, the Düben family (No. 80) were introduced with baronial rank. Then in 1743, they were introduced with comital rank.[12]
The Düben family, based in Landskrona, hosted Selma Lagerlöf during her work period as a teacher,[13] [14] an event that was later featured in a biography. In Gränna, Sweden, there is a local alcoholic company that honors its former resident, A. C. von Düben, by naming a punsch after him.[15]
sv:Erik Kjellberg
.