Theodor Hell was the pseudonym for Karl Gottfried Theodor Winkler, and he seems to have been as bright as the name under which he wrote. He was well known in Dresden not only as a poet but as an impresario and journalist. Indeed he seems to have been a leading light in the musical life of that city, taking almost every role possible from assistant director of the court theatre to founder-editor of the Dresdner Abendzeitung. He is best remembered for his connection with Carl Maria von Weber. He made the German translation of the English libretto for Oberon and provided Weber with a fine original libretto for Die drei Pintos. He was a trustee of Weber's orphaned children.

from notes by Graham Johnson © 1993