CRISIS IN CREATIVITY 1813-1819 During these years there was a return to an heroic style but one expressing Bombast & the patriotic fever of the time.
AGE 43 THROUGH AGE 44 - [1814]
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CRISIS IN CREATIVITY 1813-1819 During these years there was a return to an heroic style but one expressing Bombast & the patriotic fever of the time. |
WORKS CREATED
| op 89: Polonaise | (December) (composed for Emp. Of Russia who was in Vienna for the Congress) |
| op 90: Autograph score of Piano Sonata | (Begun in June and written out Aug16) (1st piano sonata in 4 years) (2 movements) |
| op 115: Namensfeier Overture | (Autograph score begun Oct1st & compl. Mar 1815) (planned for celebration of Emperor's name day but put aside until 1815 to write |
| op 118: 'Elegischer Gesang' (Elegy) | (July) For Pasqualati on 3rd anniversary of his wife, Eleonore's, death with a performance planned for Aug 5th |
| op 136: Cantata for 4 solo voices, chorus & orchestra "Der glorreiche Augenblick" | (Oct - Nov) Described by Kerman p61 as "absolutely bombastic" |
| WoO 94: Song, "Germania" | (early 1814) For G.F. Treitschke's Singspiel) |
| WoO 95: Chorus w/ orch, "Die verbundeten Fursten" | (Short chorus of welcome to visiting sovereigns) (Text by Carl Joseph Bernard (1780- 1850) - afterward became one of B's closest friends) |
| WoO 100: Song, "Markenstein" | (Sketch Nov, compl Dec22[Tagebuch #85]) |
| WoO 102: Song, "Abschiedsgesang" for 3 male voices a capella | |
| WoO 103: Cantata, "Un lieto brindisi" | (June 24 evening honoring Giovanni Malfatti (Johann), for his name-day (St. John's day; Anna and Therese's uncle) (Event was organized by Dr. Andreas Bertolini - B's friend & med.advisor 1806-1816) |
| WoO 143: Song, "Der kriegers Abschied" | (late 1814) |
| WoO 144: Song, "Merkenstein" | |
| WoO 164: Song, "Freundschaft ist die quelle" | (Sept) |
| WoO 199: "Ich bin der Herr von su" | (musical quip for Archduke Rudolph) |
| WoO 205b: "Allein, allein, allein" | (musical quip. To Count Lichnowsky in a letter #498) |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
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DATE
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LIFE NOTES
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OTHER NOTES
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Ongoing economic insecurity w/ Kinsky heirs & Lobkowitz still not providing promised shares of annuity. -------------------------- "There is much to be done on earth, do it soon." "I must not continue my present everyday life; art demands this sacrifice too. Rest and find diversion only in order to act all the more forcefully in art." [Tagebuch #25] -------------------------- "No time passes more quickly, rolls by faster, then when our mind is occupied or when I spend it with my Muse." [Tagebuch #31] |
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| Jan 2 | Benefit concert held for Beethoven - Wellingtons Sieg, portions of Die Ruinen von Athen performed. Maelzel was not involved in this performance. | |
| Jan 24 | Beethoven placed a notice in the Wiener Zeitung thanking the performers at his benefit concert Jan 2nd. | |
| Jan - Feb | Success of B's concerts induced theater directors to reinstate Leonore/Fidelio - B. agreed to revise w/ vocal score prepared by 20yo pianist & admirer, Ignaz Moscheles. (Treitschke asked to assist in changing the libretto) | |
| Early | Josephine rejected Stackelberg's demand to return w/ him to Baltic homeland; had police remove children from her into his custody. She heard nothing of them until caretakers sought financial support from her Jan1816 - 2yrs. later. | |
| Feb | Moved: Molkerbastei 94 (now #10), Bartensteinsehes Haus (1st fl) until June. | |
| Feb 27 | Benefit concert held for B. where 7th symphony, op116 Trio Tremate, Wellingtons Sieg, Archduke Trio op97 performed along with the premier performance of: the 8th symphony. (Beethoven failed in his piano performance of ? piece.) Ludwig Spohr, a fellow composer at these final concerts wrote: "in loud portions the poor deaf man pounded so hard on the keys that the strings jangled, and in quiet portions he played so softly that entire groups of notes were omitted." Attempts at conducting were also poor. During the rehearsal - it became obvious that he was no longer capable of leading orchestra, even in his own compositions. The orchestra members suddenly rebelled, and refused to play. Confused, he turned to his friend Ferdinand Ries, who scribbled on a pad, "Please, let's leave now." B. understood immediately. Arriving home, he collapsed on the couch & buried his face for hours. "It was the one blow," Ries wrote, "from which he seemed never to recover." | ? What music was performed by Beethoven at this concert ? |
| Mar16-17 | Maelzel, now in Munich after having had disagreement with Beethoven in Vienna over Wellingtons Sieg, performed the work there without permission. This lead to Beethoven taking legal action against Maelzel | |
| Mar 25 | Beethoven conducted the Egmont Overture and Wellingtons Sieg at a charity concert. | |
| April | Archduke trio op97 first performed with Schuppanzigh playing Violin. | |
| April | Beethoven sent score of Wellingtons Sieg to Prince Regent in London with a dedication to him probably calculated to keep Maelzel from considering performing the work there himself. | |
| April-mid | Fidelio rehearsals began | |
| April | Thompson published the first volume of Beethoven's folksong arrangements. | |
| April | Piano Sonata op90 begun | |
| April 15 | Prince Karl Lichnowsky died. | |
| May 23 | Rewritten Fidelio performed (w/o new overture yet) at the Karntnertortheater with Beethoven and Umlauf conducting. | |
| May 26 | Rewritten Fidelio again performed, this time w/ new overture. There were several subsequent performances. | |
| May | One of B's last public perf's as pianist at one of Schuppanzigh's morning concerts - 2nd perf. of Archduke Trio. | |
| May | After Josephine hiding in village outside of Vienna for 1 year with 1yo Minona she returned to Vienna. Stackelberg very soon after appeared w/ court order and police removing their 3 children from her custody. Stackelberg then left Vienna through 1817. Josephine had no contact with her 3 three children for those years. Stackelberg also attempted to remove the 3 other children from her 1st marriage. Josephine fought this attempt successfully from 1814-1816. | |
| June - Sept | Moved to Baden for summer (??? address) | |
| June 24 | Beethoven's cantata, 'Un lieto brindisi' just written for Giovanni Malfatti's name-day, and performed in his honor. | |
| June | Moscheles agreed to create piano arrangements of Fidelio with his work checked and edited by Beethoven. | |
| July | Elegischer Gesang op118 composed for an Aug 5th performance. | |
| July 18 | Benefit performance of Fidelio (final version) for Beethoven. This included a new version of Rocco's aria and Leonore's recitative and aria (sung by Anna Milder-Hauptmann) | |
| Aug | Piano score of Fidelio published - arranged by Moscheles (see June) | |
| Aug 16 | Autograph score of Piano Sonata op90 completed. | |
| Sept 26 | Fidelio perf'ed before several for.heads of state there for Cong.of Vienna ( -Jun/'15) | |
| Sept | Moved ???? Sept & October | |
| Oct 1 | Autograph score of Namensfeier Overture begun - not completed until Mar 1815 | |
| Oct-Nov | Cantata 'Der glorreiche Augenblick' composed | |
| Nov | Moved to Molkerbastei 8, Pasqualatihaus (5th fl) until Spring 1815. | |
| Nov 29 | Perf. Der glorreiche Augenblick op136 for the opening of Congress of Vienna at the Redoutensaal; attended by Empresses of Austria & Russia, King of Russia; nearly all princely participants of the Congress of Vienna were there. Other music perf'ed: Battle & 7th symphonies.(perf rep.3d later.) | |
| Nov 30 | Secret Police report: "...the English delegation is so pious that they won't listen to music on a Sunday and Herr van Beethoven's concert has therefore been moved to a weekday..." [Last Decade p15 ref#2] | |
| Dec 2 | Repeat performance (from Nov 29th) | |
| Dec | Polonaise op89 composed for Empress of Russia then in Vienna for the Congress. | |
| Dec | Beethoven planned a collaboration with Treitschke on a new opera: Romulus und Remus. | |
| Dec 25 | 2nd repeat performance (Nov 29th, Dec.2nd) | |
| Dec 31 | Fire destroyed Rasumovsky palace during Congress of Vienna festivities greatly reducing Rasumovsky's wealth. |