"MIDDLE (1803-1813) PERIOD"

- Vienna 1804 (Age 33 years) -

Beethoven returned from Heiligenstadt (October 1802) a changed man. A change in his musical style was present. Per Carl Czerny, Beethoven remarked, "I am not satisfied with the work I have done so far. From now on I intend to take a new way." The coming works took on a grand scale, the first of which was his Third Symphony, the "Eroica."

MEDICAL: Beethoven continued to seek medical advise and treatment for his severe ailments including his now marked hearing loss associated with tinnitus. He was thereby not able to keep up with conversations, especially in noisy environments, causing him to withdraw from those settings. In addition, he found that he could not adequately perform, which led him increasingly toward composition as a means of income rather than performance.

image from 1804

CREATIVE / FINANCIAL: Despite his suffering, Beethoven's compositions continued to advance his fame and standing. He continued to teach a few students, including Ferdinand Ries, and Carl Czerny (who later offered the premier performance of Beethoven's 5th piano concerto "the Emperor" on February 11, 1812).

Beethoven continued to support himself through wealthy patrons and from the publishing of his works. In addition, he held a position at the Theater an der Wien, but this was ended when management changed hands in 1804. This forced him to move to the suburbs of Vienna, there sharing rooms with his longtime friend, Stephan von Breuning.

Beethoven's brother Carl began helping his brother in handling the business end of things, enabling Beethoven to receive greater financial return for his work.

Archduke Rudolph, the youngest son of Emperor Leopold II studied piano and composition with Beethoven beginning in the winter months of 1803. The Archduke offered significant financial support to Beethoven and the two became lifelong friends. Fourteen of Beethoven's works were dedicated to Rudolph, including the Archduke Trio (1811), the Missa solemnis (1823), etc.

ROMANTIC: Beethoven fell deeply in love with the Brunsvik's youngest daughter, Josephine. She, in turn returned his affection, but - in the end she later married Count Josef Deym, a happy marriage but one that lasted only a short time with his sudden death in 1804. Many love letters were written to her over the years 1804-1805 and beyond (see Anderson's Letters from those years), but by 1807 - under pressure from her family and with the knowledge that her ongoing relationship with Beethoven could result in the loss of her children, she withdrew from him. Three years later, 1810, she married Baron von Stackelberg.

MUSIC: Beethoven's music was influenced by French heroic style during these years. A four note motto was often used, e.g.: Harp quartet, 4th piano conc., Appassionata, 5th symph. Key of c was now used to express the heroic rather than pathos (e.g., 5th sym). The 4 notes are never twice used in the same way however.

POLITICAL CLIMATE: A police state existed at this time and Love for the Kaiser was mixed with dread of the secret police. There was a sense of fear and uncertainly following the Hapsburg submission to Napoleon (following the defeats of 1797-1809) along with a sense of national impotence since the death of Joseph II; with his death there was a diminished hope for the enlightened despotism he had espoused.

In this era of failed political nerve and a decrease in outward concern for the human condition, music became an expression of these uncensorable statements. The High Classic style was not trivial but expressed a utopian ideal. Womanhood was Idealized and a commercialized view of sex and marriage obtained. The greater works of Mozart, Haydn and early Beethovencontradicted Viennese life where gaiety disguised a sense of loss, courtly grace was penetrated by brusque and dissonant elements. Fantasy was mixed with profound expression. Bonaparte's image actually replaced Christ's in many homes in Europe. Beethoven rejected hierarchical orthodoxy in liturgical and in secular life and so had conflicts with Bonaparte in terms of his image as a hero and the reality of his brutality and repression.