HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Ludwig van Beethoven

Classical Music: Ludwig von Beethoven

Painting by Joseph Karl Stieler 1820

Assisting the launch the romantic portion of the HMR Project in classical is composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, who was born in 1770 in Bonn, Germany, baptized on 17 December. Though largely a classical composer in his first period, Beethoven is a bridge figure also serving as the Big Bang to the Romantic. The Romantic period is characterized by free-flowing composition without the bounds of classical structures, pursuing a greater individuality, a bit like the development of bop in jazz of out of swing. Beethoven received his early instruction from his father who was a Kapellmeister. He gave his first public performance at age eight. A year or so later he began studying under opera composer, Christian Gottlob Neefe, then published his first compositions at age 12 in 1782 dedicated to philanthropist, Countess Wolff-Metternich [CLASSIC fM; G. Henle Verlog; IMSLP]:

WoO 63 '9 Variations on a March by Dressler' composed and published in 1782

Pianist: Rintaro Akamatsu

There are a number of cataloguing systems for Beethoven. Opus numbers were ascribed by Beethoven or his publishers. "WoO" numbers ("Without Opus") were ascribed by Georg Kinsky and Hans Halm in the Kinsky–Halm Catalogue of 1955. The Hess catalogue is per 1957. The Biamonti Catalogue was published in 1968 by the ILTE of Turin incorporating earlier catalogues.

Beethoven's first three sonatas in 1782-83 were a set dedicated to the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels, titled 'Kurfürstensonaten' (Kurfurst = Elector), catalogued Without Opus 47 [IMSLP; Wikipedia]:

WoO 47 No.1 'Sonata in E-flat major' Composed 1782-83 Published in 1783

Pianist: Ulrich Staerk

In 1787 Beethoven left Bonn for a brief trip to Vienna to study with Mozart, his senior by fifteen years, but there is no record that the two were ever able to meet. In 1789 Beethoven found it needful to obtain a court order to be paid half his father's salary in order to care for his younger brothers, his father having fallen into an alcoholism through which he could somehow work but not much else. If Beethoven's earlier endeavor to meet Mozart wasn't successful, he did manage to meet and study with Johann Michael Haydn in Vienna in 1792, where he remained to study with Johann Georg Albrechtsberger. By 1793 he was a favored virtuoso in the salons of the nobility.

Beethoven's Opus 1 arrived in 1795 for Prince Karl Lichnowsky, No.1 of which was 'Piano Trio in E-flat major' [Hyperion; IMSLP; Wikipedia]:

Op 1 No.1 'Piano Trio in E-flat major' 1795

Trio Istomin-Stern-Rose Paris 23 Jan 1972

Beethoven's first public performance of a concerto followed on 18 December 1795 in Vienna, that his 'Concerto No.1 in C major' Op 15 [All About LVB; Cliff Eisen; Milner Fuller; Phillip Huscher; IMSLP; Steven Ledbetter; Wikipedia]. By 1796 Beethoven began to lose his hearing so severely as to avoid conversations for frustration. Severe tinnitus was the early symptom. It was 1799 when he tutored the daughters of Hungarian Countess Anna Brunsvik, notably Josephine whom some believe to be the enigmatic "Immortal Beloved" [All About LVB; Wikipedia; Wikipedia].

Beethoven had composed his first six string quartets, Op 18, in 1798 and 1800 for Prince Joseph Franz Maximilian Lobkowitz, published in 1801. Not all in chronological order, the first of those composed was 'String Quartet No. 3 in D major' [Earsense; Hyperion; IMSLP; Wikipedia]:

Op 18 'String Quartet No.3 in D major' Composed 1798

Endellion String Quartet

No better known than for his symphonies, Beethoven's 'Symphony No.1 in C Major' Op 21 arrived on 2 April 1800 to the K.K. Hoftheater in Vienna. This work of four movements bears the classical influence of Mozart. [All About LVB; Beethoven Depot; Britannica; Michael Jameson; IMSLP; LA Phil; National Public Radio; Redlands Symphony; Wikipedia]:

Op 21 'Symphony No.1 in C major' Composed 1799-1800

Metamorphose String Orchestra conducted by Pavel Lyubomudrov

By 1801 Beethoven was frustrating others in conversations due to increasing deafness. He found another way of conversing at age 32 when he thought to break the heart of one his pupils, 18 year-old Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, w his 'Moonlight Sonata' dedicated to her. Beethoven knew the work more as Op 27 No.2 'Piano Sonata No.14 in C-sharp minor' until later called the 'Moonlight Sonata' by poet, Ludwig Rellstab [All About LVB; Wikipedia]:

Op 27 No.2 'Moonlight Sonata' Composed 1801 Piano: Rousseau

Op 27 No.2 'Moonlight Sonata' Composed 1801 Piano: Tomasz Trzciński

Beethoven's first of three sets of bagatelles was Op 33 in 1802:

Op 33 '7 Bagatelles' Composed 1802 Piano: James Boyk

Beethoven's 'Symphony No. 2 in D major' Op 36 premiered at the Theater an der Wien on 5 April 1803 [All About LVB; Beethoven Depot; Classical Music; Roger Dettmer; Phillip Huscher; IMSLP; NPR; Wikipedia]:

Op 36 'Symphony No.2' premiere 5 April 1803

Vienna Philharmonic w John Williams

On 24 May 1803 Beethoven premiered 'Violin Sonata No.9 in A major' w virtuoso, George Bridgetower. Though Bridgetower, without rehearsal, successfully performed this long and difficult work which Beethoven had composed especially for him, the two had a falling out such that Beethoven published it as Op 47 dedicated to the more famous virtuoso, Rodolphe Kreutzer, instead. Beethoven had briefly encountered Kreutzer in Vienna in 1798, but they didn't run in the same circles and Kreutzer wasn't a Beethoven fan. He never did perform the 'Kreutzer', "unintelligible" as he considered it:

Op 47 'Violin Sonata No.9 in A major' 'Kreutzer Sonata' premiere 24 May 1803

Piano: Yuja Wang Violin: Joshua Bell

Op 47 'Kreutzer Sonata' piano score Piano: Lev Oborin Violin: David Oistrakh 1962

Op 47 'Kreutzer Sonata' violin score Piano: Francesca Leonardi Violin: Francesca Dego

In 1803 or 1804 Beethoven enjoyed the patronage of Archduke Rudolph, youngest son of Emperor Leopold II. Come 'Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major' Op 55 ('Eroica') on 7 April 1805. Beethoven's Third opens his middle or heroic period. First dedicated to Napoleon, Beethoven later changed his mind to Prince Lobkowitz (again) [All About LVB; Beethoven Depot; Britannica; The Guardian; Phillip Huscher; IMSLP; James Keays; NPR; Wikipedia]:

Op 55 'Symphony No.3' premiere in Vienna 7 April 1805

Radio Chamber Philharmonic conducted by Philippe Herreweghe 20 Feb 2011

The only opera Beethoven wrote was 'Fidelio' Op 72 premiereing on 20 November 1805. That was only a few days after Napoleon's occupation of Vienna just prior to the Battle of Austerlitz on 2 December lost by Austrian and Russian forces to the French. As only some acquaintances and French soldiers arrived to its performance it flopped, perhaps just as well since Beethoven wasn't drawn to theatre [All About Beethoven; Katherine Baber; Luke Howard; IMSLP; Opera Online; Bruce Scott; Wikipedia; Zeno (libretto)]. Of the four overtures that Beethoven wrote for 'Fidelio' from 1805 to 1814, it is the last which is commonly used:

Overture to 'Fidelio' Wiener Philharmoniker w Leonard Bernstein 29 Jan 1978

It was March of 1807 when Beethoven's 'Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major' Op 60 premiered at the town house of his patron, Lobkowitz [All About LVB; Beethoven Depot; Phillip Huscher; IMSLP; Michael Jameson; NPR; NY Phil; Wikipedia]:

Op 60 'Symphony No.4' premiere March 1807

Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic 1977

In 1808 Beethoven found patronage in Jérôme Bonaparte, brother to Napoleon. That was the year his 'Symphony No.5 in C minor' Op 67 premiered at the Theater an der Wien on 22 December, dedicated to Lobkowitz and Russian diplomat, Andrey Razumovsky, for whom he'd also written a few quartets in 1806 [All About LVB; Aspen Music F&S; Beethoven Depot; Britannica; CSO Archives; Deutsche Welle; IMSLP; James Keays; NPR; Wikipedia]:

Op 67 'Symphony No.5' Composed 1804-08 premiere 22 Dec 1808

Frankfurt Radio Symphony directed by Andrés Orozco-Estrada 12 Feb 2016

Beethoven's premiere of 'Symphony No.5' was included in an especially long program because his 'Symphony No. 6 in F major' Op 68 ('Pastorale') was performed on the same date at the same venue [All About LVB; Aspen Music F&S; Beethoven Depot; Britannica; Phillip Huscher; IMSLP; James Keller; NPR; Wikipedia]:

Op 68 'Symphony No.6' aka 'Pastoral' premiere 22 Dec 1808

Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic 1977

1809 found Beethoven protecting his head with pillows while hiding in a basement during the continued Napoleonic Wars. He was back to breaking hearts again when he composed 'Fur Elise', in 1810, also known as 'Bagatelle No.25 in A minor' catalogued as WoO 59 and Bia 515 [IMSLP; Wikipedia]:

WoO 59 'Fur Elise' Completed 27 April 1810 Pianist: Rousseau

It was 'Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major' Op 73 called the 'Emperor Concerto' that premiered on 13 January 1811 at the Lobkowitz palace. Due to being nigh completely deaf by that time, that performance didn't come off as well as Beethoven would have liked, thus ceased conducting and performing at that time. Piano performances had been Beethoven's emphasis up to that point. Now he more concentrated on composing alone. Beethoven hadn't named the "Emperor Concerto'. That was the notion of his English publisher, Johann Baptist Cramer. Though Beethoven had admired Napoleon enough to originally title his Third Symphony 'Bonaparte', he redacted that toward "to celebrate the memory of a great man" when Bonaparte had himself crowned Emperor in 1804. Bonaparte, of course, had no friend in the entirety of Europe where there wasn't a French army, and Beethoven's Germany was no exception. A little more reflecting Beethoven's position in those years was 'Wellington's Victory' ('Battle Symphony') in 1813, celebrating British triumph over Joseph Bonaparte at the Battle of Vitoria in Spain on June 21, 1813. Beethoven dedicated that to British Prince Regent Frederick, later to become King George IV of the United Kingdom [IMSLP; Gregory Maldonado; Michael Rodman; Sputnik Music; Wikipedia]:

Op 91 'Battle Symphony' aka 'Wellington's Victory' 1813

Paul Dombrecht conducting Octophoros in Brussels Nov 1988

Among the numerous lieder on which Beethoven worked were arrangements for international folk songs at which he made himself busy from 1810 to 1820. He had completed his initial set of 53 for George Thomson in July of 1810. He is thought to have completed '23 Songs of Various Nationalities' catalogued as WoO 158a-c from 1813 to 1820 [Trio Van Beethoven; Wikipedia]:

WoO 158a-c '23 Songs of Various Nationalities' Arranged 1813-20

Beethoven's 'Symphony No.7 in A Major' Op 92 arrived to Vienna on 8 December 1813 [All About LVB; Aspen Music F&S; Katherine Baber; Beethoven Depot; Britannica; IMSLP; NPR; Wikipedia]:

Op 92 'Symphony No.7' premiere in Vienna 8 Dec 1813

Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic 1977

On 27 February 1814 Beethoven's 'Symphony No. 8 in F major' Op 93 was performed in Vienna [All About LVB; Aspen Music F&S; Beethoven Depot; IMSLP; James Keays; LA Phil; NPR; Tom Service; Wikipedia]:

Op 93 'Symphony No.8' premiere in Vienna 7 Feb 1814

Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic 1977

Beethoven began composing his '33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli' Op 120 in 1819, finished in 1823 [IMSLP; Wikipedia]:

Op 120 '33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli' Composed 1819-23

Piano: Piotr Anderszewski 2001

As Beethoven approached his latter decade he began to keep conversation books, it now easier to read than hear. Some four hundred such books yet survive. 'Symphony No. 9 in D Minor' Op 125 appeared at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna on 7 May 1824 [All About LVB; Beethoven Depot; Britannica; CLASSIC fM; IMSLP; NPR; Tom Service; Wikipedia]. Beethoven had begun to use the services of now-famous music publisher, Schott, by this time, the final of thirty-two of them over the years. Schott had been founded in Mainz, Germany, by Bernhard Schott the same year of Beethoven's birth in 1770, and it printed the first edition of his Ninth:

Op 125 'Symphony No.9 in D Minor' 'Choral Symphony' Composed 1817-24

Herbert von Karjan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic 1977

Beethoven is thought to have written sketches toward a tenth symphony in 1822 and 1825 of which Barry Cooper wrote an hypothetical 'Symphony No. 10 in E-flat major' in 1988 [Barry Cooper; IMSLP; Gerd Prengel; Wikipedia]. Attempt has been made toward a complete work w artificial intelligence as well [CLASSIC fM Popular Mechanics]. Among Beethoven's numerous bagatelles for solo piano, '6 Bagatelles' Op 126 were composed in 1824 toward publishing in 1825 [ IMSLP; Wikipedia]:

Op 126 '6 Bagatelles' Published 1826

Piano: Anna Radchenko March 2013

Beethoven's controversial and difficult 'Große Fuge' ('Great Fugue') Op 133 was written in 1825 as the last movement of 'String Quartet No.13 in B-flat major' Op 130 [IMSLP; Wikipedia]. That was later replaced w a finale and 'Große Fuge' got catalogued as an independent work:

Op 133 'Große Fuge in B-flat major' 1826 Talich Quartet 1977

It was also 1825 when 'String Quartet No. 15 in A minor' Op 132 appeared on 6 November [IMSLP; Robert Cummings; Masumi Per Rostad; Wikipedia]. In 1826 Beethoven wrote what he himself favored as his finest late quartet: 'String Quartet 14 in C sharp minor' Op 131 [LV Beethoven; John Henken; IMSLP; Timothy Judd; Wikipeida]:

Op 131 'String Quartet No.14 in C-sharp minor' 1826

Afiara Quartet New York 18 Nov 2012

Beethoven's 'String Quartet No. 16 in F major' Op 135 arrived in October of 1826, his last major work [Barbara Barry; Brentano Quartet; IMSLP; John Mangum; Wikipedia]:

Op 135 'String Quartet No.16 in F major' 1826 Verona Quartet

Beethoven's final composition was the Finale of 1826 with which he replaced 'Große Fuge' in 'String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major' Op. 130 [IMSLP; Wikipedia]:

Op 130 No.6 'Finale' (allegro) of 'String Quartet No.13 in B flat' 1826 Quartetto Italiano

His health having begun to fail him in 1825, Beethoven's last remaining months were spent bedridden. He died on 26 March of 1827 [Find a Grave; Wikipedia]. Like Mozart, it isn't exactly known just what illness killed him. Unlike Mozart, who died in debt 36 years earlier to a common grave with only several musicians arriving to his funeral, Beethoven's services were attended by about 20,000 people. Franz Schubert served as a pallbearer. In summary, Beethoven produced 722 whole works, 849 including fragments. Beyond symphonies, concertos and overtures, he also contributed dances and marches. As addressed above, he wrote chamber music for piano and strings as well as piano solos such as sonatas and variations. Beethoven also wrote numerously for voice, including a long list of international folk song arrangements briefly visited above.

Sources & References: Abridged:

Bach Cantatas

LV Beethoven

ClassicalNet

ViolaFair (bibliography w exhaustive international S & R)

Wikipedia (English; see also French, German, Russian, Spanish)

Chronologies:

All About Beethoven

Austria-Forum

Audio of Beethoven:

BBC

Beethoven-Haus (w autographs)