DOCSLIB.ORG

What Was Life Like in the Mozart Household? Why Did Beethoven Go to Heiligenstadt?

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
What Was Life Like in the Mozart Household? Why Did Beethoven Go to Heiligenstadt? MUSICIANS’ APARTMENTS ADMISSION IN VIENNA BEETHOVEN MUSEUM 1 km 1 BEETHOVEN MUSEUM 1 What was life like in the 1190 Vienna, Tue – Sun and public holidays Musicians’ apartments belonging Full price . EUR 7,– Probusgasse 6 10 am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 6 pm to the Wien Museum, distance Mozart household? Why did Discounted price . EUR 5,– from St Stephen's Cathedral Up to age 19 . FREE! 2 BEETHOVEN CLOSED: PASQUALATI HOUSE Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25 and other public Beethoven go to Heiligenstadt? holidays when they fall on a Monday. 1010 Vienna, Tue – Sun and public holidays 3 (Except the Mozart apartment) In what kind of environment MOZART APARTMENT IN THE MOZARTHAUS VIENNA Mölker Bastei 8 10 am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 6 pm Full price . EUR 11,– did Schubert grow up? Discounted price . EUR 9,– In the musicians’ apart- ALL OTHER LOCATIONS 3 BEETHOVEN EROICA HOUSE Full price . EUR 5,– 6 ments belonging to the Wien 1190 Vienna, On request Discounted price . EUR 4,– Döblinger Hauptstr. 92 Up to age 19 . FREE! Museum, you can get really 4 HAYDN HOUSE 1060 Vienna, Tue – Sun and public holidays close to the great composers. Haydngasse 19 10 am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 6 pm EVERY 1ST SUNDAY IN THE MONTH, FOR ALL VISITORS: 5 FREE ADMISSION (EXCEPT THE MOZART APARTMENT) Their personal possessions, the 2 DANUBE whole atmosphere of the place, 8 INFORMATION FOR VISITORS 5 JOHANN STRAUSS and numerous examples of their Phone . (+43-1) 505 87 47-85173 APARTMENT [email protected] 1020 Vienna, Tue – Sun and public holidays music invite you to immerse Praterstraße 54 10 am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 6 pm 6 SCHUBERT’S SIGN UP FOR GUIDED TOURS 4 7 yourself in the world of the BIRTHPLACE DANUBE CANAL Phone . (+43-1) 505 87 47-85180* 1090 Vienna, Tue – Sun and public holidays great names of music history. [email protected] (* MON – FR I , 9 AM – 2 PM) Nußdorfer Straße 54 10 am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 6 pm At the same time, you take a journey through time into ALL INFORMATION SUBJECT TO CHANGE! 7 SCHUBERT’S FINAL RESIDENCE historic Vienna – from the Age 1040 Vienna, Wed – Thu Kettenbrückeng. 6 10 am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 6 pm of Enlightenment to the period 8 MOZART APARTMENT IN THE MOZARTHAUS VIENNA Graphic design: Studio Es Studio design: Graphic when the Ringstrasse was built. MAIN SPONSOR OF WIEN MUSEUM 1010 Vienna, Daily Domgasse 5 10 am – 7 pm ST. STEPHEN’S CATHEDRAL MUSICIANS’ APARTMENTS 1 BEETHOVEN MUSEUM 2 BEETHOVEN PASQUALATI HOUSE 4 HAYDN HOUSE 6 SCHUBERT’S BIRTHPLACE 7 SCHUBERT’S FINAL RESIDENCE With some interruptions, Ludwig Joseph Haydn spent the last twelve years of his life in Gumpen- Franz Schubert was born in 1797 by the open Franz Schubert spent the last few months be- van Beethoven spent a total of dorf, which at that time was the outermost suburb of Vienna. fire in the kitchen of a small apartment in fore his death in November 1828 living at the eight years living in the house He bought his house between his trips to England, added an the then suburb of Lichtental. He spent the home of his brother Ferdinand in the Ketten- of Johann Baptist Freiherr von extra level and moved there in 1797 at the age of 65. At the high first four-and-a-half years of his life in this brückengasse. This is where his last musical Pasqualati, his patron and close point of his career, he composed the oratorios “The Creation” house in the Nussdorfer Strasse. The focus is on drafts and the last letter written in his own friend. The first major work that and “The Seasons” here, among other works. Numerous prom- Schubert’s education, his musical development, hand can be seen, along with documents the composer wrote here on the inent visitors from Austria and his family and his friends, with a highlight of the recording the touching reactions of his rela- Mölker Bastei was the opera “Leo- elsewhere visited Haydn in this exhibition being the composer’s famous spec- tives when Schubert passed away. nore” (renamed “Fidelio” against house. tacles. Schubert’s birthplace also houses two Beethoven’s will). The 5th and 6th memorial rooms containing landscapes from Symphonies, which Beethoven the Biedermeier period painted by the writer had been working on during his and contemporary of Schubert, Adalbert Stifter. summer visits to Baden and Heiligenstadt, were also finished at the Pasqualati House. � photo: Hertha Hurnaus � From 1784 to Domgasse 5 3 BEETHOVEN EROICA HOUSE 5 JOHANN STRAUSS HOME 1787, W.A. © Mozarthaus 8 MOZART APARTMENT Mozart and his Vienna/ IN THE MOZARTHAUS VIENNA family lived at David Peters The new Beethoven Museum provides a comprehensive ac- Ludwig van Beethoven spent the Johann Strauss the Younger lived in the fashionable and elegant Mozart’s only remaining home in Vienna forms part count of the life and work of the great composer. As has been summer of 1803 living in the Vi- Praterstrasse from the mid-1860s to the mid-1870s. Then at the of the Mozarthaus Vienna and offers an entertaining known for generations, the building is associated with a mo- ennese suburb of Oberdöbling, peak of his career, the world-famous composer went on tours treasure-hunt based on carefully selected objects. It ving testimonial by Beethoven. It was here, in 1802, that he which at the time was surrounded through Europe and the USA. It was also at no. 54 that he wrote consists of four large rooms, two small ones, and a wrote the “Heiligenstadt Testament”, the letter addressed, by fields, gardens and vineyards. the “unofficial Austrian national anthem”, the Blue Danube kitchen and was the most expensive and luxurious but never sent, to his brothers in which he expressed his Like many well-off Viennese, he waltz. The numerous valuable dwelling Mozart ever had. He lived here from the end despair about his increasing deafness. At the same time, liked to spend the summer out- items in the apartment include of September 1784 until the end of April 1787. During he was also working on some of his most important com- side the city. This is where, be- a Bösendorfer grand piano these two-and-a-half years, he wrote important works positions, including the “Tempest” sonata and initial sketches tween May and November 1803, he and an Amati violin that were such as “The Marriage of Figaro”. for his 3rd Symphony (“Eroica”). wrote most of his 3rd Symphony, owned by the “Waltz King”. the “Eroica”. The work established Beethoven’s reputation as a revo- lutionary in music. � photo: �� photo: � photo: � Hieronymus Klaus Pichler Hertha Hurnaus Hertha Hurnaus Löschenkohl: Wolfgang Amadeus � View of the inner � Oberdöbling, � Johann Strauss’ Mozart, 1785, courtyard of the watercolor by apartment in silhouette, copper- Beethoven Museum, Thomas Ender, 1814 the Praterstrasse, plate engraving photo: Birgit © Wien Museum photo: Hertha © Vienna Museum and Peter Kainz Hurnaus.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Master of Music Recital in Clarinet
    University of Northern Iowa UNI ScholarWorks Dissertations and Theses @ UNI Student Work 2019 A master of music recital in clarinet Lucas Randall University of Northern Iowa Let us know how access to this document benefits ouy Copyright ©2019 Lucas Randall Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Randall, Lucas, "A master of music recital in clarinet" (2019). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 1005. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/1005 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Work at UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses @ UNI by an authorized administrator of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A MASTER OF MUSIC RECITAL IN CLARINET An Abstract of a Recital Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Music Lucas Randall University of Northern Iowa December, 2019 This Recital Abstract by: Lucas Randall Entitled: A Master of Music Recital in Clarinet has been approved as meeting the recital abstract requirement for the Degree of Master of Music. ____________ ________________________________________________ Date Dr. Amanda McCandless, Chair, Recital Committee ____________ ________________________________________________ Date Dr. Stephen Galyen, Recital Committee Member ____________ ________________________________________________ Date Dr. Ann Bradfield, Recital Committee Member ____________ ________________________________________________ Date Dr. Jennifer Waldron, Dean, Graduate College This Recital Performance by: Lucas Randall Entitled: A Master of Music Recital in Clarinet Date of Recital: November 22, 2019 has been approved as meeting the recital requirement for the Degree of Master of Music.
    [Show full text]
  • The University of Chicago Objects of Veneration
    THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO OBJECTS OF VENERATION: MUSIC AND MATERIALITY IN THE COMPOSER-CULTS OF GERMANY AND AUSTRIA, 1870-1930 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE DIVISION OF THE HUMANITIES IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC BY ABIGAIL FINE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS AUGUST 2017 © Copyright Abigail Fine 2017 All rights reserved ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES.................................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES.......................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................ ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................. x ABSTRACT....................................................................................................... xiii INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 1: Beethoven’s Death and the Physiognomy of Late Style Introduction..................................................................................................... 41 Part I: Material Reception Beethoven’s (Death) Mask............................................................................. 50 The Cult of the Face........................................................................................ 67 Part II: Musical Reception Musical Physiognomies...............................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 16: Beethoven I. Life and Early Works A. Introduction 1
    Chapter 16: Beethoven I. Life and Early Works A. Introduction 1. Beethoven was compared to Mozart early in his life, and the older composer noted his potential in a famous quote to “keep your eyes on him.” 2. Beethoven did not arrive in Vienna to stay until he was twenty-two, when Count Waldstein told him to receive the spirit of Mozart from Haydn’s tutelage. B. Life and Works, Periods and Styles 1. Beethoven’s music is seen often as autobiographical. 2. The stages of his career correspond to changing styles in his music: early, middle, late. C. Early Beethoven 1. Beethoven gave his first public performance at age seven, playing pieces from Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier,” among others. 2. He published his first work at eleven. 3. He became court organist in Bonn at age ten. 4. His first important compositions date from 1790 and were shown to Haydn, who agreed to teach him in 1792. 5. The lessons with Haydn didn’t last long, because Haydn went to England. Beethoven then gained recognition as a pianist among aristocratic circles in Vienna. 6. His first success in Vienna as a composer was his second piano concerto and three trios. Thus his own instrument was the main one for his early publications. a. This is perhaps best demonstrated in his piano sonatas, which show signs of his own abilities of performer, improviser, and composer. b. The Pathetique sonata illustrates the experimentation inherent in Beethoven’s music, challenging expectations. 7. Until 1800 he was better known as a performer than a composer; however, this soon changed, particularly with his first symphony and septet, Op.
    [Show full text]
  • Beethoven Deaf: the Beethoven Myth and Nineteenth-Century Constructions of Deafness
    BEETHOVEN DEAF: THE BEETHOVEN MYTH AND NINETEENTH-CENTURY CONSTRUCTIONS OF DEAFNESS By DEVIN MICHAEL PAUL BURKE Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Arts Thesis Adviser: Dr. Francesca Brittan Department of Music CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY May, 2010 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the thesis/dissertation of ______________________________________________________ candidate for the ________________________________degree *. (signed)_______________________________________________ (chair of the committee) ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ (date) _______________________ *We also certify that written approval has been obtained for any proprietary material contained therein. Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................ 2 Abstract ................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 4 Chapter 1: The Heiligenstadt Testament, the Emerging Social Category of “Deafness,” and the Dual Nature of Disability ......................................... 20 Private and Public Deafness and the
    [Show full text]
  • Season 2020|2021 2021 | Season 2020
    65th Concert Season Season 2020|2021 2021 | Season 2020 . A word from the Filharmonie Brno Managing Director Dear music lovers invite you to a social gathering over a glass Paľa. Leoš Svárovský is preparing for C. M. you! I am very happy that we enter the new of wine, from 6pm before the concerts at von Weber’s celebrated Bassoon Concerto season with the support of our exceptional You are holding in your hands our brand Besední dům (Filharmonie at Home series), with the virtuoso Guilhaume Santana and volunteers for the second time now, who new catalogue for the 2020/2021 sea- where you can learn plenty of interesting Roussel’s Le festin de l’araignée – with this help us with concerts and education – son: this time, it is not just the content that is facts about the programme and meet the concert, the former chief conductor of our thank you, everyone! new – the format is, too. We’ve aimed to evening’s artists in person. orchestra will celebrate an important anni- I am writing these words at a time when make the navigation easier, and to high- The new season is the work of the Filhar- versary in his life. Gerrit Prießnitz will focus we are all paralysed by the coronavirus light the unique characteristics of our sub- monie Brno chief conductor and artistic on the emotional topic of Hamlet in the pandemic and are not yet sure what the ul- scription concerts – each of them offers a director Dennis Russell Davies and the pro- works of Tchaikovsky and Walton.
    [Show full text]
  • Simply Beethoven
    Simply Beethoven Simply Beethoven LEON PLANTINGA SIMPLY CHARLY NEW YORK Copyright © 2020 by Leon Plantinga Cover Illustration by José Ramos Cover Design by Scarlett Rugers All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at the address below. [email protected] ISBN: 978-1-943657-64-3 Brought to you by http://simplycharly.com Contents Praise for Simply Beethoven vii Other Great Lives ix Series Editor's Foreword x Preface xi Introduction 1 1. The Beginning 5 2. Beethoven in Vienna: The First Years, 1792-1800 20 3. Into the New Century, 1800-05 38 4. Scaling the Heights, 1806-1809 58 5. Difficult Times, 1809-11 73 6. Distraction and Coping: 1812-15 91 7. 1816–1820: More Difficulties 109 8. Adversity and Triumph, 1821-24 124 9. Struggle and Culmination, 1825-1827 149 10. Beethoven’s Legacy 173 Sources 179 Suggested Reading 180 About the Author 182 A Word from the Publisher 183 Praise for Simply Beethoven “Simply Beethoven is a brief and eminently readable introduction to the life and works of the revered composer.Plantinga offers the lay- man reliable information based on his many years as a renowned scholar of the musical world of late-eighteenth and nineteenth- century Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • The Relationship Between Beethoven's Heiligenstadt Testament and His Nine Symphonies
    Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Honors Theses Lee Honors College 4-1980 The Relationship between Beethoven's Heiligenstadt Testament and His Nine Symphonies Thomas Mitchell Western Michigan University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation Mitchell, Thomas, "The Relationship between Beethoven's Heiligenstadt Testament and His Nine Symphonies" (1980). Honors Theses. 1639. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/1639 This Honors Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Lee Honors College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BEETHOVEN'S HEILIGENSTADT TESTAMENT AND HIS NINE SYMPHONIES BY Thomas Mitchell The main consideration throughout all the paper will be. the correlation between Beethoven's symphonies and his Heiligenstadt Testament. Because the so-called "Battle" Symphony is not a true symphony at all (being written for a hugfc, mechanical contraption), it will not be dealt with at all. Many writers, among them Vincent D'Indy have attempted to divide Beethoven's compositional career into three periods. Such a division is not always necessary, but in this paper it will serve the reader to use the concept and keep the following divisions in mind. The First Period, sometimes called the Imitation Period, lasted until 1801 and includes the First and Second Symphonies. The Second Period, also referred to as the Transitional Period, spanned the years 1801 to 1815.
    [Show full text]
  • Ludwig Van Beethoven / December 16, 1770 – March 26, 1827
    Ludwig van Beethoven / December 16, 1770 – March 26, 1827 SYMPHONY NO. 3, EROICA Beethoven’s Europe was a continent set on fire by the French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau who said, “Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains.” His incendiary ideas sparked in the arts what we call today the “Romantic” movement: the rebellion of feeling against reason, of instinct against intellect, of emotional expression against conventional restraint -- in short, the rebellion of the humanistic 19th Century against the autocratic 18th. Beethoven was both a child and an agent of this fundamental change. Haydn and Mozart wrote music to please and to entertain the wealthy aristocracy, but Beethoven broke with the aesthetic traditions of his predecessors, composing dramatic personal music which explores every aspect of the human condition. The immediate inspiration for the Eroica was Beethoven’s battle with his progressive loss of hearing. Imagine waking up one morning in your 20s and discovering that for some mysterious reason, a special talent you have is slipping away. This calamity befell Beethoven in 1798. While still in his 20s he began to lose his hearing. But what was worse, his hearing was replaced not by silence, but by loud buzzing and ringing noises in his ears. By 1802 a distraught Beethoven found himself overwhelmed with anguish and mired in an emotional crisis, a crisis that took him to the very brink of suicide. He withdrew from society and became morose and depressed, and he considered ending his life. How do we know this? Because he spelled it all out in a remarkable unsent letter written to his brothers on October 6, 1802, a letter found in a desk after his death, now known as the Heiligenstadt Testament.
    [Show full text]
  • Museum and Digital Beethoven-Haus a Brief Guide
    BEETHOVEN’S BIRTHPLACE Beethoven-Haus Bonn museum and digital beethoven-haus a brief guide BEETHOVEN-HAUS BONN BEETHOVEN’S BIRTHPLACE museum Beethoven – oRiginal anD Digital digital beethoven- haus The Beethoven family lived for some years in the yellow house on the left­hand side in the courtyard of the set of buildings which today comprise the Beethoven­ Haus. Ludwig van Beethoven was born here in Decem­ ber 1770. Since 1889 the Beethoven­Haus Society has maintained a commemorative museum in the birthplace, which today houses the world’s largest Beethoven collection. The exhibition rooms contain a selection of more than 150 original documents from the time Beethoven spent in Bonn and Vienna. The hi­ storical building adjoining on the right (the white rear building), in which Beethoven’s christening was once celebrated, has since 2004 accommodated the “Digital Beethoven­Haus”. Modern methods of presentation lead the visitor on a journey of exploration through Beethoven’s life and work (Studio of Digital Archives). His music is interpreted in a completely new way as audiovisual art and for the first time it is presented virtually (Stage for Musical Visualisation). TOUR You may begin your tour as you wish with: • Beethoven’s Birthplace (museum), the yellow house, entered from the courtyard • the Digital archives studio (multimedia­based Beethoven), the white house (ground floor), entered from the Sculptures Courtyard • the stage for Musical visualisation (virtual theatre), performance times available at the ticket office, meeting point
    [Show full text]
  • Download Booklet
    Beethoven Piano Sonatas A conversation between performer and producer Mike George – In some ways, this seventh volume and determination to “forge a new path.” How does maybe this he did learn from Haydn! Another novel intense. The lengthy coda helps to make this one of of your survey of Beethoven’s piano sonatas takes off this perhaps less obvious revolution manifest itself feature is the use of the extremely remote key of the most extended slow movements in all Beethoven. where the previous volume, which included Opp 27 to you? B major for the second theme, a device Beethoven MG We’re in much darker territory with the next and 28, left off. Only a year separates Op 28 from MR It’s not surprising that a perfectionist like Bee- was to repeat in the Waldstein Sonata a couple of Sonata in this Op 31 set, though. the three that comprise Op 31 yet Beethoven found thoven should express dissatisfaction with his past years later. MR Indeed we are! Apart from Op 31 No 2, himself in a very different place, didn’t he? compositions, or that he would be trying to “forge MG That key relationship is something that gave Beethoven only wrote one other full-scale work Martin Roscoe – In 1802, the year Beethoven wrote a new path” from this point forward as, throughout Schubert a lot of freedom of tonality in his writing. in the key of D minor, the Ninth Symphony, with his Op 31 Sonatas, he was certainly in a particularly his life, he was constantly pushing boundaries But there’s an even stronger reason to believe that its titanic first movement and relentlessly demonic dark place: in October that year he wrote the and experimenting with musical language and this Sonata was important to Schubert too.
    [Show full text]
  • Ludwig Van Beethoven, Die Geschöpfe Des 4 Deprecatingly, That the Eponymous Character of Viganò’S Ballet Bears No
    Overture of the Self: Beethoven’s Prometheus Overture as an Exposition of the Composer’s Moral Disposition Timon Linus Stähler Beethoven’s Prometheus overture (op. 43; 1801) was composed at a liminal stage of the composer’s life and his musical development. In a time of increasing anxiety about the progressive loss of his hearing, the Prometheus overture is situated at the cusp of the composer’s creative middle phase, characterised by Theodor W. Adorno as “the metaphysics of tragedy”.1 Despite recent attempts to separate the imaginary of the composer from the spectre of Prometheus,2 I demonstrate with a close musicological reading that the Prometheus overture, 1 See the philosopher’s unfinished ‘Beethoven project’ in Theodor W. Adorno, Beethoven: The Philosophy of Music, ed. Rolf Tiedemann, transl. Edmund Jephcott (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1998), p. 176. 2 See, e.g., Daniel K. L. Chua, Beethoven and Freedom (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017), p. 20. The strong biographical connection between Beethoven and Prometheus in the imaginary of the nineteenth century is demonstrated for instance by Caspar von Zumbusch’s monument in Vienna, see figure 1 in Appendix I. 2 and in particular its introduction, allows profound insights into the musical assertion of the character and moral disposition of its creator. Genre Context and the Articulation of the Self The musical form of the overture originates in the seventeenth century, when it was used to introduce a ballet, opera or oratorio. In the following century, the term was extended to include symphonic compositions, frequently of a two- or three-movement type, regardless of whether they introduced dramatic works or not.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Ancient Esoteric Thought Through
    THROUGH THE LENS OF FREEMASONRY: THE INFLUENCE OF ANCIENT ESOTERIC THOUGHT ON BEETHOVEN’S LATE WORKS BY BRIAN S. GAONA DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Music with a concentration in Performance and Literature in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Clinical Assistant Professor/Artist in Residence Brandon Vamos, Chair Professor William Kinderman, Director of Research Associate Professor Donna A. Buchanan Associate Professor Zack D. Browning ii ABSTRACT Scholarship on Ludwig van Beethoven has long addressed the composer’s affiliations with Freemasonry and other secret societies in an attempt to shed new light on his biography and works. Though Beethoven’s official membership remains unconfirmed, an examination of current scholarship and primary sources indicates a more ubiquitous Masonic presence in the composer’s life than is usually acknowledged. Whereas Mozart’s and Haydn’s Masonic status is well-known, Beethoven came of age at the historical moment when such secret societies began to be suppressed by the Habsburgs, and his Masonic associations are therefore much less transparent. Nevertheless, these connections surface through evidence such as letters, marginal notes, his Tagebuch, conversation books, books discovered in his personal library, and personal accounts from various acquaintances. This element in Beethoven’s life comes into greater relief when considered in its historical context. The “new path” in his art, as Beethoven himself called it, was bound up not only with his crisis over his incurable deafness, but with a dramatic shift in the development of social attitudes toward art and the artist.
    [Show full text]