Special Exhibition 51 was probably also composed in Bonn. „Beethoven and his Bonn Circle of Friends. Case 2 gives a wonderful insight into Beethoven’s Selected Objects from the Wegeler Collection“ circle of friends in Bonn. The New Year’s greeting and album leaves which reveal the spirit of friendship among On May 7, 1998, the 150th anniversary of the death of the friends of youth are addressed to Eleonore von Breu- Franz Gerhard Wegeler, the board of directors of the Julius ning, who later became Wegeler’s wife. The von Breuning Wegeler Foundation presented its valuable collection to the family was a haven of concerned care and friendship for the Beethoven House as a permanent loan. The core of the young Beethoven. Helene von Breuning (portrait on the “Wegeler Collection“ owes its existence to the friendly wall) became a motherly friend to Beethoven after the contact between Franz Gerhard Wegeler (1769-1848) and death of his own mother and the declaration of legal inca- Ludwig van Beethoven over the course of many years. pacity of his father. Beethoven gave her children Eleonore and Lorenz piano lessons. Beethoven remained very close Beethoven’s friend of his youth in Bonn, Franz Ger- to their brother, Stephan, his whole life. They both studied hard Wegeler, was born there in 1769, studied medicine in violin under Franz Anton Ries, to whom Wegeler and Ries’ Bonn and went then with a stipend from the Elector Maxi- son, Ferdinand, dedicated their “Biographical Notes about milian Franz to Vienna for further education, as did Beetho- Ludwig van Beethoven“ which were published in 1838. ven in 1787 and 1792. The Viennese medical school had an Especially lovely among these tokens of friendship is a leaf excellent reputation. Beethoven, too, would later have per- from Carl Greth, an officer who married Jeanette d’Hon- sonal contact with some of its most prominent representati- rath, whom both Beethoven and Stephan von Breuning had ves. At his return at the end of 1789, Wegeler immediately revered at the same time. The sketch leaf contains drafts of became a professor at the university in Bonn. In 1793/94 an unfinished piano concerto and of other works for the he served as its vice-chancellor before the French invasion piano as well as interesting instructions about performance. in the fall of 1794 ended his activities there and in 1798 It also stems from his years in Bonn. finally closed down the entire university. Wegeler fled for almost two years to Vienna (1794-96) where Beethoven Beethoven moved to Vienna in November 1792 in was beginning to gain recognition in the salons of the hig- order to study with Joseph Haydn. He did not need to wait hly musical aristocracy. Back in Bonn, Wegeler first took long before a number of his friends followed him in the up teaching at the university once again and, after it was wake of the French invasion and the dissolution of the elec- closed down, taught first at the newly-founded Central toral state. In Case 3, Beethoven’s first letter from Vienna School, and finally became a general practitioner. In 1807 to Eleonore von Breuning can be seen. In it he affirms their he left Bonn and, joining the Prussian Civil Service in old friendship. He does this by enclosing the first printing Coblenz, rose to be a highly regarded Royal Prussian Privy of the Variations for Piano and Violin on the theme of „Se Medical Councellor and Knight of the Order of the Red vuol Ballare“ from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, which Eagle and of the Iron Cross. He raised the level of health Beethoven had dedicated to her. He also requests from her care in the Rhinelands to a height which had not been a vest made out of rabbit hair, because he would be happy known before. to be able to say that he “owns something from the best, most admirable girl in Bonn.“ The letters of the von Breu- ning brothers Stephan, Christoph and Lorenz, who were Wegeler’s importance as a medical doctor can be mea- living temporarily in Vienna, to the family members back in sured by the following circumstance. Beethoven himself Bonn contain many informative reports about Beethoven’s mentioned the “Order of the Red Eagle, 2nd Class“ in his artistic and personal development in his early years in letter to Wegeler of December 7, 1826. It was apparently Vienna. Stephan reports, for instance, that Beethoven is being discussed that Beethoven might receive this order as living in the home of his patron, Prince Karl Lichnowsky, thanks for his dedication of the Ninth Symphony, op. 125, who allows him to eat at his table and additionally provides to King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, and Beethoven him with a servant and a horse. If we consider that a horse wrote that „in this age, because of some others [it would] at that time demanded expenditures equivalent to those for not be unwelcome.“ That which Beethoven was denied - he a luxury car today, we can measure Beethoven’s meteoric received “only“ a diamond ring - does credit to Wegeler. rise within Viennese society. Among the Bonn friends in He may have been aware of this discrepancy at the presen- Vienna was also the painter Karl Ferdinand Kügelgen and tation. The portraits on the front wall show Wegeler as a the musicians Andreas and Bernhard Romberg, who had bearer of this order. been colleagues of Beethoven as court musicians from 1790 to 1793. In Case 4, the album leaves addressed to From the more than 300 objects of this collection, Lorenz von Breuning in 1797 are exhibited. One of them is approximately 50 items are being shown in five sections. from Beethoven himself, one from his brother Nikolaus Core items are four autograph music manuscripts as well as Johann, the other two from the Romberg cousins. Shortly letters from Beethoven. In Case 1, after the portraits of after this Lorenz von Breuning returned to Bonn where he Beethoven (with a dedication to Wegeler in Beethoven’s died at the age of only 21. hand) and of Wegeler, a piano transcription of C.F.D. Schu- bart’s Kaplied, made for Wegeler about 1789, can be seen. In the third section, important letters from Beethoven to The sheet also contains two movements of a sonatina for Franz Gerhard Wegeler and Ferdinand Ries are to be seen. piano in F major. The Easy Piano Sonata in C major WoO The first one is that famous letter of June 29, 1801 in which Beethoven expresses his hopes to soon see once again his monic Society in London to organize a concert for his bene- home city of Bonn, the “Father Rhine“ and his Bonn friends. fit. Beethoven rejoiced about the 100 English pounds The special quality of the friendship between Beethoven and which were sent to him thereafter in an almost childish Wegeler is revealed also by the circumstance that Beethoven manner. His very cordial letter of thanks of March 18, 1827 reports here for the first time (and in strict confidence) his contains his last signature. Beethoven also informs them of increasing hearing problems which burdened him greatly, the proper tempos for the Ninth Symphony, op. 125. and which even made him think of commiting suicide. (On the occasion of this special exhibition, a facsimile of this let- At the end of the circuit, the exhibition continues in Room ter with a transcription and commentary has been printed in 12 on the ground floor. German, English and French. It can be obtained at the Museum Shop.) A further letter which was especially impor- (Case 8) The letter of March 28, 1827 from Sebastian tant for Beethoven is the one dated May 2, 1810 in which he Rau to Ignaz Moscheles begins with the words, “Beethoven asks Wegeler to obtain a baptismal certificate for him since is no more.“ Beethoven had died two days before. His fai- he was intending to marry. His plans to marry Therese Mal- thful friend, Stephan von Breuning, had invitations to the fatti were dashed shortly thereafter, however. In Case 5, funeral printed. Around 20,000 people took part in it, Beethoven’s christening cap can be seen as well as a later among them Vienna’s most prominent musicians. The certificate of baptism from June of 1827 from the office of autograph album of Carl Hering contains also flowers from the mayor. Together with his letter of September 29, 1816, Beethoven’s and Schubert’s graves as well as a lock of Beethoven sent Wegeler his portrait with a dedication in his Beethoven’s hair. After 1867, Ignaz Moscheles kept own hand and a Bohemian drinking glass as tokens of this Beethoven’s letters to him in the beautifully fashioned let- friendship. ter case seen here. Ferdinand Ries was Beethoven’s pupil in Vienna Beethoven announced another portrait with dedica- 1801/1805. Ries lived from 1813 to 1824 in London, tion to Wegeler in December, 1826 . As he wrote in where he negotiated with English publishers and with the February 1827, by mistake it had not been sent off. It must Philharmonic Society for Beethoven. In the letter exhibited have reached Wegeler only after Beethoven’s death, a final in Case 6 from July of 1817, an offer from the Philharmo- greeting from his friend. It is a lithograph which had been nic Society is discussed: Beethoven is invited to come to made in 1826 after the famous oil painting by Joseph Stie- London for a longer period of time - similar to his teacher, ler (1820) which is exhibited in Room 8.