Beethoven was talented, but talent alone was not enough to win the heart of Vienna. He was blessed with dedicated patrons and one of them was Baron van Swieten. Who was Gottfried van Swieten? He was born as Godefridus Bernardus “Godfried” van Swieten (29 October 1733 Leiden – 29 March 1803 Vienna) in Leiden, the Dutch Republic. The family lived …
Who was Franz Clement? Franz Joseph Clement (November 17, 1780 Vienna – November 3, 1842 Vienna) was an Austrian violinist and composer, director and concertmaster of the Theater an der Wien. Young Franz played the violin since the age of four. His main teacher was his father who was a butler for a nobleman and a member of his house …
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 is commonly known as Sonata Pathétique. He composed this sonata at the age of 27, still in his first, classical period. It was written in 1798, published the following year. The Pathétique piano sonata made an immediate sensation all over Europe. Today, the word Pathétique (pathetic in English) …
Beethoven’s Violin Concerto Op.61 is a central work of violin literature and his only violin concerto. It was composed in his most creative and productive period of his life, in the first decade of 1800s. Even this concerto is understood to be written in just a few weeks time. The piece was commissioned by his violinist friend Franz Clement, director …
What is the curse of the ninth? The curse of the ninth is a superstition in the history of classical music. According to this, a ninth symphony for a composer will be the last, and death will come during writing or after completing this piece. There are two interpretations, according to the first, this is to ‘defend’ the fame and …
What is Freemasonry? Freemasonry has its origins in the Middle Ages, it evolved from the guilds of stonemasons and cathedral builders. Later, as these professions were less popular, they started to accept honorary members without connection to the original vocation. From the 17th century symbolism, ancient religious and chivalric brotherhood rituals were introduced. It was the first international organization whose …