We continue our series on musical influencers in Beethoven’s life. Next in line is no less than Mozart himself! From his childhood everybody wanted him to be a Mozart! How did this expectation influence his life? There is a very popular anecdote about the young Beethoven visiting Vienna for the first time, and being introduced to the supreme Master, even …
What is the full name of Beethoven’s First Symphony? Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21. When was the First Symphony composed? Beethoven composed the First Symphony around 1799-1800, at age 29. When and where was the premiere? It was in April 2, 1800, Burgtheater in Vienna. When was the First Symphony published? It was first published by Hoffmeister …
The tempo of the first movement in Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is 108 half notes per minute (bpm), originally Allegro con brio. Beyond this obvious one sentence answer there are many mysteries and interesting anecdotes concerning the Fifth Symphony, especially the first few notes, the famous fate motif! One of the curious topics regarding the first movement is the tempo. In …
In his entire career Beethoven composed only one ballet music, The Creatures of Prometheus. The first performance of the Prometheus ballet was on March 28, 1801, in Vienna. Beethoven wrote an overture, an introduction, fifteen numbers and a finale. The Creatures of Prometheus (German: Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus) ballet was the creation of dancer, composer, and choreographer Salvatore Vigano. Vigano …
From childhood Beethoven always had a sketchbook in his pocket. He used them to pen down musical ideas right as they came to him. Even though the handwriting is messy and sometimes indecipherable these books became the holy grail to his admirers. Especially the famous Landsberg 6! In 1803 Beethoven realized his old sketchbook is getting full and went …
The Mannheim school The expression Mannheim school refers both to an orchestra, which was based in the southwest German city of Mannheim, and to their musical innovations in instrumental music. The orchestra was under the patronage of art loving Elector Duke Karl Theodor (reigned 1743–99). Many contemporary visitors to Mannheim were amazed by the excellence of the local orchestra, which …