Montag 30 Mai: "Beethoven's Borrowing"

Today’s class concentrated on Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (The Choral Symphony), the work which the tune for “Ode to Joy” originates and a subscription concert he hosted at the Theater and der Wien in the early 19th century that premiered his choral fantasy and two of his symphonies. An advertisement for the coner dated December 17, 1808 reads:

On Thursday, December 22, Ludwig Van Beethoven will have the honor to give a musical Akademie in the R.I. Priv. Theater-an-der-Wien. All pieces are of his composition, entirely new and not yet heard in public…

The concert was divided into two parts:

Part 1:

1) A Symphony, entitled: “A Recollection of Country Life,” in F major (N. 6; Op. 68)

2) Aria (Ah perfido! Spergiuro

3) Hymn (Gloria) with Latin text, composed in church style with chorus and solos (From Mass in C Major)

4) Pianoforte Concert (no. 4 in G)

Part 2:

1) Grand Symphony in C minor (No. 5; op. 67)

2) Holy (Sanctus) with Latin text composed in church style with chorus and solos (From Mass in C Major)

3) Fantasia for Pianoforte alone.

4) Fantasia for the pianoforte which ends with the gradual entrance of the entire orchestra and the introduction of choruses as a finale.

The real question is how does this concert and the 9th Symphony connect? Beethoven based the choral melody for the final movement and the form of the final movement upon this Fantasia premiered some 13 years earlier. Not only can the finale be connected with the form used here but with Sonata Form, Solo Concerto form, Theme and Variations, etc.

After class we had lunch on our own before touring the catacombs below Stephensdom. For lunch I chose to have a slice of pizza from Pizza Bizza, which cost around 4-5 euro and a nutella brettzel from the market next to Stephensdom. The brettzel was around 1 foot in diameter, it is honestly for sharing and not for eating by oneself. Markets like these often have a multitude of food, drinks, and crafts from which to choose. If you every visit the Germanic world and you see a market, it is worth it to stop and enjoy the artisan crafts.

The catacombs tour begins inside the church. Look for a railed in staircase that leads underneath the main floor. There you will meet the tour guide who will take you through the chambers which the Hapsburg hearts are stored and into the underground graveyards where you will still see bones. It is a truism that behind every wall in the catacombs is probably a burial ground. For example, the victims of one of the last plague outbreaks in Vienna are placed there. There are parts of the catacombs still in use today that are reserved for the Archbishops of Vienna.

After our visit to the catacombs, I began to prepare myself for a concert in the evening at the Musikverein. Christian Thielemann led the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden in a concert of Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony and Zemlinsky’s Lyrische Symphonie in sieben Gesängen nach Gedichten von Rabindranath Tagore für Sopran, Bariton und Orchester, op. 18 (Lyric Symphony for Soprano, Baritone, and Orchestra). While I purchased the ticket because of Thielemann and Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony, I thoroughly enjoyed the piece by Zemlinsky. If you are a music person and have not heard it, I highly recommend it!

After the concert I headed back to the hostel to prepare for bed.

Steps: 20,495/ 8.8 miles