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IN THE PARK OF SCHÖNBRUNN NEAR VIENNA Colored engraving by J. Siegler after L. Janscha Beethoven loved to walk in this park which gave him many an inspiration for his compositions. Here, for instance, he worked on his oratorio "Christ on Mount Olive" between 1802 and 1803, and on his opera "Fidelio" in 1804. ( Historical Museum of the City of Vienna)
THE "WHITE SWAN" TAVERN AT THE NEUMARKT OF VIENNA Water color by Emil Hütter As early as 1796 Beethoven was a steady guest in this tavern. Here he had his rendezvous, for instance with his faithful friend Nicolas Zmeskall of Domanowetz. ( Historical Museum of the City of Vienna)
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ST. PETER AND ST. PETER'S SQUARE, VIENNA Colored engraving by Carl Schütz Returning from Heiligenstadt in 1802, Beethoven took lodgings at "St. Peter's Square" near the police station in which a company of mounted police was housed. One recognizes, at the right, the entrance to the station. ( Historical Museum of the City of Vienna)
"CHRIST ON MOUNT OLIVE," OPUS 85 Title page of the piano score On the title page of the original edition the dedication, in Beethoven's hand, says: "To my respected friend Frau Toni von Brentano, née von Birkenstock, by the author." See page 138. The oratorio was composed in 1803. Breitkopf & Härtel published the first orchestral score and the piano reduction in October, 1811. ( Beethovenhaus, Bonn)
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THE "KREUTZERSONATE" (1802-1804) RUDOLF KREUTZER ( 1766-1831) Engraving by C. T. Riedel after A. P. Vincent Kreutzer, composer and violinist, later became the conductor of the orchestra of the Paris Opera. In 1798 he came to Vienna in the entourage of Bernadotte. Here he made Beethoven's acquaintance, and the latter found him congenial and after his departure from Vienna maintained correspondence with him. On October 4, 1804, Beethoven wrote to the publisher Simrock: "This man Kreutzer is a good and amiable man who has given me much pleasure during his sojourn here. His unpretentiousness and simple attitude please me more than the exterior and interior of most virtuosos. Since my Sonata is written for a first class violinist it seems indicated to dedicate the work to him." However, Kreutzer did not seem to esteem this honor too highly, as is evidenced by an ironic declaration of Berlioz in his "Musical Voyage in Germany and Italy," published 1844, where he writes: " Beethoven had dedicated one of his loftiest sonatas for piano and violin to Kreutzer; one must admit that this dedication was justified. The more incredible is it that the famous violinist never saw fit to perform the composition." ( Beethovenhaus, Bonn)
SONATA FOR PIANO AND VIOLIN, IN A MAJOR, OPUS 47, THE SO-CALLED "KREUTZERSONATE" Dedicatory page to Rudolf Kreutzer, the violinist Bridgetower, a violinist in the services of the Prince of Wales, gave two concerts in Vienna in the Hall of the "Augarten," May 17 and 24, 1803. At Bridgetower's request Beethoven undertook the writing of the A major Sonata, but there was little time and he could finish only the first Allegro and the Andante with Variations. In the concert of May 17th the two musicians played these first two movements of the Sonata and finished their performance with the last movement of the Sonata, opus 30, No. 1. The real Finale was composed later. The work itself, published by Simrock in Bonn in 1805, was finally dedicated to Kreutzer since the composer had had a serious falling out with Bridgetower. ( Society of Friends of Music, Vienna)
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