Septet, Eb major, Opus 20

[Amalie]

Is it known who commissioned this work which Beethoven wrote in 1799, why did Beethoven dedicate the Septet Op.20 to the Empress Maria Theresia who died in 1780.?

[Tony John Hearne]

Amalie this, I regret, I do not know. But what I do know is that I was listening to the Maestro's Septet Op. 20 earlier today on CD performed by the Wiener Octet on Decca and found it a joy to hear.

My sleeve notes tell me that the Maestro was hostile to the Septet in his later years but I still listened to it in awe.

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Love from London

[Peter]

Originally posted by Amalie:


Is it known who commissioned this work which Beethoven wrote in 1799, why did Beethoven dedicate the Septet Op.20 to the Empress Maria Theresia who died in 1780.?

It is not the same Empress - the Maria Theresia Beethoven dedicated his septet to in 1802 and Haydn his Theresienmesse in 1799, was the 2nd wife of Emperor Franz II and she died in 1807 - she was very musical and often sang at court concerts.


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'Man know thyself'

[Amalie]

Thankyou Peter for clarifying this point for me.
I must confess I always thought there was only one Maria Theresia, ie. the Mother of the illfated Maria Antionette, and the so called enlightened absolutist Monarch Joseph 11.
I would actually be interested to know whether Beethoven personally played or conducted in the presence of the Emperor/Empress. We know that Beethoven played in front of assorted and high nobility, but did he actually play in the court itself?
All of us who are Beethoven lovers realize that there is a slight ambiguity in the partonage of Beethoven by the nobility, when B himself always had to a greater or lesser extent a marked republican tendency.
I suspect Beethoven was always a little uneasy about this. On a bad day one can even think B as a bit of a hypocrite. I myself think that he had no option. But to eat his bread at least in part at the nobilities table.

Thanks Tony also for your interesting observation.



[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 05-02-2004).]

[ruudp]

Originally posted by Amalie:
Thankyou Peter for clarifying this point for me.
I must confess I always thought there was only one Maria Theresia, ie. the Mother of the illfated Maria Antionette, and the so called enlightened absolutist Monarch Joseph 11.
I would actually be interested to know whether Beethoven personally played or conducted in the presence of the Emperor/Empress. We know that Beethoven played in front of assorted and high nobility, but did he actually play in the court itself?
All of us who are Beethoven lovers realize that there is a slight ambiguity in the partonage of Beethoven by the nobility, when B himself always had to a greater or lesser extent a marked republican tendency.
I suspect Beethoven was always a little uneasy about this. On a bad day one can even think B as a bit of a hypocrite. I myself think that he had no option. But to eat his bread at least in part at the nobilities table.

Thanks Tony also for your interesting observation.

[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 05-02-2004).]

Amalie...sorry for the late response but I've also got some *hopefull* interesting news.
The menuet from this piece he also used in his pianosonatine op.49 in G-mayor nr.2 and it is assumed that he used mozarts divertimento kv.334 as his example..It's one of the few works which was populair from the creation date till his death...

Regards,
Ruud