Notes on Bonn During Early Beethoven Period
1. A 1937 essay by the German researcher Henseler "Andrea Luchesi, der letzte Bonner Hofkapellmeister zur Zeit des jungen Beethoven", (Bonner Geschichtsblaetter I (1937) Band I ss.255-328) was perhaps the first to propose that it’s impossible to accurately understand the musical career of Beethoven without taking in to account the great influence on him of 4 Italian music masters – Luchesi, Salieri, Clementi and Cherubini.
2.In the ‘Grove Dictionary’ of 1964 reference is made to no less than 30 Masses by Luchesi.
3.Within 10 days of his 1784 arrival in Bonn, the new Elector Prince Max Franz reduced Neefe's salary, tried to reduce that of the Kapellmeister Luchesi also and had dismissed the concert master Gaetano Mattioli (Mattioli having just arrived back with Luchesi from an extended stay in his native Italy) together with other measures described in Thayer 1866 II 143 ss There exist three documents about the staff of the Bonn chapel at this time (Thayer II 143 ss) and the third suggests dismissal of Neefe himself. (This document is anonymous but the reason for his dismissal seems to have been due to Johann van Beethoven, who was always Neefe's opponent. Beethoven thought Neefe had stolen from his son the place of organist) (Thayer II 152). In the 1784 Inventory Neefe is named only as an "organist", the role he actually had in the Bonn chapel and not Kapellmeister or "Chief of Nationalbuhne seit 1779"
4.Real responsibility for the music Inventory made at Bonn in 1784 was not Neefe’s but that of the Court Notary, who personally confirmed items inventoried and also sanctioned their description. It was the Court Notary who allowed many works to be described as ‘anonymous’ or ‘by different authors’ when, in fact, such an inventory was dubious at best.
5. Luchesi first arrived in Bonn in 1771 accompanied by a teaching staff that consisted of a sopranoist and two tenors. This made a significant difference with dramatic companies. Also with a 1st Violonist and an Italian teacher of Italian grammar to teach Italian to singers of the chapel. Luchesi was financially dependant on the Prince and not on Kapellmeister Beethoven. He disposed of all the persons in the chapel with the approval of Prime Minister Kaspar Anton von Belderbush. Thus, Luchesi used in his work at Bonn the same system used by his mentor Galuppi in Russia for the chapel of the Russian court. Luchesi brought to Bonn many of Galuppi's operatic scores and had the assistance of tenor Giovan Francesco Sandali who had recently helped Galuppi in Russia. Nor is there reason to exclude the fact that Galuppi had first recommended Luchesi to the Elector Max Friedrich, as probably before he recommended Serini and Colonna to Count Schaumburg-Lippe in Buckeburg (where they certainly helped to establish Johann Friedrich Bach).
6.No one could remove a Kapellmeister who has been named "for life" after completion of the 3 years regular period of proof. The only natural way to get rid of a Kapellmeister appointed "for life" was his death or retirement. A Kapellmeister "for life" could be dismissed only for grave faults in doing his duty (as happened in 1846 to Robert Fuehrer Kapellmeister of S.Veit in Prague - who presented as his own a Mass that was Franz Schubert's, was discovered, and was summarily dismissed). When a Kapellmeister "for life" was ill or too old, he retained his post and his salary but was succeeded in practice by a Vice-Kapellmeister or Second Kapellmeister "cum spe succedendi"
who attended the funeral of Galuppi and Bertoni in Venice,the retirement of the first (Haydn/Fuchs in Eisenstadt) to become Kapellmeister and, after a three years proof, was Kapellmeister "for life". (See the case Hoffmann-Mozart in S.Stephan 1790-91) The Kapellmeister had in many chapels the right/duty to admit in to the music archives anonymously and free of charge his own works and these would be credited to him personally at the end of his career in order to allow a new Kapellmeister to start anew. (This "anonymous praxis" was certainly in use at Bonn). Every limitation of the powers of a Kapellmeister had to be justified (age, illness) and agreed with the Kapellmeister ( see the problems of Count Durazzo with J.G.Reutter in Vienna or G.J.Werner with Haydn, for example). Luchesi does not have these powers diminished. He instead delegated them to other people - to Gaetano Mattioli direction of the orchestra and to Neefe the general directorship while he was in Italy (April 1783-May 1784). Mattioli was in fact named in the Court-Kalendar before that of Luchesi himself because he had then the charge of Kapelldirektor (or Musikdirektor) that made him an administrator.
7. (This is also the reason why Neefe is named in ‘Cramer's Magazine’ of 1783 before that of the artistic persons, though he, artistically, was only a dedicated Concertmeister, delegated by his Kapellmeister to direct instrumental music. Jospeh Reicha, never named Muskdirektor, was always subject to Luchesi (see C.Valder-Knechtges ‘Die Kirchenmusik A.Luchesis’ and other studies).
8. In Dusseldorf there is an archive description of the role of a music director –
"The Responsibility of the Direktor is to actively ensure that everyone does their duty and to avoid questions so that the court is well served in all things. If anything is lost of the music to take care that all is in good order. To ensure also that musicians are not out of service without warning. He must make performance of the music suitable for the taste of the Prince Elector"
9. After this official nomination as "motu proprio" Luchesi as Kapellmeister by the Prince in May 1774, the nomination in 1777 of Mattioli, in 1782 of Neefe, in 1785 of Joseph Reicha and every other person in the Bonn chapel could take place only with the 'placet' of Kapellmeister Luchesi expressed by formal application to the Secret Council.
10. Contrary to general belief Neefe never ran a dramatic company but was between November 1779 and February 1782 only a theatre keyboard player for Grossmann, whose theatrical company was that of the principality of Colonia/Bonn and had been founded by himself, Helmuth and Luchesi in 1778, a year before the arrival of Neefe in Bonn. During the first year of this group that post was held by the old Gilles van den Eeden, first teacher of Ludwig van Beethoven junior. Only in February 1782 did Neefe have any connection with the chapel when was appointed organist "cum spe succedendi" to the old and half-blind Eeden, who continued service to the chapel with the help of young Ludwig van Beethoven till his death in June 1782. (Grossman’s theatrical company was authorized by Prince Max Friedrich to go on tour to Frankfurt and other places during the absence of the Prince but it was obliged to be in Munster three months a year between the months of June and October). Having succeeded Eeden, Neefe could go on tour with Grossmann only because Luchesi accepted as his substitute at Bonn the young Ludwig van Beethoven (then 11 1/2 years old) for reduced church services.
11. Neefe took the services in the Bonn chapel (and therefore his first salary was as an organist)from October 1782. He also had responsibility to maintain contacts with the orchestras of different places in which the theatre company operated and naturally his duties at the organ made a problem what to do in 1783, this complicated by the absence of Kapellmeister Luchesi and his orchestra leader Mattioli in Italy. In fact, in 1783 Grossmann went on tour with the theatre group without Neefe. And yet Neefe still toured that year. He went with Carl David Steegmann who was charged with the same duties as Neefe himself who was later compelled to stay in Bonn as Kapelleister "ad interim" for Luchesi.
12. A certain resident of Bonn at this time named ‘Ferdinand d'Anthoine’ was, it seems, a strange music composer with a strange career. This is the name of the brother in law of Kapellmeister Andrea Luchesi. Perhaps this explains his many musical works have also mysteriously and utterly disappeared (?). D'Anthoine is credited by Neefe in the ‘Cramer Magazine’ of 1783 with being composer of no less than 3 operas, 1 prologue to Goethe's ‘Clavigo’, several symphonies and string quartets "in Haydn's style" between 1778 and 1784. He disappears from any reference in music literature between the years of 1784 and 1791 (the year of Mozart beginning his thematic catalogue in Vienna and the year of his death). He then reappears in 1792-93 with 3 other dramatic works known to have been staged in Bonn which, after the actual death of the real Ferdinand d’Anthoine was followed by performances of the last Luchesi opera in 1794, ‘L'amore e la misericordia guadagnano il gioco’, performed in Passau and Venice. This music also now disappeared.
R
[This message has been edited by robert newman (edited 01-11-2006).]
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