Little Known English Musical Friend of Vienna
I am trying real hard to avoid making this post controversial. It concerns a little known Englishman who was a patron of the arts and who, eventually, played a significant but still little researched role in music of the late 18th century - George Nassau Clavering Cowper.
Born 26/8/1738 first son of William, Earl Cowper, English aristocrat. He inherited the English estates of his maternal godfather in 1754
Cowper, despite having an automatic place in the English parliament by reason of him being a member of the 'aristocracy' was educated in continental Europe. In October 1757 he wrote that he was 'tired of Laussane and ready to travel'. After a year touring he arrived in Italy at Venice 21st June 1759. From Venice Cowper moved to Florence where he decided to live permanently. Elected to Parliament 'in absentia' by his loyal servants (who alone had the vote in his constituency) he showed a complete indifference to democracy by never once attending Parliament.
Cowper, in Italy, was in contact with the English foreign office and with diplomats all over Europe. He also became a very active collector and patron of art and of music. It was Cowper who commissioned the Czech composer Josef MYSELIVECECK to write a set of 6 symphonies published in London in 1772. The same MYSLIVECECK who was very highly regarded as amongst the best writers of violin concertos in Europe at this time - the same time as the arrival of those by a certain Salzburgian composer. MYSLIVECECK had been educated at in Prague. He was also very well known to the Salzburg family and is frequently mentioned in their corresondence. (More so, in fact, that any other single composer).
Cowper also owned great works of art including two Raphael paintings - one of them 'Madonna and Child' which he offered (unsuccessfully) to sell to the British Government in 1780 for £2,500 - a huge sum of money at the time. The Cowper family still owned these Raphael paintings at their family home of Panshanger, England in 1913.
The connections of Cowper with the Italian/Austrian music world were vast at this time and many, many researchers believe MYSLIVECECK was the true stylistic teacher of the Salzburgian friend. (There are 3 portraits of Cowper at the National Portrait Gallery in London).
Cowper also sponsored a performance of Handel's 'Alexander's Feast' and 'Messiah' in Florence in 1768. He lived at the Villa Palmieri. in Florence.
So close was he to Vienna that in 1777 he was made a Prince of the 'Holy Roman Empire' by the Emperor Joseph 2nd. At the time when he was awarded this honour he became a representative of the Counts of Nassau d'Auverquerqui.
In the obituary notice of the 'New London Magazine' for February 1790 it is stated that
'it is by mistake that he was called a Prince of the Empire - he was actually created a Prince of Milan, one of the Emperor's Italian provinces, which is considered a fief, and therefore a branch of the Holy Roman Empire. He was therefore (strictly speaking) a Prince of Milan in the Holy Roman Empire. He seems to have obtained this honour at the request of the Emperor's brother Leopold, Grand Duke of Tuscany.
In 1883 (100 years later) the Cowper possessions in England were enormous. 10,122 acres of land in Hertfordshire, 9,105 acres in Bedfordshire, 5294 in Nottinghamshire, 3227 in Essex, 2787 in Derbyshire, 2536 in Wiltshire, 2078 in Kent, 1067 in Northamptonshire, 913 acres in Leicestershire, 696 acres in Yorkshire, and 44 acres in Suffolk.
Cowper would certainly have known the Italian impressario and theatre director in Vienna (patron of Gluck and Haydn) Count Durazzo. And he would also have known George Cressner, a person used by the British Government as a diplomatic envoy to the Elector of Cologne. That the British government financially aided the Principality of Cologne is reflected in the fact of Cressner himself being involved in transfer to the Beethoven family of funds in the way of a 'retirement pension' for the old Beethoven.
So Cowper no doubt merits closer study as an English patron of the arts, though based for most of his later life in Italy.
[This message has been edited by robert newman (edited 09-22-2006).]
Born 26/8/1738 first son of William, Earl Cowper, English aristocrat. He inherited the English estates of his maternal godfather in 1754
Cowper, despite having an automatic place in the English parliament by reason of him being a member of the 'aristocracy' was educated in continental Europe. In October 1757 he wrote that he was 'tired of Laussane and ready to travel'. After a year touring he arrived in Italy at Venice 21st June 1759. From Venice Cowper moved to Florence where he decided to live permanently. Elected to Parliament 'in absentia' by his loyal servants (who alone had the vote in his constituency) he showed a complete indifference to democracy by never once attending Parliament.
Cowper, in Italy, was in contact with the English foreign office and with diplomats all over Europe. He also became a very active collector and patron of art and of music. It was Cowper who commissioned the Czech composer Josef MYSELIVECECK to write a set of 6 symphonies published in London in 1772. The same MYSLIVECECK who was very highly regarded as amongst the best writers of violin concertos in Europe at this time - the same time as the arrival of those by a certain Salzburgian composer. MYSLIVECECK had been educated at in Prague. He was also very well known to the Salzburg family and is frequently mentioned in their corresondence. (More so, in fact, that any other single composer).
Cowper also owned great works of art including two Raphael paintings - one of them 'Madonna and Child' which he offered (unsuccessfully) to sell to the British Government in 1780 for £2,500 - a huge sum of money at the time. The Cowper family still owned these Raphael paintings at their family home of Panshanger, England in 1913.
The connections of Cowper with the Italian/Austrian music world were vast at this time and many, many researchers believe MYSLIVECECK was the true stylistic teacher of the Salzburgian friend. (There are 3 portraits of Cowper at the National Portrait Gallery in London).
Cowper also sponsored a performance of Handel's 'Alexander's Feast' and 'Messiah' in Florence in 1768. He lived at the Villa Palmieri. in Florence.
So close was he to Vienna that in 1777 he was made a Prince of the 'Holy Roman Empire' by the Emperor Joseph 2nd. At the time when he was awarded this honour he became a representative of the Counts of Nassau d'Auverquerqui.
In the obituary notice of the 'New London Magazine' for February 1790 it is stated that
'it is by mistake that he was called a Prince of the Empire - he was actually created a Prince of Milan, one of the Emperor's Italian provinces, which is considered a fief, and therefore a branch of the Holy Roman Empire. He was therefore (strictly speaking) a Prince of Milan in the Holy Roman Empire. He seems to have obtained this honour at the request of the Emperor's brother Leopold, Grand Duke of Tuscany.
In 1883 (100 years later) the Cowper possessions in England were enormous. 10,122 acres of land in Hertfordshire, 9,105 acres in Bedfordshire, 5294 in Nottinghamshire, 3227 in Essex, 2787 in Derbyshire, 2536 in Wiltshire, 2078 in Kent, 1067 in Northamptonshire, 913 acres in Leicestershire, 696 acres in Yorkshire, and 44 acres in Suffolk.
Cowper would certainly have known the Italian impressario and theatre director in Vienna (patron of Gluck and Haydn) Count Durazzo. And he would also have known George Cressner, a person used by the British Government as a diplomatic envoy to the Elector of Cologne. That the British government financially aided the Principality of Cologne is reflected in the fact of Cressner himself being involved in transfer to the Beethoven family of funds in the way of a 'retirement pension' for the old Beethoven.
So Cowper no doubt merits closer study as an English patron of the arts, though based for most of his later life in Italy.
[This message has been edited by robert newman (edited 09-22-2006).]
Comment