The 4th Symphony

[Joy]

Yesterday I heard the 4th Symphony on radio
by the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra from Hamburg, Germany. It was great, of course, but the story they told at the beginning of the concert was interesting to say the least. The story goes that in the fall of 1806, Beethoven was a guest at a Prince's Country Estate finishing up his Symphony #4, when the Prince asked him to play something for a group of visiting French Officers. B refused and said "it was menial labour." He then raised a chair as if ready to smash it over the Prince's head! A friend separated the two. He went back to Vienna in a huff and smashed the bust of his patron on the floor. (Just thought I'd pass that little story on).

Joy

[Peter]

The North German Radio Symphony Orchestra are superb! I have a recording of them with Gunter Wand playing the 4th Symphony.
The Prince in the well known story you mention was Lichnowsky - however the account given is different to the one I'm familiar with.

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'Man know thyself'

[Joy]

Originally posted by Peter:
The North German Radio Symphony Orchestra are superb! I have a recording of them with Gunter Wand playing the 4th Symphony.
The Prince in the well known story you mention was Lichnowsky - however the account given is different to the one I'm familiar with.

That's the conductor I heard so it must be the same recording you have. Great, isn't it? That's how they explained the incident on the radio. What's the version you heard?

Joy

[Peter]

Originally posted by Joy:
That's the conductor I heard so it must be the same recording you have. Great, isn't it? That's how they explained the incident on the radio. What's the version you heard?

Joy

This is the version recounted by Max Ring -

'The prince had aroused the hopes of the French general of meeting the celebrated composer and to hear him play on the piano-forte. To this end, a great musical soiree was arranged at the castle and the composer was to play his latest compositions. Beethoven, however, refused although the Prince repeatedly and earnestly requested him to do so. Nevertheless, the Prince sill hoped to persuade the obstinate musician, and invited the French general and other distinguished guests. On the appointed evening Beethoven was nowhere to be seen. Finally the news came that the artist had secretly left the castle and fled on foot to the town of Gratz in the cold winter night - only a letter to the Prince had been found in his room. In it he explained that he could not play to enemies of his country and added "Prince! what you are,you are by circumstance and by birth. What I am, I am through myself. Of Princes there have been and will be thousands. Of Beethovens there is only one.."

It was on this occasion that the manuscript of the Appassionata was damaged by the rain.


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'Man know thyself'

[Michael]

Originally posted by Peter:
It was on this occasion that the manuscript of the Appassionata was damaged by the rain.


[/B]

According to Barry Cooper, quite a few of B's manuscripts got damaged in his night flight, and this fact has been most helpful in dating compositions, i.e. the damaged items had to have been composed before that famous night.

M.

[Joy]

Thanks for that full account of the incident.
Of course, the radio condensed it. I do know of the quote, "Of thousands of Princes, there is only one Beethoven." But, did not know it was of this incident.