![Bnbeetm1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Bnbeetm1.jpg)
The Beethoven Monument is a large bronze statue of
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
that stands on the Münsterplatz in
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
, Beethoven's birthplace. It was unveiled on 12 August 1845,
in honour of the 75th anniversary of the composer's birth.
Background
Heinrich Carl Breidenstein (1796–1876) was Germany's first professor of musicology. He had held a post at
Bonn University since 1823. In 1828 he had first expressed the idea of a monument to Beethoven in his native town. In 1832 he wrote an article suggesting the idea, "or, even better, a living memorial, one dedicated to art,
Bildung
''Bildung'' (, "education", "formation", etc.) refers to the German tradition of self-cultivation (as related to the German for: creation, image, shape), wherein philosophy and education are linked in a manner that refers to a process of both pe ...
, education, etc."
Up to that time it had not been German or Austrian practice to erect statues of great cultural figures.
Friedrich Schiller had to wait until 1839; the first one of
Mozart (in
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
) was not unveiled until 1842; and the first one of Beethoven in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, the city he spent most time in, was most associated with, and died in, was not created until 1880.
[
On 17 December 1835, the "Bonn Association for the Beethoven Monument", headed by the famous translator of Shakespeare, ]August Wilhelm Schlegel
August Wilhelm (after 1812: von) Schlegel (; 8 September 176712 May 1845), usually cited as August Schlegel, was a German poet, translator and critic, and with his brother Friedrich Schlegel the leading influence within Jena Romanticism. His trans ...
, issued a call for a permanent memorial to Beethoven, which was sent to all the principal musical publications in Germany, France, and England. King Ludwig I of Bavaria
en, Louis Charles Augustus
, image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg
, caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825
, succession=King of Bavaria
, reign =
, coronation ...
was enthusiastic, but the response was otherwise not very promising: in Paris, Luigi Cherubini promised a special fund-raising concert but later changed his mind; in London, Beethoven's friend Sir George Smart and Ignaz Moscheles
Isaac Ignaz Moscheles (; 23 May 179410 March 1870) was a Bohemian piano virtuoso and composer. He was based initially in London and later at Leipzig, where he joined his friend and sometime pupil Felix Mendelssohn as professor of piano at the Co ...
gave a benefit concert at the Drury Lane Theatre, including the ''Ode to Joy'' from the Ninth Symphony, but it was poorly attended.
Franz Liszt involved himself in the project in October 1839 when it became clear it was in danger of foundering through lack of financial support. Till then, the French contributions had totalled less than 425 francs; Liszt's own personal donation exceeded 10,000 francs.[ He contributed his advocacy and also his personal energies in concerts and recitals, the proceeds of which went towards the construction fund. One such concert was his last public appearance with Frédéric Chopin, a pair of piano duo concerts held at the ]Salle Pleyel
The Salle Pleyel (, meaning "Pleyel Hall") is a concert hall in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, designed by acoustician Gustave Lyon together with architect Jacques Marcel Auburtin, who died in 1926, and the work was completed in 1927 by ...
and the Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...
on 25 and 26 April 1841.
The sole condition of Liszt's involvement was that the sculptor of the statue of Beethoven should be the Italian, Lorenzo Bartolini
Lorenzo Bartolini (Prato, 7 January 1777 Florence, 20 January 1850) was an Italian sculptor who infused his neoclassicism with a strain of sentimental piety and naturalistic detail, while he drew inspiration from the sculpture of the Florentine ...
.[ In the event, the contract was awarded to a German, ]Ernst Julius Hähnel
Ernst Julius Hähnel (9 March 1811, Dresden – 22 May 1891, Dresden) was a German sculptor and Professor at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts.
He is especially remembered for his public statuary. His works of art can be admired throughout Germ ...
(1811–1891). The casting was done by Jakob Daniel Burgschmiet of Nuremberg.[
Liszt returned to the concert stage for this purpose; he had earlier retired to compose and spend time with his family. He also wrote a special work for occasion of the unveiling, ''Festival Cantata for the Inauguration of the Beethoven Monument in Bonn'', S.67 (''Festkantate zur Enthüllung des Beethoven-Denkmals in Bonn'').][
Other musicians had been involved earlier: Robert Schumann offered to write a "Grande Sonate", have it published with gold trim and black binding, and use the proceeds of the sale for the building fund. His ''Obolen auf Beethovens Monument: Ruinen, Trophäen, Palmen: grosse Sonate für das Pianoforte für Beethovens Denkmal, von Florestan und Eusebius'' (''Small Contribution to Beethoven’s Monument: Ruins, Trophies, Palms: Grand Sonata for the Pianoforte for Beethoven’s Memorial, by Florestan and Eusebius'') underwent some name changes. His publishers did not accept it in 1836, and so he revised it and had it published in 1839 as his Fantasie in C, Op. 17, with a dedication to Liszt. In the first movement, Schumann possibly alludes to a theme from Beethoven's song cycle '']An die ferne Geliebte
' (''To the distant beloved''), Op. 98, is a composition by Ludwig van Beethoven written in April 1816, setting poetry by Alois Jeitteles.
Beethoven's '
Beethoven's only song cycle was the precursor of a series of followers, including those of Fr ...
'' (''To the Distant Beloved'') which if true, was also an allusion to his own "distant beloved", Clara Wieck, who was then separated from him in Paris, by order of her father Friedrich Wieck
Johann Gottlob Friedrich Wieck (18 August 1785 – 6 October 1873) was a noted German piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hamme ...
. In 1841 Felix Mendelssohn wrote his ''Variations sérieuses
''Variations sérieuses'', Op. 54, is a composition for solo piano by Felix Mendelssohn consisting of a theme in D minor and 17 variations. It was completed on 4 June 1841. A typical performance lasts about eleven minutes.
The work was writte ...
'' in D minor for the project.
The unveiling was originally scheduled for 6 August 1843, but was postponed to 12 August 1845.[
On 12 May 1845, Schlegel died. His place as head of the organising committee was taken by the instigator of the idea, Heinrich Breidenstein.]
Hasty building of the Beethoven Hall
The official unveiling of the Beethoven Monument was to be the high point of a 3-day Beethoven Festival. A month before the festival was due to commence, there was not a suitable venue to hold the expected 3,000 attendees. At Liszt's urgings, and only after he offered to bear the full cost himself, the committee engaged an architect and builders to construct the Beethoven Hall. By the time they finally started, they had less than two weeks to do this, and had to work around the clock to finish it on time.[
Fortunately, a little more attention had been paid to the musicians who were to perform the music. The orchestra was made up of players from provincial orchestras from the area.][ The double basses included the world famous ]Domenico Dragonetti
Domenico Carlo Maria Dragonetti (7 April 1763 – 16 April 1846) was an Italian double bass virtuoso and composer with a 3 string double bass. He stayed for thirty years in his hometown of Venice, Italy and worked at the Opera Buffa, at the Chap ...
, who had known Beethoven and was then 82, but was still an able performer.[ He was dead within less than a year.
]
Opening celebrations
The Beethovenfest
The Beethovenfest (Beethoven Festival) is a festival of classical music in Bonn, Germany, dedicated mostly to the music of Ludwig van Beethoven who was born there. It dates back to 1845, when the composer's 75th anniversary of birth was celebrat ...
(Beethoven Festival) started on Sunday 10 August 1845. Louis Spohr
Louis Spohr (, 5 April 178422 October 1859), baptized Ludewig Spohr, later often in the modern German form of the name Ludwig, was a German composer, violinist and conductor. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Spohr composed ten symphonies, t ...
, who had known Beethoven, conducted the ''Missa solemnis
{{Audio, De-Missa solemnis.ogg, Missa solemnis is Latin for Solemn Mass, and is a genre of musical settings of the Mass Ordinary, which are festively scored and render the Latin text extensively, opposed to the more modest Missa brevis. In French ...
'' and the 9th Symphony that evening.
On the morning of the unveiling, Tuesday 12 August, the Mass in C major was performed in the Cathedral. Then the official unveiling was held. It was attended by a large number of prominent figures: King Frederick William IV of Prussia and his consort; Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
(as part of her first continental visit since acceding to the throne 8 years earlier)[ and Prince Albert; Archduke Friedrich of Austria;][ the composers Hector Berlioz, Giacomo Meyerbeer, ]Ignaz Moscheles
Isaac Ignaz Moscheles (; 23 May 179410 March 1870) was a Bohemian piano virtuoso and composer. He was based initially in London and later at Leipzig, where he joined his friend and sometime pupil Felix Mendelssohn as professor of piano at the Co ...
and Félicien David
Félicien-César David (13 April 1810 – 29 August 1876) was a French composer.
Biography
Félicien David was born in Cadenet, and began to study music at the age of five under his father, whose death when the boy was six left him an impoverish ...
; the conductors Charles Hallé
Sir Charles Hallé (born Karl Halle; 11 April 181925 October 1895) was an Anglo-German pianist and conductor, and founder of The Hallé orchestra in 1858.
Life
Hallé was born Karl Halle on 11 April 1819 in Hagen, Westphalia. After settling ...
and Sir George Smart; the baritones Josef Staudigl
Josef Staudigl (the elder) (b. Wöllersdorf, 14 April 1807; d. Vienna, 28 March 1861) was an Austrian bass singer.
Life
Staudigl attended the school in Wiener Neustadt and, from 1825, was a novice in the Benedictine monastery of Stift Melk ...
and Johann Baptist Pischek (1814-1873); the sopranos Jenny Lind and Pauline Viardot
Pauline Viardot (; 18 July 1821 – 18 May 1910) was a nineteenth-century French mezzo-soprano, pedagogue and composer of Spanish descent.
Born Michelle Ferdinande Pauline García, her name appears in various forms. When it is not simply "Pauli ...
;[ and ]Lola Montez
Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez (), was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig ...
. Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn, who had both written major works for the piano to raise funds for the monument, were unable to be present.[ Frédéric Chopin declined to attend as he detested bombastic public ceremonial. Richard Wagner did not attend, but he was certainly aware of the event, as he wrote to Liszt a week before the opening, proposing the erection of a similar statue to ]Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 17865 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic who was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas, ...
in Dresden.[ A parchment signed by all the visiting dignitaries was sealed in a lead casket inside the monument.][
This was followed by an afternoon concert: Liszt played the ''Emperor'' Concerto and conducted the Fifth Symphony, and Spohr led the '']Coriolan Overture
The ''Coriolan Overture'' (german: link=no, Coriolan-Ouvertüre or Ouvertüre zu Coriolan), Op. 62, is a composition written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1807 for Heinrich Joseph von Collin's 1804 tragedy ''Coriolan''.
The structure and themes ...
'', an aria from the oratorio '' Christ on the Mount of Olives'', and the quartet and finale from ''Fidelio
''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Op. 72, is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, wi ...
''. It was originally proposed that Berlioz's '' Requiem'' would be played; Berlioz insisted that he, and only he, conduct the work if it were to be played at all, but this did not please the Bonn committee, so the plan was dropped. That evening there was a spectacular fireworks display.[
The next day, Wednesday 13 August, there was a concert lasting four hours: it included Liszt's ''Festival Cantata for the Inauguration of the Beethoven Monument in Bonn'' (given twice, once without the royal guests, and again after their arrival), Beethoven's '' Egmont'' overture, a piano concerto by Weber, Leonora’s aria from ''Fidelio'', a Mendelssohn aria, and the song '']Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
''. This was followed by a banquet for 550 guests at the Hotel Der Stern.[ The banquet was disrupted by the behaviour of ]Lola Montez
Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez (), was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig ...
, who danced on a table and embarrassed Liszt by insisting she was his guest at the celebrations and demanding a seat appropriate to her claimed status, thus upsetting a pre-organised seating arrangement. This scandalised the Bonn authorities, and it redounded to Liszt himself, so much so that when Beethoven's centenary was celebrated in Bonn in 1870, he was not invited to attend.[
]
The monument itself
Sir George Smart declared the facial features of the statue a good likeness of Beethoven, as did Ignaz Moscheles. But Beethoven's assistant Anton Schindler
Anton Felix Schindler (13 June 1795 in Medlov – 16 January 1864 in Bockenheim (Frankfurt am Main)) was an Austrian law clerk and associate, secretary, and early biographer of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Life
Schindler moved to Vienna in 1813 to s ...
was contemptuous of it.
Restoration
The statue was removed from its plinth for restoration and cleaning in January 2022. The work took six months.Beethoven Monument to be restored
/ref>
References
{{coord, 50.73429, 7.09919, type:landmark_region:DE, display=title, format=dms
1845 establishments in Germany
Buildings and structures in Bonn
Bronze sculptures in Germany
Monuments and memorials in Germany
Outdoor sculptures in Germany
Sculptures of Ludwig van Beethoven
Statues in Germany
Statues of musicians
Tourist attractions in Bonn
1845 sculptures