''Der glorreiche Augenblick'', Op. 136 (The glorious moment) is a

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning 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 classical ...

Composition

1814 Reception of the allied monarchs in Vienna on the occasion of the Congress of Vienna

''Der glorreiche Augenblick'' was written for the opening of the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

after the end of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. While Beethoven had initially supported

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, famously dedicating his

Eroica Symphony The Symphony No. 3 in E major, Op. 55, (also Italian ''Sinfonia Eroica'', ''Heroic Symphony''; german: Eroica, ) is a symphony in four movements by Ludwig van Beethoven. One of Beethoven's most celebrated works, the ''Eroica'' symphony is a l ...

to him, he rejected him after he declared himself Emperor and scratched the dedication off the title page so violently that he tore the page. The cantata is scored for two

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

and bass soloists, chorus and orchestra. It sets texts by . Although it was written in 1814 it was not published until 1837, hence the high opus number.

Structure

The work consists of six

movements Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

: #Chorus "Europa steht!" #Recitative "O seht sie nah' und näher treten!" #Aria with chorus "O Himmel, welch' Entzücken!" #Recitative "Das Auge schaut" #Recitative and quartet "Der den Bund im Sturme fest gehalten" #Chorus: "Es treten hervor"

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Glorreiche Augenblick Compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven 1814 compositions Cantatas