- Beethoven composed his overture to Die Weihe des Hauses for the opening of the Theater in der Josephstadt in Vienna (still a working theater to this day, though now they concentrate on straight theater instead of opera or music).1
- The overture premiered on October 3, 1822. It was followed by a cantata entitled Der Weihe des Hauses, Beethoven’s WOO98, with text by Carl Meisel, from which the overture takes its name. Beethoven conducted the performance.2
- Beethoven was fascinated with the late Baroque when he composed this overture; it is deeply influenced by the music of Handel.3
Sources
- Douglas Johnson et al, “Beethoven, Ludwig van,” Grove Music Online (Oxford University Press, 2001), accessed August 27, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040026.
- Paul Nettl, ed., The Beethoven Encyclopedia, s.v. “Hensler, Karl Friedrich” (New York: Open Road Media, 2021), ebook.
- Douglas Johnson et al, “Beethoven, Ludwig van,” Grove Music Online (Oxford University Press, 2001), accessed August 27, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040026.
Cut IDs
40265 40565 41293 42388