Ludwig van Beethoven Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Ludwig van beethoven Sonata Pathétique, C minor, II. sentence (slow) bedřich smetana Ode to Joy from Symphony No. 9 Antonín dvořák Lobkowiczký palác gustav mahler leoš janáček Kostel sv. Mikuláše bohuslav martinů Clam-Gallasův palác Dům U Bílého jednorožce Beethovenův platan Konvikt Ode to Joy from Symphony No. 9 Music Ludwig van Beethoven/original text Friedrich Schiller Artist Rolf Kühne/Annelies Burmeisterová/Martin Ritzmann/Ingeborg Wenglorová/Czech Philharmonic/Paul Klecki/Czech Singers Chorus/Josef Veselka Sonata Pathétique, C minor, II. sentence (slow) Music Ludwig van Beethoven Artist Josef Páleníček Sonáta c moll č. 8 Patetická, op. 13 hudba Ludwig van Beethoven Interpreti Josef Páleníček Ludwig van Beethoven One of the greatest European composers. During his lifetime, he was admired both as a composer and a piano virtuoso. Two hundred years later, the admiration for his oeuvre remains undiminished. Beethoven's music marked the dawn of a new musical era - Romanticism. Probably 16 December 1770 in Bonn (Germany) 26 March 1827 in Vienna (Austria) Ludwig van Beethoven was most likely born on 16 December in Bonn. The exact date of his birth is unknown, only the date of his baptism on 17 December. He was the second of seven children of Johann van Beethoven and Maria Magdalena Leym. Beethoven’s father was a court tenor who succumbed to alcohol. It has long been said that Beethoven’s father was very harsh when teaching his son the basics of music; however, some trustworthy sources say that there is no evidence of this. When Beethoven was nine, he had his first proper and responsible teacher in the person of Christian Gottlob Neefe, a court organist in Bonn. Most importantly, he introduced Beethoven to the art of Johann Sebastian Bach and made the publication of Beethoven’s first composition possible. This free-thinking Protestant teacher also provided strong support for the young Beethoven’s desire for artistic and creative freedom. In 1787, the seventeen-year-old Ludwig van Beethoven left for Vienna. It is alleged that he met Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; however, there is no written documentation of this meeting. Beethoven had to return to Bonn quite soon, as his mother was dying of tuberculosis. After her death, Beethoven had to take over the responsibility for supporting the family. Beethoven lived permanently in Vienna starting in 1792 and studied under some well-known composers, such as Joseph Haydn, Antonio Salieri, Johann G. Albrechtsberger, and Johann Schenk. Thanks to his popularity with the Austro-Hungarian aristocracy, including several families from Bohemia, and the financial support they provided, Beethoven could afford to live as a freelance artist, which was rather unusual at the time. Beethoven’s most important patrons were the members of the Lichnowsky, Kinsky, Esterhazy, and especially the Lobkowicz families. Beethoven's hearing problems began around the year 1785, when he began suffering from a serious form of tinnitus. Only his extraordinary musical genius allowed him to compose his greatest works when he was already completely deaf. After many long-term health problems Beethoven died in March 1827 at the age of fifty-six. In the twentieth century, modern forensic techniques determined that the most likely cause of his ailments was lead poisoning, as this element was a part of standard life in those days in many items used on a daily basis. Beethoven’s funeral was attended by ten or twenty thousand people. His pallbearers comprised the well-known musicians. He was buried in the cemetery in Währinger. His remains were exhumed in 1888 and moved to the Central Cemetery in Vienna. Works: During his “early” period, until sometime in 1802, Beethoven devoted himself to a Classical repertoire and was influenced by his predecessors. One example of his compositions from this period is the Moonlight Sonata. The second “heroic” period lasted until 1814 and fully reflects Beethoven’s feelings regarding a bitter life and the loss of his hearing. The most important of his works from this period is his opera Fidelio. Beethoven’s “late” period, which reflects the spirit of the Romantic era, started after 1815. It is described as his most innovative and very personal period. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony came to life during this time. Other significant works: Third (Eroica), Fifth, Sixth (Pastoral), Seventh Symphonies, the monumental Missa Solemnis in D major (1819-1823), the Pathetique Sonata (1798), the Moonlight Sonata (1802), the Appassionata Sonata (1804), the Emperor Concerto (1809), and the short piano piece For Elise (1810) Open daily 10:00–18:00 Clam-Gallas Palace This Palace was built for the Neapolitan viceroy Jan Václav Gallas and remained the Gallas dynasty’s chief residence (after 1747, the Clam-Gallas family’s.) Great composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven played concerts here. This late Baroque aristocratic residence is a seat of the Prague City Archives. St. Nicholas Church - Lesser Town This Baroque church is often considered the most beautiful Baroque building in Prague. In 1791, a massive crowd of people filled the church and the area outside it to mourn and honor the death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Band leader Josef Rösler-Rosetti who was employed by the Lobkowicz noble family conducted Mozart’s Requiem. Almost forty years later, in 1827, an imposing memorial service was held here to honor the death of Ludwig van Beethoven; the event was attended by the widest strata of Prague society. Beethoven's Plane Tree In the garden of the Convent of the Knights of Malta, hidden from public view behind the Lennon Wall, stands the largest plane tree in Prague - sometimes also called Beethoven's Plane. Legend has it that the composer used to sit under this tree during his visit to Prague in 1796. Konvikt After the dissolution of the Jesuit order in 1773, the Organ School was founded in 1830 and attended by Antonín Dvořák. The original refectory became one of the main centres of culture in 18th and 19th-century Prague. Beethoven played a concert here in 1798. Over the following years, Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt and pianist A. G. Rubinstein played here as well. The Lobkowicz Palace Museum, Prague Castle Joseph František Maximilian, the 7th Prince Lobkowicz, was the great patron of Beethoven. It was the annual stipend provided by the Prince (and continued by his son until the composer’s death), supplemented by support from the Archduke Rudolf and Prince Kinsky, that allowed Beethoven the freedom to compose without dependence on commissions and time-consuming teaching. Beethoven repaid Joseph František Maximilan by dedicating a number of pieces to him - including, the six String Quartets Op. 18, the Triple Concerto, the Harp Quartet Op. 74, the lieder cycle An die ferne Geliebte and the 3rd (also known as the Eroica Symphony), 5th and 6th Symphonies. On display at the Lobkowicz Palace in Prague is a first published edition (1806) of Beethoven's 3rd Symphony in E flat, Op. 55 (Eroica), as well as other Beethoven treasures including manuscripts of the 4th and 5th Symphonies and the original performing parts for the Op. 18 String Quartets, featuring Beethoven’s own corrections and annotations for performance. House at the White and Gold Unicorn In the 18th century, this Baroque building used to be a popular inn. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart stayed here as a guest in 1789, Ludwig van Beethoven in 1796. Lázeňská ulice čp. 285 Bartolomějská 291/11 Jiřská 3 Husova 158/20 Husova 158/20 Lázeňská ulice čp. 285