BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TDOAY: Wednesday, February 4, 1824

Today’s Wiener Zeitung at 124 has an advertisement from Cappi & Diabelli with a number of works by Ferdinand Ries, Beethoven’s former pupil. Among these are a March with Trio for pianoforte; Fantasy for pianoforte on favorite themes from Rossini’s opera Zelmira, op.121; Rondeau for pianoforte on the cavatina “una voce poco fà” from Rossini’s opera Barber of Seville; Rondoletto for pianoforte op.54; and Rondo for pianoforte on the Cavatina Di piacco mi balza from Rossini’s opera La Gazza ladra, op.89.

The opera report from Berlin at page 30 of the February, 1824 issue (Nr.XIV) of The Harmonicon notes that the principal operas performed there in the last months include the Freischütz of von Weber, the Swiss Family of Weigl, the Zauberflöte of Mozart, the Fidelio of Beethoven, and La Molinara of Paisiello.

The report from Lausanne at 31 mentions the three-day music festival held at the cathedral church there in August, 1823, under the direction of M. Taillez of Strasbourg, “whose zeal in the cause we must commend, though we cannot do the same with respect to his mode of showing it. His manner of beating time is too violent and outré, and his furious stamping and vigorous exercise of his musical baton might well have been dispensed with. The second day’s performance lasted from three till nearly seven….After a pause of about half an hour, the second part began with the overture of the Freyschütz, which was executed with great spirit, but whether such a composition is suited to a church is another question. This was followed by the Mount of Olives, by Beethoven, which, on the whole, went off excellently, as it was music with which most of the performers were familiar. The effect of this composition, as well upon connoisseurs as amateurs, was indescribable. Among three thousand spectators there was but one feeling on the subject: it was the triumph of the whole music feast.”