BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Sunday, October 26, 1823 (approximately)

According to a January 1824 letter by Beethoven, sometime about now, “towards the end of October, 1823” journalist and poet Joseph Bernard at last delivers the libretto for the proposed cantata Der Sieg des Kreuzes [The Triumph of the Cross], which he has been working on for even longer than Beethoven has been working on the Missa Solemnis. The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde had commissioned the cantata seven years ago, and Beethoven, who accepted a 400 florin advance on the work, is supposed to write the music. Copies of the poem are provided both to Beethoven and the Society. Engaged in other things, finding the libretto unusable (in part due to its heavy anti-Semitism), and Bernard to be disagreeable, Beethoven does virtually nothing on this cantata.

The theme of the libretto was the legend of the appearance of a cross with the words, “In hoc signo vinces” [By this sign you shall conquer] to Constantine the Great. According to Eusebius, Constantine was marching with his army when he looked up to the sun and saw a cross of light above it, with this phrase (though in Greek rather than Latin). The following night, Constantine dreamed that Christ explained he should use the sign of the cross against his enemies. Constantine adopted the Chi-Rho symbol, the first two letters of “Christ” in Greek, and it was commonly associated with his triumph at the battle of the Milvian Bridge over the emperor Maxentius on the next day, October 28, 312 A.D. Eusebius states this event and vision marked the beginning of Constantine’s conversion (and eventually that of the entire Roman Empire) to Christianity.

The libretto follows Constantine and his daughter Julia, who is married to Maxentius, as she tries to avert the imminent battle. Julia hears the angels and is instantly converted, suffering martyrdom at the hands of her husband. A scene of the battle at Milvian Bridge over the Tiber uses the contrasts of prayer-like songs of Constantine’s forces on one side against the warlike chants of Maxentius’ troops. Constantine promises to raise the cross on the forum in Rome, and victory results at the hand of God as the Romans sing, “Hosanna” and “Glory to God.”

Beethoven looks over the manuscript and makes a number of large cuts, but then decides he is not inspired by the libretto at all and abandons it. The matter is not concluded, however, since the Society has paid for an oratorio from Beethoven and would still like to get one. The ensuing dispute will continue through much of 1824.