Beethoven's haunts: Vienna city centre: Aristocratic patrons

From a political point of view, the turn of the 19th century was a tur­bu­lent period across Central Europe. The reper­cus­sions of the French Revolution were still playing out, and Napoleon's rise to power in France led to war and upheaval all over the continent. The new Euro­pean order established at the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15 gave rise to a period known as the ‘Vormärz’ (literally ‘pre-March’, so named because it proceeded the revolutions of March 1848), during which the pre-Napoleonic order was restored. The economic situation was simi­lar­ly unsettled, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire slid into bankruptcy in 1811 as it attempted to sustain its role in the Napoleonic Wars.

The societal convulsions that had peaked at the end of the 18th cen­tury in the French Revolution continued into the early part of the 19th century. The nobility – like the bourgeoisie – was going through a period of great up­heaval around 1800. Around 100 noble families belonged to the high aristocracy – known in German as the Erste Gesell­schaft, or “First Society”. This was a distinct social group that operated separately from the so-called “Second Society” of lesser nobility and the upwardly-mobile middle class. This stratification of society from the high aristoc­racy downwards also reflected the fact the nobility was losing some of its social and economic influence, and was trying to arrest this decline by making itself even more exclusive. However, the wealth of the noble families and their proximity to the royal court meant they remained central to Viennese cultural life, with their palaces pro­viding the venues for various cultural events.

Although Beethoven spent many years striving in vain for a position as Hofkapell­meister (court director of music), the Viennese royal court actually played a relatively minor role as far as music was concerned. Beethoven's efforts to woo the court yielded only one patron, in the shape of Archduke Rudolph of Austria (1788–1831). Rudolph, who was a pupil of Beethoven's for a time, harboured a keen interest in music and composed works of his own.

Dedicating works to patrons was a useful way of attract­ing income, but that is not to say dedications were always contingent on a monetary payment; they were simply an accept­ed part of high-society culture at the time. In fact, Beethoven dedicated a number of his pieces to people he had never met. This was particu­larly true of the women to whom his pieces were dedicated.

Women played a key part in both aristocratic and bour­geois salons in this period Countess Maria Wilhelmine von Thun-Hohenstein is a par­tic­ularly striking exam­ple. She was a prominent patron of Vienna's music scene, and promoted both Mozart and Beethoven. Her daugh­ters Christiane (who became Princess Lichnowsky after her marriage) and Elisabeth (who became Princess Razumovsky) followed in their mother's footsteps.

Beethoven's clients in the aristocracy provided him with both regular annuity payments and instruments, as well as giving him opportunities to perform and rehearse. At some venues, including Palais Lobkowitz, performances often featured the house musicians and orchestras maintained by these noble families.

For musicians, taking annuity payments from noble patrons also meant becoming part of the family to an extent. Their privileged position came with certain re­spon­sibilities, such as committing to regular performances. Despite Beethoven's not entirely unjustified reputation as a “wild child” with a vicious temper from which no-one – not even his aristocratic backers – was safe, he was adept at making the most of the networks available to him. He enjoyed close personal relationships with some of his noble patrons, while his ties to some of the others were rather loose. Both types of relationship helped Beethoven to earn his living and gave him opportunities to dis­seminate his works.

In 1808, Beethoven received a tempting offer from Napoleon's brother Jéròme Bonaparte, whom Napoléon had appointed King of Westphalia. He wanted to appoint Beethoven as Kapellmeister at his court in Kassel, with an annual salary of 600 gold ducats. Beethoven was certainly inclined to accept what was a well-paid post, which would have meant leaving Vienna. His apparent willingness to take up the offer led some of his aristocratic patrons to make him a counter-offer in order to secure his services.

In 1809, Archduke Rudolph joined forces with Princes Kinsky and Lobkowitz to offer Beethoven an annuity contract worth a fixed annual sum of 4,000 guiders, with Kinsky and Rudolph putting up the lion’s share of the funds (1,800 and 1,500 guiders, respectively). Beethoven accepted their offer, which also obliged him to live in Vienna or the Habsburgs' hereditary territories, and not to leave these territories for any prolonged period of time.

The conclusion of the contract was followed by wrangling about the payments, and the disputes demonstrate the complex nature of the relationship between artist and patron. Beethoven received most of his regular payments from the Archduke Rudolph, to whom he dedicated a number of works following the conclusion of their agreement. He only received part of of the payment due to him from the Kinsky household in 1811, and the composer’s financial circumstances were further complicated by the death of Prince Kinsky in 1812, which forced Beethoven to press his claims against the prince’s descendants. Prince Lobkowitz went bankrupt in 1813, and Beethoven successfully asserted his rights under their contract in court.