Early 19th-century Vienna boasted a wide range of performance venues. Alongside the concert halls and ballrooms incorporated into the palaces of the nobility, there were also a large number of more accessible theatres and halls that hosted a variety of events, including musical performances. Music and theatre performances were very popular with audiences, which meant it was only a matter of time before they attracted the attentions of the censors. The authorities were well aware of the potential of public performances to spark unrest and revolutionary fervour.
The censors kept a close and wary eye on the content of performances, though their efforts tended to be focused on plays rather than musical works. As the writer Franz Grillparzer put it: "The censor can't do anything about musicians. If only they knew what you were thinking about when you were writing your music!” (Entry by Franz Grillparzer in one of Beethoven's conversation journals).
However, this was not to say that musical performances were necessarily apolitical, and a number of Beethoven's compositions referred to the political events of the time. For example, his 1813 work “Wellingtons Sieg oder die Schlacht bei Vittoria” (Wellington's Victory, or the Battle of Vittoria), op. 91, captured the patriotic mood of the time and received rave reviews when it premiered on 8 December of that year. One critic said “you could hear the French and British armies approaching” when you heard it.
However, the authorities took the view that the primary purpose of theatre and music was to entertain audiences, and performances were major social occasions that were eagerly reported by the press.
Many theatres and performance venues were privately owned, especially in the suburbs. In the city centre, on the other hand, the royal court's theatres, specifically the (old) Burgtheater on Michaelerplatz and the Kärntnertortheater, stole the limelight.
Beethoven was always looking to conclude long-term contracts that could provide him with a fixed income over a number of years. It was with this aim in mind that, in 1807, he contacted the management of the Court Theatre (he was probably hoping for support from his backer Prince Lobkowitz) proposing that to compose a major opera for them every year in return for a fee, as well as providing a smaller operetta or other occasional pieces free of charge upon request. The request was rejected, with the Court Theatre's management noting that: “Beethoven will not be engaged. However, he should explain what he would ask for an opera, etcetera.”
“… If the same were to render himself available and commit to composing at least one major opera annually, to be chosen by the esteemed management, the undersigned would demand in return a fixed salary of 2,400 fr annually, along with the right of free disposal to the proceeds accruing in his favour on the occasion of the third performance of each such opera … If one considers, moreover, how little benefit a local artist (who, incidentally, would be in a position to work abroad) derives in light of unfavourable rates, and the high prices associated with meeting the artist's needs, you surely cannot find the conditions described above to be exaggerated or excessive.”
Schreiben Beethovens an die Hoftheaterdirektion 1807, (Beethoven's letter to the management of the Court Theatre 1807)
“Places of public entertainment in Vienna include the following venues: The playhouse in the castle [the Burgtheater], which is also known as the National Theatre, and the theatre by the Carinthia Gate [Kärntnertor]. Both have the status of court theatres. The staff of these theatres numbers around 150 persons, not including the musicians and attendants who are part of the two orchestras. Plays are performed there all-year-round, sometimes in both places simultaneously, and sometimes alternately in one or the other. Only during Holy Week, for a few days before Christmas, on church high-days, and on the anniversaries of the deaths of Emperor Joseph II, Emperor Leopold II and Empress Ludovika are no plays or public performances given.”
Neueste Beschreibung der Kais. Kön. Haupt- und Residenzstadt Wien, und der in der Gegend derselben befindlichen kaiserl. königl. Lustschlösser, Gärten, anderer vorzüglicher Gebäude, Kunst- und Naturmerkwürdigkeiten, 1807 (Latest Description of the Royal Capital and Seat of Vienna, and of the Royal Summer Residences, Gardens, Other Excellent Buildings, and Artistic and Natural Attractions).
“The Burgtheater is well-known. Like any other court theatre, it works according to its own plans, which cannot be directed by the tastes or the mood of the audience. It is in possession of impressive and powerful means, and it indisputably deploys such means for the better, with a view to ensuring that everything is as dignified as possible.”
H. Meynert, Herbstblüthen aus Wien: gesammelt in den Spätmonaten 1830 (Autumn Blossom from Vienna, Collected in the Late Months of 1830)
“… I would sooner write something new than add new material to old at this stage … The manuscript of the opera is as dreadfully written as any I have seen; I will have to go through it note by note (it has probably been stolen). In short, I can assure you, my dear Mr T. [Georg Friedrich Treitschke, who assisted in revising the libretto], this opera will see me wearing the crown of the martyr.”
Ludwig van Beethoven zur Arbeit an Fidelio, März 1814, (Ludwig van Beethoven on working on Fidelio, March 1814)
“… The composer made every effort to revise it, to embellish it with new pieces of music, and in so doing to make the final brushstrokes in the painting. We therefore enjoyed a pleasure of a quite unique kind. We admired Beethoven in all his greatness … Finally, his great genius has shone through, such that one may rejoice in his works in his lifetime. That is a great rarity indeed.”
Kritik zu Fidelio (Review of Fidelio), Wiener Theater-Zeitung, 28. Mai 1814.
“… and something happened here which does not always tend to happen in such circumstances: the ever-increasing expectation was not merely satisfied in the most sparkling fashion, but actually exceeded.”
Kritik zur Uraufführung der 9. Symphonie (Review of the premiere of the 9th Symphony), Wiener Zeitschrift, 15. Mai 1824.
“… First of all, a great, profound, masterful symphony by Beethoven was performed …”
Kritik zur 7. Symphonie (Review of the 7th Symphony), Österreichischer Beobachter, 11. Dezember 1813.
Concert recitals, or “academies”, as they were known at the time, were more than opportunities for Beethoven to perform his works in public; they also generated income through the sale of tickets, which the composer could sometimes sell directly.
Vienna was home to a great many concert halls and promoters, and it was around this time that the appeal of orchestral music began to broaden beyond the aristocracy to middle-class audiences. Some members of the middle-class had significant financial means, and their continued exclusion from the realm of politics led them to dedicate increasingly large proportions of their wealth to their cultural and economic interests. This influx of funding contributed to the establishment of salons and associations dedicated to promoting culture and the arts. Perhaps the famous example of these is the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Society of Friends of Music), usually known as the Vienna Musikverein, which staged its concerts in the Hofburg's Redoutensäle (Ballrooms) until the Musikverein building was opened in 1869.
The Biedermeier period
Theatre at the beginning of the 19th century
Classical Music in Nineteenth-Century Vienna
Österreichisches Musiklexikon (in german)
Vienna in the 19th century (in german)
Beethoven-Haus Bonn, Digital Collection
ANNO Historical newspapers and magazines
Vienna City Library – Digital Collection (in german)
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