Christ on the Mount of Olives (Beethoven)
Christ on the Mount of Olives is the only oratorio by Ludwig van Beethoven. The work was premiered in 1803 in Vienna, but not published until 1811. Therefore, it contributes in the catalog raisonné of Beethoven, the relatively high opus number 85
- 4.1 documents
- 4.2 Further Reading
Genesis
Beethoven composed Christ on the Mount of Olives on the occasion of his appointment as resident composer at the Theater an der Wien.
After the 1790 composed in Bonn vocal works Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II ( WoO87 ) and Cantata for the collection of Leopold II ( WoO 88) was Christ on the Mount of Olives, the first vocal work of the composer. Beethoven chose the genre of the oratorio, because on the basis of Lent the performance of opera was forbidden. The libretto was written by the Viennese writer Franz Xaver Huber, who also acted as editor of the "Wiener Zeitung".
The composition time was after Beethoven's own data, only two weeks. Several Beethoven biographer Maynard Solomon, among others, Theodore Albrecht and Barry Cooper, however, suspect a connection with Beethoven's " Heiligenstadt Testament ", which was already half a year previously created in October 1802. Albrecht and Cooper concerned, based on substantive parallels between the " Heiligenstadt Testament " and the oratorio. The musicologist Sieghard Brandenburg suspected after evaluation of Beethoven Wielhorsky sketchbook that Beethoven February / March and then again in late March / early April 1803 has been working on the oratorio.
Christ on the Mount of Olives was premiered on April 5, 1803, a Tuesday in Holy Week in Vienna within an academy, which has also included the first symphony, the Symphony No. 2 and the Piano Concerto No. 3 sounded. Beethoven still sent on the morning of premiere day his pupil Ferdinand Ries to the trombone parts for orchestra rehearsing after he had that still worked the night before. The Prince present in the samples Karl Lichnowsky supplied the exhausted musicians with bread and butter, cold meat and wine.
About the Music
Set names
Action
The plot of the oratorio is in the Garden of Gethsemane, a, arrest is imminent as Jesus shortly and this begs his father for comfort, but at the same time his imminent death on the cross " for the salvation of mankind" welcomes. As the warriors turn up to arrest Jesus, this begs his father, suffering hours like " soon as the clouds that drives a whirlwind " pass. Meanwhile the disciples plead for mercy. Peter tries to save Jesus, but is held by this it. When Jesus is seized by the warriors, a choir of angels concludes the work.
Effect
The general musical newspaper complained the day after the premiere of the high ticket prices, but pointed to the success that Christ took the audience on the Mount of Olives. The magazine for the elegant world was the work " on the whole good ," praised in the music " some excellent passages, particularly an aria of the seraphim with trombone accompaniment has excellent effect," but added that notices bonds to Joseph Haydn's oratorio The Creation in the text to have. The review in frank fell out behavior, as well as a renewed report in the general musical newspaper in late July: " Beethoven Cantata - did not like ."
Beethoven revised the oratorio in 1804 to Lent. However, Breitkopf & Härtel decided - despite an intervention by Prince Lichnowsky in the spring of 1805 - until the year 1811 to a publication. From their occasion Beethoven wrote to the publisher that he was " my first and early work in style in 14 tägen between all sorts of turmoil and other unpleasant angstigenden life events ( My brother had just a mortal illness ) wrote ," and he " completely different one oratorio write as then " In the context of this publication, the publisher knew the work against Beethoven resistors with a new, written by Christian Schreiber text.
Musicologist January Caeyers is of the view that the failure of Christ on the Mount of Olives neither in the specified Beethoven composition of two weeks due is - after all, are works such as the Piano Concerto No. 1, came the violin concerto and the Mass in C major, even under time pressure - even in a potentially defective original text of the experienced librettist Huber. Caeyers sees the reasons, among others, a lack of role models during the past decades (apart from Haydn's The Creation and The Seasons), in an all-too -free processing of the Gospels report by Beethoven and Huber and the omission of the role of the narrator. Some opera -like elements in the oratory, which certainly constituted the charm of oratory, according Caeyers would have irritated the audience. Furthermore, the interpretation of the figure of Jesus Christ came both as Son of God and as a person who is afraid of the agony of the crucifixion and death, with the audience on alienation.