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Technical Notice
| Classical Composer: | Beethoven, Ludwig van |
|---|---|
| Lyricist: | Averdonk, Severin Anton |
| Work: | Cantata on the death of the Emperor Joseph II, WoO 87 |
| Year Composed: | 1790 |
| Instrumentation: | 2vv, SSATB, 2 2 2 2 - 2 0 0 0, str |
| Publisher: | Breitkopf & Härtel |
| Duration: | 00:39:00 |
| Period: | Classical (1750-1830) |
| Work Category: | Choral - Secular |
Work Information
Available Recording(s)
Beethoven's Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II, was completed in March 1790. In his remeniscences of the composer, Franz Wegeler claims that the cantata or the work written to mark the accession of Leopold II was shown to Haydn, returning from his first visit to England, winning the older composer's approval. Haydn's visits to Bonn took place in 1790, on his way to London, and on his return in 1792. Haydn's approval on either occasion may be questioned, but Wegeler goes on to tell of a later attempt to play one or other of the cantatas at Mergentheim, a favourite resort of the Archbisop-Elector, where some of the wind-players found the work too difficult for them. The cantatas, it seems, were never performed. The words set are by Severin Anton Averdonk, a Bethlehemite monk, son of a Bonn official, and member of the Bonn Reading Society that had commissioned the first, at least, of the cantata texts.
The Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II opens with a chorus of mourning in C minor, with much use of the word tot ('dead') and pauses in the music, to stress the grief of the occasion. There follows an excited accompanied recitative for bass, suggesting the evil of fanaticism that the Emperor had had to confront. The bass aria, dramatically conceived, tells how Joseph came and with God's help confronted and suppressed the monster. A soprano aria, with oboe solo, later joined by the chorus, celebrates the coming of light, dispelling the darkness. In a soprano recitative, we are told that Joseph sleeps in the grave, awaiting the day of judgement and his due crown of reward. His sleep in peace provides the substance of the ensuing soprano aria. The cantata ends with a return to the opening.
Writer: Keith Anderson
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