The Burgtheater in the very early 19th century by August Gerasch
The doings of 1799 make for a big story. Not just for Haydn, but all of Europe was on the go, and separating his story from its matrix would be doing an injustice to both. So we will just move along the timeline and talk about the highlights as they arrive.
The Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (General music newspaper) (called the AMZ from here on), was founded just last year (in 1798, that is) and it has already become a great source of information for us. As in the article which we excerpted in our 'Creation' history:
At first sight the material seemed to him indeed well chosen, and well suited to musical effects, but he nevertheless did not accept the proposal immediately; he was just on the point of leaving for Vienna, and he reserved the right to announce his decision from there, where he wanted to take a look at the poem. He then showed it to me... [snip] but I recognized at once that such an exalted subject would give Haydn the opportunity I had long desired, to show the whole compass of his profound accomplishments and to express the full power of his inexhaustible genius; I therefore encouraged him to take the work in hand…
Baron Gottfried van Swieten - Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung
dated 'Vienna, End of December 1798'
But great interest also lies in the presentation of context, as in this (anonymous) letter which was appended to the article containing van Swieten's letter:
…About the work itself, we have nothing to add except that all the opinions of connoisseurs and amateurs that have arrived here bear out [Swieten's] opinion; they describe the work as Haydn's greatest, most sublime and most perfect — that means, surely, the greatest, most sublime and most perfect of the newest period of music? [snip] …and finally it can suggest once more that Germany still leaves the most perfect works of its greatest artists to the foreigners and at best can receive such works from them ex gratia [italics mine]. And to give an idea of the plan of the whole, we [will] include as a supplement to the next issue the German text by Freiherr van Swieten.
Back in ca. 1775, we saw how Haydn was considered a 'foreigner' by the Viennese because he came from the countryside in or near Hungary. And even now, having achieved international fame and the pride of Austria, Haydn was still considered a foreigner. You may think I am tossing this in gratuitously, but it is actually there as something to ponder for the many of you who still believe 'German' and 'Austrian' are the same thing. Apparently the commonality of language wasn't quite enough to pull that trick off, even in 1799.
A compiled first year of the AMZ
The existence of the AMZ is a 2-edged sword though: despite having some signed, attributed articles, their method of reporting the news appears to be via printing anonymous letters such as the one above. How much credibility can we allow this author? Or this one, whose letter appeared in the 20 February issue, and conveys some interesting news:
13 February 1799. [Vienna]
Another piece of news which will not be uninteresting to you. It is believed here, as far as I know, quite generally, that jos. Haydn actually wrote his Creation for England, that he is not allowed to give it here, at least not for the present. …. But— the circumstances of the composer's plans having apparently been changed — in short, we shall get this masterpiece performed here in public and at a ceremonious occasion. On 19 March it will be given in our Court Theatre [NB – The Burgtheater]. The orchestra will consist of 180 persons. The aristocracy pays for the costs of the performance, so that the whole income goes to the composer. And that this will be respectable you can see from the fact that now, at present writing, not a box more is to be had. We are just now beginning to know and appreciate our Father Haydn; and it is good that Heaven permitted him a ripe old age, so that he can enjoy his deeds and does not [only] receive after his death something like a magnificent stone [instead].
Since chronology has not, until recently, been considered of primary importance to Haydn's music, something which is not visible until we look at (rarely accurate) lists and catalogs of Haydn's works is that he has now got down to just a very few genres of music. He is no less consumed by it, and it would be wrong to think so, but he has narrowed his focus down to a very fine point: oratorios, masses, and as we will see this year, a few more quartets, and finally ending up with the bulk of his Scottish National Songs. So once we accept the demise of the days of symphonies, keyboard music, chamber music, concertos, operas and even concert arias like last year's Solo e pensoso, we can see more clearly what he was doing: The Creation and its successor, and the last Masses and quartets are what remains to talk about. Which is still plenty.
Handbill for public premiere of "The Creation"
The week mentioned in the letter above, which 19 March was the Tuesday of, was the Christian Holy Week in 1799, which meant a different regimen of musical fare than most of the year offered. Among other things, it was the week in which the Tonkünstler-Societät presented their Lenten concerts. So at the 12 February meeting, Herr Haydn, Assessor Senior, sent a note excusing himself due to other business, but also a proposal to have the 7 Last Words performed, which he himself would conduct. Of course, the offer was gratefully accepted. The concerts were scheduled for Sunday, the 17th and Monday, the 18th. With the première of The Creation scheduled for Tuesday the 19th, when you include the necessary rehearsals it was shaping up to be a busy week for the old man!
Therese Saal
by F.H. Füger
Before we ever get to our public première though, 2 & 4 March will see a repeat of last April and May's performances at Schwarzenberg Palace. These were to be the 5th and 6th performances, all under Haydn's direction, and feature one major change in cast in preparation for the public performance later that month. Christine Gherardi, 'Eve' in last year's performances, had married and retired. But there was a new girl in town, the seventeen year-old daughter of the bass singer, Ignaz Saal, who was currently making a sensation, not only as a highly skilled soprano but as the mistress of Prince Kaunitz, one of the founding members of the Gesellschaft der Associirten Cavaliere, who were sponsoring the event. It must be supposed that she expressed an interest in the part, and since the Association was paying all the bills, she was a lock for the job, much to the chagrin of Rosenbaum and Therese Gassmann:
21 February 1799 – Rosenbaum's diary…
… after lunch I drove out to see Haydn today, talked with him about The Creation and learned that Saal will sing instead of Gerardi, which will offend Therese greatly. I told Haydn so in the driest possible words; he apologized by saying that the Cavaliers had so ordered it against his will, because they are paying all the expenses…
So it goes, money talks, then as ever. The story of the première and its follow-up, which represents the apex of Haydn's career, will be the focus of a later essay. Meanwhile, there was no shortage of other things going on.
We are well-acquainted by now with Frederik Silverstolpe. If not for him, we would know next to nothing about very many of Haydn's exploits post-London. One of the more endearing features about him, in my view, is that he was not an all-taking-no-giving sort. We saw previously how he had studied with Kraus until the latter's death in 1792, and he considered himself to be a musician, he was at the very least a solid theorist and what the Germans would call a Kenner. So he maintained a relationship with the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and in late 1798 he took an opportunity to repay Haydn's many kindnesses. At Silverstolpe's instigation, Albrechtsberger, Salieri and Haydn were made honorary members of the Academy, the first foreigners to ever be so distinguished. The diplomas arrived in April 1799, and on 10 April, Silverstolpe writes that he will deliver the diplomas that week. Haydn's undated letter, included in the diplomatic pouch along with those of the others, was sent on to Stockholm in early May. Haydn was very proud of this acknowledgement and as we will see, he enumerates it among his many other honors later on.
[To C. F. von Fredenheim, President of the Royal Swedish
Academy of Music in Stockholm. In German] [ca. end of April 1799]
Nobly born, Most highly respected Sir
I cannot express adequately in words the surprise and delight which I felt, and will always feel, upon receiving, through the Councillor of Legation Herr von Silverstolpe, the diploma wherein I am graciously nominated a member of your worthy Royal Swedish Academy of Music. I only regret that at present my advanced age and weakened powers do not permit me to repay this great honor. If, however, Providence should grant me a few more years of the necessary musical strength, I shall try to compose a small remembrance for your worthy Society; meanwhile I take the liberty of conveying my respectful thanks to the President C. F. von Fredenheim, and to the whole worthy Society, and am. Sir, most respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
J:H:
Lest you get the impression that all of Haydn's time is now being used up in being Meister-Dirigent-about-town, yet another unknown music fan has kindly filled in some of the blanks via the AMZ:
[Report to the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung,
dated 24 March 1799, unsigned.]
Now I have been six weeks here and have still not found time to write to you about the present condition of music here, nor to give you even the slightest news of interesting events. I hope to be that much more diligent hereafter.
I shall begin my news with an event which is a good omen for you. On the 19th inst. I heard Haydn's The Creation. [For me] not to report immediately on this happy occasion (for I feel it was such) would be to display too little feeling for the Art, or too little for Friendship. This masterpiece of the new musical age was given in the National Theatre next to the Burg. The audience was exceptionally large…
[snip here, to be revisited]
Now Haydn is working on a new great work, which the worthy Herr Geheimrat Freyherr [NB – Privy Councillor] van Swieten has arranged metrically from Thomson's 'Seasons', and of which he has already completed the first part, Spring. The curiosity of all music lovers is already stretched to the breaking point. Haydn is also at present working - as he himself informed me—on six new quartets for the Hungarian Count K.— .
I'm not entirely sure who 'the Hungarian Count K.' is; in fact, the new set of quartets, Opus 77, have been commissioned by the 'Bohemian Prince L.'; 'L' for Lobkowitz. Joseph Franz Maximilian, 7th Prince Lobkowitz, was well-known as a patron of music in Vienna. Of course, he was a member of the Gesellschaft der Associirten Cavaliere, and so was also a large sponsor of The Creation, and now this commission to Haydn. This was all just a warmup, however, for his sponsorship of Beethoven, who dedicated several works to the Prince: his 3rd, 5th & 6th symphonies, the Opus 18 and Opus 74 (The Harp) string quartets; the Trio Concerto and the song cycle An die ferne Geliebte. In 1808, when Beethoven threatened to take a job offer from Jerome Bonaparte, which would have required him to go to Kassel, Westphalia, Lobkowitz, together with Archduke Rudolph and Prince Kinsky, successfully persuaded him to stay in Vienna by offering a yearly pension of 4,000 florins.
In addition to all that, Haydn still had his annual obligation to Princess Esterházy, which this year consisted in the wonderful Theresienmesse. And we mustn't forget, a Te Deum for the Empress, just for good measure!
Georg August Griesinger
If you are an avid Haydnist, it is hard to overestimate how much of a debt you owe to Georg August Griesinger for much of what you know about Haydn's life. His slender but fact-filled biography, the first after Haydn's death, still serves as one of the most reliable sources of information available. What may be news, though, is that Griesinger wasn't alongside Haydn for his last ten years simply for the purpose of documenting him. That all came later. Rather, he was there as a foreign agent for the Leipzig publisher, Breitkopf & Härtel. Their purpose was to acquire as much Haydn music as possible for publication. In the long run, B&H intended a Complete Edition to match the Complete Mozart which was just hitting the music stores at the time, and this came to fruition a very short time later. B&H became Haydn's principal publisher through Griesinger, some of the fruit being, for example, five of the six late masses, and the earlier Missa Cellensis.
[Georg August Griesinger to Gottfried Christian Härtel]
18 May 1799.
Dearest Friend :
I have just received your letter of 4th May and hasten to assure you by next outgoing mail that I will do everything in my power to fulfil your request to your satisfaction. By this you have given me the pleasant task of making the acquaintance of one of the greatest composers, as well as enabling me to do a small favour to you at no great difficulty to myself. I will look up Haydn tomorrow and let you know in detail the result of our conversation.
[long snip about other business]
Once again: whatever I can do with Haydn, I shall certainly do. More shortly, and meanwhile I remain &c…
Your most obedient,
Griesinger
When Griesinger moved to Vienna in 1799, it was to tutor the nine-year old son of Count Johann Hilmar Adolph Schönfeld, the ambassador of Saxony to Austria. In 1804 he changed careers (he had a law degree, after all, he was a bit overqualified to tutor a youngster), becoming a diplomat at the Saxon embassy. He began as legation secretary, then counsellor and finally chargé d'affaires. Thus, Griesinger added his name to the ever growing list of foreign and domestic diplomats who performed invaluable service to Haydn.
There is one more item which shouldn't slip past us, although the year is by no means exhausted. I can hardly understand why Haydn wasn't (exhausted, that is). He has decided that he is going to sell The Creation by subscription and publish it himself! Once again, the AMZ serves us admirably:
[Announcement in the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung
for Subscription to The Creation. German]
The success which my Oratorio, The Creation, has been fortunate enough to enjoy here … has moved me to arrange for its distribution myself. Thus the work is to appear in three or four months, neatly and correctly engraved and printed on good paper, with German and English texts ; and in full score, so that, on the one hand, the public may have the work in its entirety, and so that the connoisseur may see it in toto and thus better judge it; while on the other, it will be easier to prepare the parts, should one wish to perform the work anywhere.
The price of the Oratorio, which will consist of some 300 pages, is to be 3 ducats, or 13 Fl. 30 Kr. in Viennese currency; and although payment does not need to be made until delivery, I wish nevertheless that those who contemplate its purchase would inform me provisionally thereof, and give me their names, in order that they may appear in the subscription list at the front of the score. The actual appearance of the Oratorio in print—every copy will be signed—will be announced by a special notice, when the time comes.
Vienna, 15th June 1799.
Joseph Haydn,
Doctor of Music, Kapellmeister in the Service of His Highness the Prince Esterhazy, and Member of the Royal Swedish Musical Academy.
In Vienna, Vorstadt Gumpendorf, untere Steingasse, Nr. 73.
These are just a few highlights of the first half of this event-filled year. Next time we will look at some more things, the importance of which is not to be underestimated. And also, of course, some very fine music!
Thanks for reading!
The new music of 1799:
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Hob 3#
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Opus #
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Key
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New Grove Number
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Instrument(s)
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Notes
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81
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77 #1
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G
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66
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2 Violins, Viola & Cello
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Lobkowitz Quartets
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82
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77 #2
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F
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67
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Hob No
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Genre
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Key
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Name
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Instruments/Voices
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22:11
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Catholic Mass
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Bb
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Theresienmesse
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S-A-T-B soloists, Chorus, 2 Clarinets, (Bassoon), 2 Trumpets, Timpani, Strings & Continuo (Organ)
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23c:2
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Sacred Music
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C
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Te Deum
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Chorus, Flute, 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns, 3 Trumpets, Timpani & Strings
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