Ludwig van Beethoven in Bonn
The series about historical places of opera art & culture. Get to know exciting excursion and travel ideas for opera lovers. This time: Ludwig van Beethoven in Bonn.
All Destinations on google maps with links to detailed Blogposts:
Ludwig van Beethoven in Bonn
Beethoven grew up in a family with many children, but only three of the seven children reached adulthood. Ludwig lived from 1870 – 1882 in Bonngasse, where the Beethoven Museum is located today, presumably the family then moved on to Rheingasse 24. Beethoven’s most important teacher in Bonn was Gottlob Neefe, and as a young adult he played for a time in the Elector’s orchestra and gave piano lessons. His father was employed as a singer at court and the family was troubled by his increasing addiction to alcohol. After the death of his mother in 1787, Beethoven was given responsibility for his brothers at an early age. In 1792, at the age of 22, he left Bonn for Vienna. A short time later, the Rhineland was occupied by the French and Beethoven made the decision to remain settled in Vienna. After the death of his father in 1792, his two brothers followed him.
Destination Beethoven Birthplace (Beethoven Museum)
The house at Bonngasse 20 dates from 1700 and is one of the few surviving town houses from that period. The dwelling with three rooms on the second floor and a kitchen on the first floor was a servant apartment of the father, who was a court singer. The lower floors of the dwelling house became an inn in the 19th century and in 1889 an association for the preservation of the building bought the property, thus saving it from demolition. The house survived the Second World War unscathed; an incendiary bomb that fell on the roof was rendered harmless by a courageous janitor.
In the meantime, the exhibition and the archives are distributed in different buildings and vividly tell about Beethoven’s life in thematic rooms. The exhibition (partly permanent, partly temporary) is highly recommended even for laymen.
Beethoven House:
Destination Beethoven Monument
The monument was created in 1845 for the first big Beethoven festival, where it was ceremoniously unveiled. The pedestal shows the musical forms in which Beethoven had composed. In the front you can see a Greek sphinx (fantasy / improvisation), on the left Saint Cecilia (sacred music), in the back a muse of musical art with lyre (symphony) and on the right a woman with mask (opera).
Beethoven Monument:
Destination Beethoven Festival
Every year in September, the renowned Beethoven Fest takes place. Several dozen performances are offered with a Beethoven focus but also with works by many other composers. The largest venue is the Beethoven Hall. The first Beethoven Fest took place in 1845, initiated among others by Franz Liszt, who contributed a very large sum of money.
https://www.beethovenfest.de/en/
In 1870 a permanent hall was added, which was destroyed during the Second World War. Subsequently, a modern music hall was built.
Beethoven Hall:
https://www.beethovenhalle.de/en.html
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