Archive item of the month – December 2020
“Beethoven 2020”: 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth
Ludwig van Beethoven, engraving by Blasius Höfel (1792-1863) “after” a drawing by Louis René Letronne (1788-1841); published in Vienna by Artaria und Comp., 1814.
The French draftsman and portraitist, Louis Letronne was resident in Vienna between 1805-1817. At the time of the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815), he portrayed many monarchs and statesmen who were attending or visiting Vienna and drew Beethoven in anticipation of an engraving by the Viennese engraver Blasius Höfel. Apparently, however, Höfel thought that the artist had not achieved a true likeness of the composer and he asked the composer to sit again. “Höfel often saw Beethoven at Artaria’s [music shop] and, when his work was well advanced, asked him for a sitting or two. The request was readily granted. At the time set, the engraver appeared with his plate. Beethoven seated himself in position and for perhaps five minutes remained reasonably quiet; then suddenly springing up went to the pianoforte and began to extemporise, to Höfel’s great annoyance. The servant [Höfel] relieved his embarrassment by assuring him that he could now seat himself near the instrument and work at his leisure, for his master had quite forgotten him and no longer knew that anyone was in the room. This Höfel did; wrought so long as he wished, and then departed with not the slightest notice from Beethoven. The result was so satisfactory that only two sittings of less than one hour each were needed. It is well known that Höfel’s is the best of all the engravings made of Beethoven” (Thayer’s Life of Beethoven, p.589).
Beethoven’s popularity at this particular time, considering the success of two recent compositions performed at the Congress of Vienna, namely the cantata Der glorreiche Augenblick and Wellingtons Sieg oder die Schlacht bei Vittoria, must have encouraged the publisher to have the image made. This copy of the print was donated in 1877 from the estate of Charles Neate (1784-1877, Member A213). Neate had acted as agent for the Philharmonic Society in 1815 in procuring three manuscript overtures from the composer; although the Philharmonic Society were expecting new compositions by Beethoven, Neate transported the manuscripts of the works Die Ruinen von Athen, König Stephan and Namensfeier, having paid 75 guineas for them. It seems very probable that Neate acquired this particular copy of the engraving of Beethoven when he was in Vienna during the business trip of 1815.
Further literature:
- Alexander Wheelock Thayer, Life of Beethoven, revised and edited by Elliot Forbes (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1973).
- Myles Birkett Foster, History of the Philharmonic Society of London, 1813-1912 (London: John Lane, 1912).
