{"id":1853,"date":"2022-10-26T21:13:47","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T19:13:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.popularbeethoven.com\/?p=1853"},"modified":"2022-10-26T21:15:08","modified_gmt":"2022-10-26T19:15:08","slug":"9-facts-about-beethovens-wellingtons-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.popularbeethoven.com\/9-facts-about-beethovens-wellingtons-victory\/","title":{"rendered":"9 facts about Beethoven\u2019s Wellington\u2019s Victory"},"content":{"rendered":"
1. Beethoven\u2019s Wellington\u2019s Victory<\/a> is sometimes called Battle of Vitoria, or Battle Symphony. The piece was named after the Duke of Wellington<\/a><\/strong>, who defeated Napoleon\u2019s French army near Vitoria<\/a>, Spain.<\/p>\n 2. The original version was not prepared for orchestra<\/strong>, but for the Panharmonicon<\/a> of Johann Maelzel<\/a>. This machine could imitate many musical instruments and sounds of canons, gunshots.<\/p>\n 3. Beethoven prepared the orchestra version for 100 musicians<\/strong>. In fact, many from the audience found it too loud, one complaining that it was \u201cseemingly designed to make the listener as deaf as its composer!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n 4. Beethoven and Maelzel planned to take both the Panharmonicon and the music to London<\/strong>. The composer even had sent a dedicated score to the King of England. The journey, in the end, never happened.<\/p>\n 5. The premier of Wellington\u2019s Victory<\/a><\/strong> was on the 8th December, 1813. The organizers had chosen the University Hall in Vienna<\/a> as the location. This was a benefit concert<\/strong> for the wounded of the Napoleonic Wars<\/a>. By popular demand the concert was repeated four days later. The orchestra included a mechanical trumpeter<\/strong>, also the design of Johann Maelzel<\/a>.<\/p>\n 6. Although the music itself is only 15 minutes long and compared to any Beethoven music is almost worthless, this mainstream production<\/em> had become one of his greatest success<\/strong>. The composer himself later called the music nothing more \u201cbut an occasional work\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n 7. The Wellington\u2019s Victory was a cooperation of Beethoven and his inventor friend Johann Maelzel<\/a>. After the concerts the two could not agree on the copyrights<\/strong> and Beethoven denied him the scores. He even involved a lawyer and court. Later, the two reconciled and worked on a next project: the Metronome<\/a>.<\/p>\n 8. Beethoven included three well known melodies<\/strong> in his composition. For the British side the Rule Britannia<\/a>, for the French Malbrough s\u2019en va-t-en guerre<\/a> (Marlborough has left for the war, today well known as For He\u2019s a Jolly Good Fellow<\/a>) and finally God save the King<\/a> (the English national anthem). About this he said, \u201cI must show the English a little what a blessing there is in God save the King!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n 9. For the premier and the following concerts, the program included his Seventh Symphony, which was a new work at the time. Although the symphony was very popular, and each time its second movement was demanded to be played again, the Wellington\u2019s Victory received bigger applause<\/strong>. This says, of course, more about the audience, the historical moment and mood of the time, than about the quality of the music.<\/p>\n For complete coverage on Wellington\u2019s Victory, click here: Beethoven: Wellington\u2019s Victory<\/a><\/p>\n
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