On this day in 1813, Beethoven premiered his Symphony 7 in A, Major, Opus 92, at a charity concert in Vienna for wounded soldiers. While composed in four movements (Poco sostenuto, Allegretto, Presto, and Allegro con brio), Beethovens Symphony 7 is most known for its Allegretto. In fact, during the debut performance, the audience encored the Allegretto immediately, rather than wait to applaud at the very end of the concert. When you consider Beethoven started to go deaf around 1796, aged just 25, it’s a wonder he managed to write any music at all. He communicated using conversation books, asking his friends to write down what they wanted to say so he could respond. Admiration was not universal, however, as some critics thought and spread a rumor that Beethoven had composed Symphony 7 in A while in a drunken, mad stupor. After his death in 1827, an autopsy did reveal a shrunken liver due to cirrhosis.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 13:25:50 +0000
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