Beethoven in a "Turkish" manner
Here you can see Beethoven's corrected copy of the third number, "Chor der Derwische" ("Chorus of the Dervish") from A. v. Kotzebue's "The Ruins of Athens" op. 113. Beethoven was commissioned to compose this work for the opening of the theatre in Pest. He wrote it during his summer holiday in Teplitz in 1811. The poetic subject of the work transforms the city of Pest into a better Athens, a place of muses, more idealized than its Greek model. The basis for the plot is the occupation of the cities, Athens as well as Buda and Pest, by the Turkish conquerors. Beethoven takes up the "Turkish element" of the obscure plot in the Dervish chorus and the Turkish march which precedes it. Around 1800 it was not unusual to set the exotic to music, that is to set the music in a "Turkish" manner according to the taste of the times. Since the Turkish Wars (in 1683 Vienna was saved from the Turkish siege by Prince Eugene) the music of the Janizary, Turkish military bands, and their instruments has been well-known. Some elements have even been incorporated into western military music. Turkish music and opera was already fashionable in the seventeenth century. Many composers wrote works for this genre, whose attraction lies in its exotic-sounding harmonies, rhythm and instrumentation. To come close to the oriental colouring, Beethoven used brass instruments (horns, trumpets and trombones) alongside the usual strings in the Dervish chorus. In addition, different percussion instruments were added, as a further characteristic of Turkish music was its use of diverse percussion, including timpani, bells, cymbals, drums, etc. In this copy Beethoven also wrote the following note for the copyist on the right-hand side of the first leaf in the margin: "Nb: wird begleitet mit Kastagnetten" (NB to be accompanied by castanets). It almost goes without saying that a "Chorus of Dervish" is only sung by men. Beethoven even rendered the monotonous swirling of a dervish dance in the uniform triplets in the strings. Where did Beethoven learn about the characteristics of Turkish music? Beethoven's use of the exotic does not go further than what was generally known - he lived in the music of his times and of its fashions. He did not compose something that was really Turkish, but what was considered to be so. He had heard this kind of contemporary "Turkish" music in Teplitz many times, as there was a military band there with the appropriate instruments. On 12 August 1812 Beethoven wrote to the Archduke Rudolph, "in Teplitz I heard Turkish music four times a day, the only musical report, I can deliver." (J.R.)
