Ludwig van Beethoven, "Die Weihe des Hauses", Ouvertüre (C-Dur) op. 124, Teile der Fagott II-Stimme, Stimme, Autograph

Corrected bassoon part

The Josephstadt Theatre in Vienna was opened in October 1788, because as the Viennese chronicler Johann Pezzl wrote in 1822, the Josephstadt "had attained such a high level of prosperity and celebrity between the years 1780 and 1788, that the desire for a theatre of their own had spread widely amongst the inhabitants." However, the theatre was forever going through crises and at some point was no longer able to be kept in its existing form. In order to save what could be saved, it was finally decided in spring 1822 to pull it down and to build a new more attractive building on the same site. On the eve of the Emperor's name day, 3 October 1822, the new Josephstadt Theatre was ceremoniously opened. For this occasion the theatre management commissioned Beethoven to write an overture for the opening ceremony "Die Weihe des Hauses" ("The Consecration of the House"). The composer personally conducted the premiere (due to his hardness of hearing he was assisted by the director of music Gläser). The sheet music for this performance has in part survived. However, the bassoon part shown here was written by the composer for a later occasion. It contains corrections for the (lost) parts of the first performance, additions for a concert on 7 May 1824. Beethoven made a note of this at the bottom of the first page ("2): "Das ist das werk der Josephstädter E u. F. -------- Fagottisten" ("This is the work of E. and F from Josephstadt -------------- bassoonists."). (J.R.)