On a par with Johann Sebastian Bach

Special exhibition
Beethoven and the Art of Fugue
20 October 2022 until 29 January 2023

This year, the music world celebrates a special anniversary: 300 years ago, Johann Sebastian Bach completed the first part of his piano cycle "The Well-Tempered Clavier", the second part followed in 1740/42. Bach thus created an epoch-making work that continues to fascinate and inspire performers and composers today. On the occasion of the anniversary, the "Well-Tempered Clavier" runs through the concert programme of the Beethoven House. In this context, the new special exhibition, which can be seen from 20 October and until 29 January 2023, addresses the question of what influence Bach's model had on Beethoven and traces Beethoven's preoccupation with the complex subject of fugue. In addition to historical publications on the doctrine of fugues, Beethoven's sketches and handwritten copies will be on display, as well as his work transcripts of the Prometheus Variations op. 35, the Rasumowsky Quartet op. 53 no. 3, the Piano Sonata op. 110 and the Diabelli Variations op. 120. "It is very rare to see so many Beethoven manuscripts in one place," says Julia Ronge, curator of the Beethoven-Haus.

The young Beethoven was already introduced to the compositional technique of the fugue during his time in Bonn. He became acquainted with model repertoire in the form of J. S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, but also, as early sketches show, soon tried his hand at his own fugues. "When we hear fugue, we think first and foremost of Johann Sebastian Bach and perhaps some other great composers, but we don't usually automatically associate Ludwig van Beethoven," explains Julia Ronge, who curated the exhibition together with museum director Nicole Kämpken. "Yet Beethoven was a great fugue composer and spent his whole life, from childhood until his death, working on fugue theory and fugue composition. Beethoven composed many different types of fugue and incorporated them into his masterpieces. Fugue was not only a strict set of rules for Beethoven, it was also his intellectual hobby, and he certainly had the ambition to meet and perhaps even surpass Bach on equal terms in this."

The fugue is the highest art form for composers, which is reflected among other things in the extensive set of rules. Even the actual musical theme must have a certain construction so that it can be processed further. Not only the use of the themes and their staggered responses, but also their accompaniment are strictly prescribed. In addition, there are numerous types of fugue, depending on the quantity of voices, themes and their changes.Fugue theory has been part of professional music education for hundreds of years, first as part of counterpoint, i.e. the general teaching of how to compose polyphonic music, and from the 16th century at the latest as a building block in its own right. "Beethoven and all his teachers had to cram fugues in their composition lessons, but it's still the case with today's music students, too," says Ronge.

Beethoven studied not only Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg's main work on music theory, "Abhandlung von der Fuge" (1753), but also other central treatises such as Johann Philipp Kirnberger's "Kunst des reinen Satzes in der Musik" (1771-1779) and other theorists. His fascination with this complex form was also reflected in his own work, in which he continually implemented numerous fugue types, thus creating a kind of compendium of fugues of his own in the succession of Bach.

Museum opening hours
Wednesday till Monday - 10-18 h

Curator's tour of the special exhibition
with Dr. Nicole Kämpken
Saturday, 30 October, 6:30 pm
Tuesday, 15 November, 3 pm
The guided tours are free of charge. Pre-registration is required by 20.10. or 11.11. to museum@beethoven.de; Tel. 0228 98175-25.

Download images of the special exhibition

Photo captions:
Beethoven's excerpts from Johann Philipp Kirnberger's textbook "Die Kunst des reinen Satzes in der Musik", 1809-1815; Beethoven-Haus Bonn, Collection H. C. Bodmer
Beethoven, Sonata for piano (A flat major) op. 110, 3rd movement, autograph, 1821/22; Beethoven-Haus Bonn, collection H. C. Bodmer
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), engraving, published by Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig, 1798/99; Beethoven-Haus Bonn, Collection H.C. Bodmer
Beethoven, Great Fugue for String Quartet (B flat major) op. 133, original edition in score, Artaria, Vienna, 1827; Beethoven-Haus Bonn

Supporters

Publisher:
Beethoven-Haus Bonn
Pressestelle
Bonngasse 24-26
53111 Bonn
Fon +228 98175 16
Fax +228 98175 24
pressestelle@beethoven.de