Concerto no. 5 for piano and orchestra (E-flat major) op. 73
Listening samples
Dedication
Composition
Begun 1808, finished February 1810
Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto was composed in 1809 – a difficult year as Europe was in the midst of the Napoleonic Wars. Austria declared war on France in April, and by mid-May Vienna had been bombarded and occupied by French troops under Napoleon. The imperial family, among them Beethoven's friend, patron and student Archduke Rudolph, fled to the Hungarian regions of their empire on 4 May.
Living conditions soon worsened under French occupation. The citizens had to provision the troops, which aggravated the situation dramatically. In addition, Austria was forced to make reparation payments and to pay compulsory loans and special taxes. Beethoven was affected, too. On 19 September 1809 he wrote a letter to Leipzig mentioning the plight and distress because twice the usual amount of food and other supplies was needed due to the war. On 2 January 1810 he recalled the first French occupation of 1805, which caused the failure of his opera Leonore at its première. From 1809 Beethoven rejected Napoleon and focused on his German nationality, as was customary at the time. His Fifth Piano Concerto provides clear evidence of this development:
Several drafts for the Fifth Concerto resemble those for Heinrich Joseph von Collin's patriotic poem Österreich über alles (Austria above all) (see sketch leaf HCB Mh 79). Collin's poems were quite popular and often set to music. For his patriotic texts, the poet was wanted by the French. Beethoven never completed the music for the Austrian national anthem.
Another item of evidence for Beethoven's patriotism is found on the bottom margin of sheet 47r of the concerto's autograph score, where he wrote 'Austria shall retaliate against Napoleon' at the opening of the second movement. (This comment led Hans-Werner Küthen, the editor of the concerto for the New Beethoven Edition, to conclude that he wrote the second movement after Vienna's occupation.)
Archduke Rudolph and the imperial family returned from their Hungarian exile to Vienna no earlier than 30 January 1810. Beethoven had used his gifted student's absence to complete the concerto. Beethoven was delighted at the archduke’s return: besides the Piano Sonata op. 81a ('Les Adieux'), Rudolph also received the dedication of the Fifth Piano Concerto – understandably under the given circumstances. (J.R.)
Living conditions soon worsened under French occupation. The citizens had to provision the troops, which aggravated the situation dramatically. In addition, Austria was forced to make reparation payments and to pay compulsory loans and special taxes. Beethoven was affected, too. On 19 September 1809 he wrote a letter to Leipzig mentioning the plight and distress because twice the usual amount of food and other supplies was needed due to the war. On 2 January 1810 he recalled the first French occupation of 1805, which caused the failure of his opera Leonore at its première. From 1809 Beethoven rejected Napoleon and focused on his German nationality, as was customary at the time. His Fifth Piano Concerto provides clear evidence of this development:
Several drafts for the Fifth Concerto resemble those for Heinrich Joseph von Collin's patriotic poem Österreich über alles (Austria above all) (see sketch leaf HCB Mh 79). Collin's poems were quite popular and often set to music. For his patriotic texts, the poet was wanted by the French. Beethoven never completed the music for the Austrian national anthem.
Another item of evidence for Beethoven's patriotism is found on the bottom margin of sheet 47r of the concerto's autograph score, where he wrote 'Austria shall retaliate against Napoleon' at the opening of the second movement. (This comment led Hans-Werner Küthen, the editor of the concerto for the New Beethoven Edition, to conclude that he wrote the second movement after Vienna's occupation.)
Archduke Rudolph and the imperial family returned from their Hungarian exile to Vienna no earlier than 30 January 1810. Beethoven had used his gifted student's absence to complete the concerto. Beethoven was delighted at the archduke’s return: besides the Piano Sonata op. 81a ('Les Adieux'), Rudolph also received the dedication of the Fifth Piano Concerto – understandably under the given circumstances. (J.R.)
