Incidental music to the tragedy "Egmont" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe for soprano, speaker and orchestra op. 84

In many plays, music is an integral part of the plot (on-stage choruses already occur in ancient Greek tragedies). Goethe envisaged music in all his dramas and outlined it in numerous stage directions. His tragedy Egmont not only contains songs to be sung on stage but also background music: Klärchens death is to be followed immediately by music, and Egmont sleeps in prison to a musical accompaniment. Goethe even wanted his drama to end with a victory symphony. But although he called for music in the play, he did not provide it himself – a common problem for stage directors. In autumn 1809, Joseph Hartl, the director of the Court Theatre, solved this issue by asking Beethoven to write music for a new staging of Egmont. In line with prevailing tradition, the composer not only set scenes to music but added an overture and entre acte music. Not only did the commission please Beethoven financially, the tragedy also appealed to his political views. Goethes play focuses on the Netherlands struggle for liberation from Spanish occupation in the early 16th century. It was probably the idea of freedom that caught Beethovens fancy: in 1809 Austria was suffering under French occupation, and Egmonts struggle for freedom mirrored Beethovens own hopes and experiences in 1809-10. (J.R.)