Development of the Symphony - Patronage and Public Concerts Flashcards
In the middle of the 18th Century (1700s), was a composer a freelance profession?
No! The freelance composer as we know it today wasn’t established yet. Composers tended to be employed by the church or the aristocracy
What is patronage?
Patronage describe the transaction where composers would be given a salary and access to court musicians by aristocratic benefactors who were keen to maintain a busy cultural life at court. The weathly benefactors were known as ‘patrons’ ergo patronage
Why did wealthy patrons/aristocrats fund music?
The aristocracy needed to project prosperity in order to sustain their power, and music-making at court was an important vehicle for doing this while impressing allies and rivals.
How did Haydn make his living as a composer?
Haydn was hired as a kapellmeister and invited to work for one of the most noble and wealthy families in Europe, the Esterházys.
What were the ‘perks’ of Haydn working as a kapellmeister?
It gave him the musical freedom to experiment with new instrumental combinations, and access to the high quality of musicians and facilities that the court boasted.
Did Haydn like his job as a kapellmeister?
In his own words:
‘As head of an orchestra I was able to make experiments, observe what makes a good effect and what weakens it, and thus revise, expand, cut, take chances; I was cut off from the world, nobody around me could upset my self-confidence, and so I had to become original.”
Who was the main individual that funded Haydn’s compositions?
Prince Nicolaus
Did Haydn manage to accomplish any other external commissions other than his work with the Esterhazy family?
Yes. In the latter 18th Century he managed to secure public commissions from:
* Chevalier de Saint George in 1785 for the Concert de la Loge Olympique concert series in Paris.
* 1790-1 and 1794-5 concert series by Joseph Salomon, known as the ‘London’ series (104th included)
How did Mozart make a living as a composer?
He toured Europe with his sister and father (as a pianist), performing for wealthy households since he was a boy. In 1777, Mozart requested that he be relieved of his duties at the small court at Salzburg, and for the first time he was free to tour as a composer (to limited success)
Did Mozart have any public commisions?
Yes, his Symphony No. 31 in D major (1778), now known as his ‘Paris’ Symphony, was first performed at the Concert Spirituel- one of Europe’s first public concert series.
How did Mozart cater to the French audience that funded his music?
- Of the opening of the symphony, he wrote a coup d’archet [a tutti entrance at the very start of a symphony with all string players playing on a down bow].
- The final movement has a soft beginning that transitions to a forte idea (a common technique enjoyed by the French).
- It followed the trend in Paris at the time of a three-movement symphony.
- He later revised the second movement, following criticism that it had ‘too many’ modulations and was ‘too long’.
In his early career, who was Beethoven employed by to be a court organist?
The Elector of Bonn - Maximillian Franz
Which famous composer did Beethoven study with?
Franz Joseph Haydn
In his early career, how did Beethoven make money?
Initially he managed to secure freelance work through sponsorship by Prince Karl von Lichnowsky as well as selling work to publishers.
What unprecedented financial arrangement did Beethoven have with Prince Franz Joseph von Lobkowitz, Prince Kinsky, and Archduke Rudolph?
They paid him a lifetime allowance simply to stay in Vienna
