[Beethoven, Ludwig van. (1770–1827)]
1815 Broadside Program for Wellington's Victory
Original concert broadside programme. Theatre Royal, Drury-Lane. Wednesday, March 1, 1815. "Leader of the Band...Mr. H. Smart. The Whole Under The Direction of Sir George Smart." 18.5 x 31.5 cm. In very fine condition.Following selections from Handel's "Acis and Galatea" and "The First part of the late Dr. Haydn's Sacred Oratorio of the Creation," the performance concluded with a very early performance of Beethoven's Wellington's Victory, or, the Battle of Vittoria, Op. 91, billed as "The Grand Battle Sinfonia composed by Beethoven. [Which, in consequence of its very great attraction, will again be performed on Friday next,] - Descriptive of the Battle & Victory at Vittoria, Gained by the Armies under the Command of Field-Marshal, His Grace, The Duke of Wellington. This Sinfonia is dedicated by Beethoven, and the M.S. presented by Him to His Royal Highness The Prince Regent, By whose Gracious Permission it is performed at these Oratorios."
Lifetime programs of major Beethoven performances are rare. The present performance was conducted by George Smart (1776 - 1867) who would later conduct the first English performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in 1826.
First performed in Vienna on December 8, 1813 on a concert program to benefit Austrian and Bavarian soldiers wounded at the Battle of Hanau, Beethoven himself conducted the orchestra. "Beethoven's 'Battle Symphony,' more correctly entitled 'Wellington's Victory or the Battle of Victoria' (op. 91), came into being as the result of an idea by Maelzel that Beethoven should write a work for his latest invention, the panharmonicon, a sort of mechanical orchestra. The timing coincided with Wellington's defeat of Napoleon in 1813, and Maelzel believed that a work depicting this would be sufficiently succesful to finance a trip to England. He drew up a plan for the piece which Beethoven followed. Although Maelzel later decided that it would be more effective for a 'real' orchestra, he allowed Beethoven to retain his plan. The title 'symphony', which derives from the original English edition (1816) of the piano arrangement, is totally misplaced, but no doubt contributed to the work's popularity. Although it is probably one of Beethoven's most notorious compositions, it reaped immense financial rewards for him, both in Vienna and England." (Barry Cooper, "The Beethoven Compendium," p. 220) (5273)
Program, unsigned Classical Music