Beethoven-Geflechte. Networks and Cultures of Memory

The enduring biographical and historical perception of Ludwig van Beethoven was always that of a loner. While this image might align well with the narrative of an artistic genius, it starts to dissolve when considering the first decades Beethoven spent in Vienna. Here, as a pianist and composer, as a teacher and witty conversation partner, Beethoven was embedded in an extensive and close-meshed network of social, artistic, professional, family and friend-based relationships. This anthology advances for fresh discussion the social circles that Beethoven encountered when he settled in the cultural and political metropolis and how he moved within them. It deals with the lifeworlds of the High Nobility and the Second Society during the Napoleonic era and the Wars of Liberation, the cultural activities undertaken in these lifeworlds, and the artistic practices of the Viennese salons, cultural patronage and dedications, and musical sociability that Beethoven actively participated in. During the politically turbulent early 19th century, social and cultural conditions were transformed, the aristocracys authority to set standards was increasingly disputed, and ideas about who should be commemorated and in what way were put into question. In this upheaval, a composer like Beethovenincluding in his representation of himself as an anti-feudal, bourgeois artist or an eccentric geniuscould easily be incorporated into a heroic historical narrative that aligned with the political tides of the time. Of particular interest, therefore, is how cultures of memory were changing in Beethovens time: new figures, new media, and new narratives stood ready to turn Beethoven, so well connected to the Viennese aristocracy, into the image of a solitary, unconventional, politically progressive artistic genius. The occasion celebrated in the present volumethe Beethoven anniversary year of 2020further offers the opportunity to trace and rethink the consequences of this culture of remembrance and the associated changes to the image of Beethoven throughout the 20th century.