Description
In 1809, when Beethoven was commissioned by Vienna’s Burgtheater to create stage music for Goethe’s tragedy Egmont, he regarded it as a significant privilege. The motivation for this commission was likely heightened by the fact that the play, which tells the story of a Dutch nobleman ensnared in a conspiracy by a Spanish ruler, was designed to incorporate music at various intervals. Beethoven later asserted that he did not receive any payment from the theatre’s administration, stating that he composed the music “purely out of admiration for the poet.” The overture was quickly distinguished from the other incidental music and was published separately, soon being performed as a concert piece independent of the theatrical production. We are now releasing it as a study score, based on the text from the Beethoven Complete Edition, accompanied by a new preface.
