Approximately 40 minutes

Composer: born December 16, 1770, Bonn; died March 26, 1827, Vienna

Work composed: October 1809 – June 1810

World premiere: Beethoven conducted the first performance on June 15, 1810, in a performance of Goethe’s play, Egmont, at Vienna’s Hoftheater.

Instrumentation: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings.

When Vienna’s Court Theatre approached Ludwig van Beethoven with a commission to write music for a revival of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s tragic play Egmont, Beethoven responded eagerly. Beethoven revered Goethe, calling him “the foremost German poet,” and Beethoven was also drawn to the subject matter of the play, which revolves around the actions of the Flemish Count Egmont, a historical 16th century figure. Egmont fought to save his country from military conquest by the Spanish Duke of Alba, and was later executed for his actions. Egmont’s heroism and self-sacrifice inspired his beleaguered countrymen to continue their fight for their eventual freedom. Beethoven, also of Flemish descent, may have seen something of himself in the noble Egmont. The themes of struggle against an oppressor, sacrifice, and abiding love resonated deeply with Beethoven; he later incorporated them into his only opera, Fidelio.

The Overture begins somberly, with blasts of sound announcing the arrival of the Spanish. The introduction segues into an energetic Allegro that captures the indomitable spirit of the popular revolt against the Spanish; the music also highlights Egmont’s heroism in the struggle to save his people. There is a noble rhythmic motif, which Beethoven develops throughout, and the overture ends on a victorious shout.

Beethoven’s complete incidental music consists of the overture, three additional orchestral pieces, four entr’actes, and two songs written for Claire, a fictional character invented by Goethe to act as a romantic foil for Egmont (according to historical  documents, when these events took place in the 1560s, Egmont was a married man with eight children). Beethoven’s music, more than simple accompaniment to the theatrical action onstage, lends added drama and narrative detail to the story.

Claire’s first song celebrates her beloved Egmont’s bravery as he prepares to lead his troops against the enemy: “The drum rolls! Play the fife! My beloved commands the troops, his lance held high … if only I could fight at his side …” After
Egmont departs, Claire rejects an unwanted suitor and the citizens of Brussels gather in the streets (Entr’acte I). Egmont and William of Orange debate the merits of confronting the Spanish head-on or taking a more cautious approach (Entr’acte II). In her second song, Claire describes her love for Egmont, which encompasses the total spectrum of feelingfrom exalted to joy to profound pain. A solo oboe extends Claire’s song, which is interrupted by the third Entr’acte announcing arrival of the Spanish, led by the Duke of Alba. After Egmont’s capture by the Duke, the Flemish nobleman laments his fate in his prison cell; the gravity of the music in Entr’acte IV signals Egmont’s imminent execution. Claire, hearing of her beloved’s death sentence, drinks poison in a poignant orchestral interlude; the solo oboe announces her death. Egmont, now resigned to his own death, imagines the ultimate victory for his Flemings over the Spanish. The music reflects Egmont’s acceptance of his circumstances, while the somber mood gradually lightens in anticipation. A solo trumpet heralds Egmont’s vision of triumph and victory, and the Overture’s exultant ending sounds again.

© Elizabeth Schwartz