In late 1800, dancer Salvatore Vigano asked Ludwig van Beethoven to compose music for a ballet intended as an homage to Maria Theresa, second wife of Emperor Francis. As described in the program at the premiere, “The foundation of this allegorical ballet is the fable of Prometheus…a lofty soul who drove the people of his time from ignorance, refined them by means of science and the arts, and gave them manners, customs and morals. As a result of that conception, two statues that have been brought to life are introduced in this ballet; and these, through the power of harmony, are made sensitive to all the passions of human life.” From its opening chord, The Creatures of Prometheus points the way to the future. Musicologist Marion M. Scott writes, “"In [Prometheus], Beethoven occupied himself with the theme of the beneficent saviour of humankind…his mind was beginning to search into the deepest mysteries of the universe at the same time that he recognized the mission within himself that he must fulfill. The musician must be the liberator of humanity from sorrow.”