Christoph Kuffner, an Austrian poet and editor — and possibly the librettist for Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy (Day 214) — was the author of a play Tarpeja, for which Beethoven composed a Triumph March for its first performance in Vienna on 26 March 1813.
Kuffner’s play Tarpeja is about a mythical character of ancient Rome, a Vestal virgin who attempts to betray Rome to the Sabines but is instead crushed by their shields. See "Tarpeja: The triumphal march of Ludwig van Beethoven, WoO 2a" for more details about the legend and the play.
#Beethoven250 Day 260
Triumph March for *Tarpeja* (WoO 2a), 1813
A rare live performance of this short march.
The Triumph March for Tarpeja is catalogued as WoO 2a. It was once believed that Beethoven composed a short entr’acte for Tarpeja as well, catalogued as WoO 2b. However, that music is now thought to be the introduction to Act 2 of Leonore 1805 (Day 188).
On 22 May 1813, Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig. He first heard a Beethoven symphony when he was 14 years old, and it changed his life.