Of the various over-the-top patriotic works that Beethoven composed to celebrate the allied victory over Napoleon and his exile to Elba, the cantata “Der glorreiche Augenblick” (The Glorious Moment, Opus 136) is definitely the biggest and baddest.
“Der glorreiche Augenblick” is for two sopranos, tenor, bass soloists, chorus, and orchestra. The text is by Austrian physician and poet Alois Weissenbach (who was as deaf as Beethoven), but it might have been revised prior to its posthumous publication by Joseph Karl Bernard.
“Der glorreiche Augenblick” was first performed on 29 November 1814 along with Wellington’s Victory and the Symphony No. 7 for an audience that included many of the heads of state and diplomats attending the Congress of Vienna.
The Congress of Vienna brought some 10,000 people to the city, including heads of state, diplomats, families, servants, and entourages. Numerous parties and entertainments had to be provided, and the citizens of Vienna paid for most of it. As was said at the time:
Alexander of Russia makes love for all,
Friedrich Wilhelm or Prussia thinks for all,
Frederick of Denmark speaks for all,
Maximilian of Bavaria drinks for all,
Friedrich of Württenberg eats for all, and
Emperor Francis pays for all.
#Beethoven250 Day 275
Der glorreiche Augenblick (Opus 136), 1814
This work is rarely performed in concert. This is a studio recording.
The complete libretto of “Der glorreiche Augenblick” is available on the Naxos website:
Click the Sung Text button (and buy some Naxos CDs in thanks for putting these resources online).
“Der glorreiche Augenblick” consists of six parts:
1. The Chorus proclaims “Europe stands!” and calls attention to the “glorious figure adorned with crowns.”
2. In a Recitative, the Leader of the People (bass) has a vision. The Genius (tenor) recognizes it, and the Chorus identifies the vision as “Vienna! … for now you are the queen of cities.”
3. In an Aria with Chorus, Vienna (soprano) sings of its newfound glory: “I am Europe — no more a mere city” and welcomes “All you Sovereigns” who respond in the Chorus “Proud Rome, step back!”
4. In a Recitative, the Prophetess (soprano) sees a future for Europe finally united in peace, and the Chorus gives thanks to God.
5. A Recitative and Quartet unite all four soloists who again praise a future of peace. “God has in our [Emperor of Austria] Franz brought together over the whole world.”
6. More praise follows in a final chorus in which women, children, and men each get a chance to shine and conclude together “Hail and Good Fortune! World, your great moment.”
The attendees of the Congress of Vienna had other Beethoven music to listen to besides the potboilers he composed for the event. John Clubbe writes:
During the nine months the Congress met (September 1814 to June 1815) the revised Fidelio was staged twenty-one times.
Yet:
The powers that be at the Congress had no intention of fostering a Europe that valued the ideals of Fidelio. Instead, they determined to reinforce or reestablish their respective versions of the ancient régime. (Beethoven: Relentless Revolutionary, pp. 338, 340)
The politically regressive Congress of Vienna resulted in the suppression of democratic and human rights movements in Europe, but it did establish a balance of power that (with a few exceptions) maintained a relative stability and peace for the next century.
Lewis Lockwood writes:
It is hard to know just how seriously Beethoven took The Glorious Moment and some of his other pieces for the Congress of Vienna.… Intentionally or not, Beethoven held up a very unflattering mirror to this grand party of the restoration. In giving his audience what they wanted, his Congress of Vienna pieces exposed the superficial veneer that concealed the far less glorious realities of post-Napoleonic politics. (Beethoven, p. 201)
In an Autumn 1814 letter, Beethoven didn't seem to care much about the monarchs he was flattering with his patriotic music:
I shall not say anything to you about our monarchs and so forth, or about our monarchies and so forth, for the papers report everything to you — I much prefer the empire of the mind, and I regard it as the highest of all spiritual and worldly monarchies. (Emily Anderson, Beethoven Letters, No. 502)