Tonkünstler-Societät

The Tonkünstler-Societät was a benevolent society for musicians in Vienna, which lasted from the mid 18th century to the mid 20th. Its purpose (New Grove) was "to support retired musicians and their families".^[1] Beginning in 1772,^[2] the Society mounted a series of benefit concerts, often with large forces of performers, at which were performed works by leading Classical-period composers, including Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven.

History

The Society was founded by Florian Gassmann in 1771, with substantial support from the Austrian aristocracy. It was also known as the "Gesellschaft der Wiener Tonkünstler zum Unterhalte ihrer Witwen und Waisen"; i.e. "Society of Viennese Musicians for the Support of Widows and Orphans."^[3] Until 1811 (the year that the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde was founded), it was the only private organization offering concerts in Vienna.^[4]

The performances were given on a schedule that remained fairly consistent across the years: two performances at Easter time, and two just before Christmas.

In its earlier years, the organization was fairly adventurous, mounting performances of new or recent works. Around 1800, traditionalism set in, and the programs now emphasized music that had come to be revered, including many performances (initially led by the composer) of Haydn's two great oratorios, The Creation and The Seasons. Indeed, in 1862 the organization renamed itself after Haydn: ("Haydn", Witwen und Waisen-Versorgungs-Verein der Tonkünstler in Wien = "Haydn: Musician's society for the care of widows and orphans in Vienna").

The Society endured until 1939 when on 9 March the National Socialist government of Germany abolished it;^[5] Germany had annexed Austria in the previous year (the Anschluss).

Relations to the great Classical-era composers

Although the Society is frequently mentioned in biographies of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, only Haydn ever actually belonged to it, and that in exceptional circumstances. When first asked to composed for the Society in 1773, Haydn become involved in an ill-tempered dispute over paying his enrollment fee.^{[citation needed]} As a result, although Haydn's works continued to appear on Society programs, the composer did not become a member until 1797; at this point his towering reputation as the leading composer of his time led the Society to make him an honorary member.^{[citation needed]}

Mozart attempted to become a member in 1785, around the time his Davidde Penitente was performed by the Society (see below). His application procedure stalled because of the requirement that Mozart produce his birth certificate (he had been born in faraway Salzburg, making it harder to do so). Mozart promised twice to provide it but never did.^[6] His dilatoriness was unwise, since when he died in 1791 he left both many debts and a wife (Constanze Mozart) with two young children. Fortunately, Constanze proved an astute businesswoman and eventually managed to achieve prosperity from the publication of her husband's works.

Although his works were performed by the Society, Beethoven was never enrolled as a member.^[7] He was, however, honored by the Society for his services (as was Haydn) with a free pass to all of its concerts.^[8]

Notable premieres and other performances

• 2 April 1775: Haydn's oratorio Il ritorno di Tobia, premiere performance.
• 3 April 1781: A symphony (not identified) by Mozart. Mozart also performed solo on the pianoforte. He had only recently arrived in Vienna, where he was to spend the rest of his career; and was still in the service of Archbishop Colloredo.^[9] The Society had to lobby the Archbishop to obtain Mozart's services.^[10]
• 23 and 23 December 1783: "symphonie" and chorus by Haydn, thought perhaps to be from Il ritorno di Tobia.^[11] Also on the program, "a new rondo" by Mozart sung by Adamberger and (22nd only) a piano concerto by Mozart with the composer as soloist.^[12] This concert is conjectured to be the occasion on which Haydn and Mozart, who became good friends, first met.
• 28 and 30 March 1784: Il ritorno di Tobia, Haydn's revised version.
• 13 March 1785: Mozart's Davide penitente, K. 469. Commissioned by the Tonkünstler-Societät. The performance took place in the Burgtheater. Most of the music is derived from the unfinished Great Mass in C minor, K. 427 (1782–83).
• 22 December 1789: Mozart's Clarinet Quintet was premiered; the performance took place in the Burgtheater. The clarinettist was Mozart's friend Anton Stadler.^[13]
• 16 and 17 April 1791: In a concert with music by several composers, Mozart's music is again represented: an aria was sung by his sister-in-law Aloysia Lange, and a "grand symphony" performed.^[14] Rushton suggests the latter was the 40th Symphony, in its revised version with clarinet parts.^[15]
• 23 and 24 March 1793: Haydn, temporarily back in Vienna between his two trips to London, led performances of three of his recently completed London symphonies.^[16]
• 29 March 1795: Ludwig van Beethoven's first public concert appearance in Vienna. He played one of his first two piano concertos; which one is not known.^[17]
• 23 December 1797: on the program was Beethoven's set of variations on 'Là ci darem la mano' from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, for two oboes and English horn.^[18]
• 1 and 2 April 1798: Haydn's The Seven Last Words of Christ, public premiere of the version for orchestra and chorus. On the first night Beethoven had a share in the program, performing the piano part in his Quintet for Piano and Winds.
• 17 and 18 March 1799: The Seven Last Words was again performed under Haydn's direction.
• 22 and 23 December 1799: The first performance by the Society of Haydn's The Creation, under the direction of the composer. The work was evidently so popular that the Society could increase its fundraising by doubling the normal ticket price.^[19]
• 1800: All four performances during this year were of The Creation.^[20]
• 22 and 23 December 1801: The first performance by the Society of Haydn's The Seasons, under the direction of the composer.^[21]
• 1802: All four performances during this year were of The Seasons.^[22]
• 30 and 31 March 1817: Works by Beethoven: his Seventh Symphony and his oratorio Christus am Ölberge.^[23]
• 24 and 26 March 1839: the program included works of Beethoven, who had died in 1827: the second movement of the Seventh Symphony and his cantata Der glorreiche Augenblick, performed to a text by Friedrich Rochlitz with the title Preis der Tonkunst ("In praise of music").^[24]
• 22 and 23 December 1857: Elijah by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847).^[25] The work, premiered elsewhere in 1846, had joined the ranks of classic works suitable for performance by an oratorio society.

Notes

References

• Deutsch, Otto Erich (1965) Mozart: a documentary biography. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
• Fritz-Hilscher, Elisabeth and Helmut Kretschmer (2011) Wien, Musikgeschichte. Münster: LIT Verlag.Front Cover
• Lawson, Colin (1996) Mozart: Clarinet Concerto. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Pohl, Carl Ferdinand (1871) Denkschrift aus Anlass des hundert-jährigen Bestehens der Tonkünstler-societät, im Jahre 1862 reorganisirt als "Haydn", Witwen und Waisen-Versorgungs-Verein der Tonkünstler in Wien. Vienna.
• Rushton, Julian (2006) Mozart. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Steblin, Rita (n.d.) Beethoven Mentions in Documents of theViennese Tonkünstler-Societät,1795 to 1824.