King Stephen (Beethoven)
King Stephen, Op. 117 (König Stephan) is a commemorative work composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1811. It includes an overture in E flat major and nine vocal numbers. Only the overture is usually played today. The title refers to King Stephen I, founder of the kingdom of Hungary in the year 1000.
In 1808 Emperor Francis I of Austria commissioned the construction of a large theatre in Budapest, to alleviate the nationalist feelings incipient in Hungary and to celebrate the loyalty of Hungary to the Austrian monarchy. At the time of the inauguration of this theatre in 1811, Beethoven was commissioned to put to music two commemorative texts written by August von Kotzebue: King Étienne and Ruins of Athens. These overtures are among the least played orchestral works of the composer.
Read more about King Stephen (Beethoven): Movements
Famous quotes containing the word king:
“The one-eyed man will be King in the country of the blind only if he arrives there in full possession of his partial faculties—that is, providing he is perfectly aware of the precise nature of sight and does not confuse it with second sight ... nor with madness.”
—Angela Carter (1940–1992)