Beethoven-Haus

The Beethoven-Haus in Bonngasse is the house where Beethoven was born. His early years in Bonn and his subsequent progress are depicted in the museum in his former residence. Beethoven’s christening cap, desk, viola and his final fortepiano are all exhibited here. The collection has many other musical instruments and items of memorabilia as well as manuscripts and portraits, such as the famous one painted by Joseph Karl Stieler. Amongst the original manuscripts which the Beethoven-Haus keeps in the archive located directly below the chamber music hall are the “Moonlight Sonata”, the "Diabelli variations", the "Missa solemnis" and his 6th (Pastoral) Symphony.

To ensure that autographs end up in the ownership of the Beethoven-Haus, the Beethovenfest Bonn supports this project by holding benefit concerts. For example, a performance of the “Missa solemnis” at the Beethovenfest Bonn 2006 to support the purchase of the printer’s copy of “Missa solemnis” succeeded in bridging that financial gap. At the Beethovenfest Bonn 2008, András Schiff will give a benefit concert to enable the Beethoven-Haus Bonn to acquire the original manuscript of the Diabelli Variations, Beethoven’s 33 variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli op. 120. Both autographs are owned by the Beethoven-Haus in the meantime.

Every year, there is a special thematic exhibition for the Beethovenfest Bonn. The exhibit accompanying Beethovenfest Bonn 2010 showed “Vom Manuskript zur Interpretation - Beethovens Kammermusik in Originalhandschriften”. The exhibit accompanying Beethovenfest Bonn 2010 showed “Beethoven's string quartetts”. Until 26 February 2012 there is a special thematic exhibition “Freundschaftsgabe oder Kalkül? Beethovens Widmungen”.

Complementary to the exhibitions in the house where Beethoven was born, museum guests have also been able to visit a studio for digital collections and a stage for musical visualisation in the adjoining Digital Beethoven-Haus since December 2004.

Quite a few of the concerts of the Beethovenfest Bonn take place in the chamber music hall of the Beethoven-Haus, which was opened in 1989. These include piano recitals, chamber music performances from duet to octet evenings, evenings of songs and experimental performances such as Michael Riessler and Nigel Charnock’s improvization of Beethoven’s “Letter to the Immortal Beloved” at the Beethovenfest Bonn 2007.

» http://www.beethoven-haus-bonn.de