Stephan von Breuning (librettist)

Stephan von Breuning (17 August 1774 – 4 June 1827) was a German civil servant and librettist. He was Ludwig van Beethoven's lifelong friend, from his childhood in Bonn when receiving music lessons until acting as executor in Vienna.

Not to be confused with Stephan von Breuning (entomologist).
Stephan von Breuning

Life
Helene van Breuning with her children:
Eleonore (Beethoven's first love), Christoph, Lorenz, (Helene's brother Abraham) and Stephan (far right).

Born in Bonn, Breuning was the son of Emanuel Joseph von Breuning and his wife Helene von Breuning, also known as Beethoven's second mother. In 1784 the family made the acquaintance of Ludwig van Beethoven in their home at Bonn. He gave piano lessons to the Breuning children Eleonore and Lorenz.

In 1801 Breuning moved to Vienna where four years later Beethoven's Fidelio was premiered. Besides Joseph Sonnleithner and Georg Friedrich Treitschke, Breuning also contributed to the libretto. 1806 Beethoven dedicated his violin concerto op. 61 to his friend. After Beethoven's death in 1827, Breuning took care of the estate, but died in the same year. The plan to publish a Beethoven biography, which Breuning had considered together with Beethoven's childhood friend Franz Gerhard Wegeler and Anton Schindler, could not be realized in this way.[1]

Von Breuning died in Vienna at age 52.

Family

Breuning married in April 1808 Julie von Vering (1791–1809), the daughter of Beethoven's physician Gerhard von Vering (1755-1823), to whom Beethoven dedicated the piano version of his Violin Concerto. After her untimely death he entered into a relationship with Constanze Ruschowitz around 1812 (1785/86 in Freudenthal, Austrian Silesia, – 5 October 1856 in Vienna), whom he married on 18 February 1817.[2] She had three children:

  • Gerhard von Breuning,
  • Helena Juliana Philippina von Breuning (born 17 August 1818),
  • Mara Magdalena Barbara von Breuning (born 2 April 1821).[2]

Further reading
  • Ludwig Nohl, Drei Freunde Beethovens. Über Beethovens Beziehung zu Ignaz von Gleichenstein, Stephan von Breuning und Johann Malfatti, in: Allgemeine Deutsche Musikzeitung, Jg. 6 (1879), Nr. 39 dated 26.9., p. 305–308; Nr. 40 dated 3.10., p. 313–315; Nr. 41 dated 10.10., p. 321–323; Nr. 42 dated 17.10., p. 329–331; Nr. 43 dated 24.10., p. 337–339
  • Stephan Ley, Beethoven als Freund der Familie Wegeler – von Breuning,[3] Bonn 1927
  • Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
  • Martella Gutiérrez-Denhoff, Neue Mosaiksteine im Bild der Familie von Breuning. Ein Beitrag zum geistig-sozialen Umfeld des heranwachsenden Beethoven in Bonn, in: Musikalische Quellen – Quellen zur Musikgeschichte. Festschrift für Martin Staehelin zum 65. Geburtstag, published by Ulrich Konrad, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2002, p. 345–361

References
  1. See Friederike Grigat, Die Genese von Franz Gerhard Wegelers Beethoven-Biographie in den Jahren 1827 bis 1845, in dies., Die Sammlung Wegeler im Beethoven-Haus. Kritischer Katalog, Bonn 2008 (Bonner Beethoven-Studien, volume 7), p. 32–75
  2. Wien, Pfarre Alservorstadt, Trauungsbuch, Tom. 1809–1817, fol. 264, quote after Rita Steblin, Beethoven’s Name in Viennese Conscription Records, in The Beethoven Journal, Jg. 24, Nr. 1 (Summer 2009), p. 4–13, here p. 13 Anm. 47
  3. Beethoven als Freund der Familie Wegeler – von Breuning on Worldcat
  • Stephan von Breuning, Gedicht für seine Braut Julie von Vering, Wien, 2. Mai 1806
  • "Works by Stephan von Breuning". Zeno.org (in German).
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