On January 25th, the Institute of European Studies had the honor of hosting Professor Philipp Ther, Professor of Central European History at the University of Vienna and the 2023 Botstiber Visiting Professor at UC Berkeley. Moderated by Professor of Music Nicholas Mathew, the 2023 Botstiber lecture focused on the role of music in the Habsburg Empire vis-à-vis the Napoleonic wars.
Ther began the lecture by emphasizing the role of Ludwig van Beethoven’s compositions in sustaining the Habsburg Empire in a time of great distress and external threat. Beethoven helped give the Empire a sense of meaning and contributed to mobilizing resistance in Vienna. Eventually, music played a role in celebrating victory and rebuilding identity under a new political order.
Then, Ther recounted Beethoven’s personal experience of the Napoleonic Wars and explained how conflict impacted Beethoven’s style of composition. Ther emphasized the inherent tension between the duress Beethoven experienced during the conflict and the way that the conflict contributed to his ascent and status as a prominent composer. The lecture featured excerpts from Beethoven’s compositions to audibly engage with the way conflict transformed Beethoven’s art. Moving on, Ther analyzed how Beethoven helped mobilize social and political resistance against Napoleonic forces and explored the greater connection between music and politics.
Finally, Ther analyzed the role of music in building the post-war world order, analyzing triumphant pieces such as “The Glorious Moment,” which was created in time for the Congress of Vienna. These pieces created a triumphant feeling of victory which helped rebuild Austrian national identity and pride. The 2023 Botstiber Lecture demonstrated the unique inspections of music, politics, and culture in the Austrian Empire, and illustrated the important role artists can play in interpreting historical events.