Jahn's Hall
Encyclopedia
Jahn's Hall was a concert hall in late 18th century Vienna
. It was the property of a restaurateur/caterer named Ignaz Jahn, and seated (according to Otto Erich Deutsch
) "400 at the most". It is remembered as a performance venue for works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
and Ludwig van Beethoven
.
in 1772. In 1775 he began running a restaurant in the Augarten
, and in 1782 opened an adjacent concert hall, at which many famous musicians played over the years.
Jahn's Hall was an adjunct to Jahn's other restaurant, in the main part of the city, which as of 1788 was at 6 Himmelpfortgasse. Concerts began there after the restaurant opened, and were given on a regular basis starting in 1790.
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. It was the property of a restaurateur/caterer named Ignaz Jahn, and seated (according to Otto Erich Deutsch
Otto Erich Deutsch
Otto Erich Deutsch was an Austrian musicologist. He is known for compiling the first comprehensive catalogue of the works of Franz Schubert, first published in 1951 in English, new edition in 1978 in German...
) "400 at the most". It is remembered as a performance venue for works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
and Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
.
Ignaz Jahn
Jahn was born in Hungary in 1744 and died in Vienna, 26 February 1810. He was appointed Imperial caterer for Schönbrunn PalaceSchönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace is a former imperial 1,441-room Rococo summer residence in Vienna, Austria. One of the most important cultural monuments in the country, since the 1960s it has been one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna...
in 1772. In 1775 he began running a restaurant in the Augarten
Augarten
The Augarten is a 52.2 hectare public park in Leopoldstadt, the second district of Vienna, Austria. It contains the oldest Baroque gardens of the city....
, and in 1782 opened an adjacent concert hall, at which many famous musicians played over the years.
Jahn's Hall was an adjunct to Jahn's other restaurant, in the main part of the city, which as of 1788 was at 6 Himmelpfortgasse. Concerts began there after the restaurant opened, and were given on a regular basis starting in 1790.
Works by Mozart
- His transcription of Georg Frideric Handel's masque Acis and Galatea was premiered there roughly November 1788.
- His last piano concertoPiano Concerto No. 27 (Mozart)The Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat major, K. 595, is a concertante work by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, for piano or fortepiano and orchestra, the last piano concerto he wrote.-Time of composition:The manuscript is dated 5 January 1791...
, No. 27 in B flat, K. 595 was premiered in the hall 4 March, 1791. - The blind glass harmonicaGlass harmonicaThe glass harmonica, also known as the glass armonica, bowl organ, hydrocrystalophone, or simply the armonica , is a type of musical instrument that uses a series of glass bowls or goblets graduated in size to produce musical tones by means of friction The glass harmonica, also known as the glass...
performer Marianne KirchgessnerMarianne KirchgessnerMarianne Kirchgessner, born Maria Antonia Kirchgessner on 5 June 1769 in Bruchsal, Germany, was a German glass harmonica player left blind by eye disease as a result of smallpox when she was only four years old...
performed in the hall 8 September 1791; she may have included the Adagio and Rondo K. 617 that Mozart wrote for her. - The first public performance of Mozart's RequiemRequiem (Mozart)The Requiem Mass in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in Vienna in 1791 and left unfinished at the composer's death. A completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who had anonymously commissioned the piece for a requiem Mass to commemorate the...
took place in the hall on 2 January 1793. This was a benefit concert on behalf of Mozart's widow ConstanzeConstanze MozartConstanze Mozart was the wife of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.-Early years:Constanze Weber was born in Zell im Wiesental. Her mother was Cäcilia Weber, née Stamm. Her father Fridolin Weber worked as a "double bass player, prompter and music copyist." Fridolin's half-brother was the father of composer...
, organized by Mozart's patron Gottfried van SwietenGottfried van SwietenGottfried, Freiherr van Swieten was a diplomat, librarian, and government official who served the Austrian Empire during the 18th century...
; it raised "more than 300 golden ducats" (about 1350 florins, a substantial sum) to support Constanze and her two sons.
Works by Beethoven
- On 6 April, 1797, Beethoven performed in the hall, as the pianist in his Quintet for Piano and WindsQuintet for Piano and Winds (Beethoven)Quintet in E-flat for Piano and Winds, Op. 16, was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1796.The quintet is scored for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon. It was inspired by Mozart's Quintet, K. 452 , which has the same scoring and is also in E-flat.It is in three movements:*I. Grave - Allegro...
, Opus 16. - On 29 March 1798 Mozart's old friend the soprano Josepha DuschekJosepha DuschekJosepha Duschek was an outstanding soprano singer of the Classical era. She was a friend of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who wrote a number of works for her to sing.Her name is most often given in its German version as above...
gave a concert in the hall, performing an unidentified "rondo with obbligato basset horn". On the same program, Ludwig van BeethovenLudwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
performed one of his violin sonatas ( with the violinist Ignaz SchuppanzighIgnaz SchuppanzighIgnaz Schuppanzigh November 20, 1776 – March 2, 1830, was a violinist, friend and teacher of Beethoven, and leader of Count Razumovsky's private string quartet. Schuppanzigh and his quartet premiered many of Beethoven's string quartets, and in particular, the late string quartets. The Razumovsky...
. - On 20 December 1799, Beethoven's SeptetSeptet (Beethoven)The Septet in E-flat major, Opus 20, by Ludwig van Beethoven, was sketched out in 1799, completed and first performed in 1800 and published in 1802. The score contains the notation: "Der Kaiserin Maria Theresia gewidmet", or translated, "Dedicated to the Empress Maria Theresa." It is scored for...
, Opus 20, was premiered in the hall.