Anata - Slain Upon His Altar

Usually, one of the sure signs of the young Beethoven’s sympathies for the French Revolution is the fact of his subscription to the collection of poems by Eulogius Schneider, published in 1789 and included the ode “On the destruction of the Bastille”. However, some nuances should be taken into account. Firstly, very high-ranking people appear among the subscribers to this collection, starting with Elector-Archbishop Max Franz. So, there was absolutely nothing revolutionary or opposition in the act of the “court musician Beethoven,” as he is listed among others. Secondly, along with verses about the fall of the Bastille, the collection included verses of a patriotic nature - for example, a large ode to the memory of King Frederick the Great. Thirdly ... It’s enough to read Schneider’s ode to the destruction of the Bastille to make sure: she didn’t call for revolution,it merely expressed joy at the fall of the stronghold of tyranny and despotism. But a similar phraseology was also in use in German-Austrian journalism from the time of Emperor Joseph; this did not see anything seditious. We must not forget that in 1789 the revolution was still perceived as a celebration of liberation, and not as a revelation of bloody repressions that had not yet begun.