By Daniel Hathaway
. Harps at noon & new jazz compositions this evening
. Remembering Beethoven
HAPPENING TODAY
At noon the BrownBag Concerts present the Salzedo Harp Duo. Harpists Nancy Lendrim and Jody Guinn bring artistry and beauty in an inventive program for harp duo. Trinity Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Ave. Free.
At 7:00 pm the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra meets Cleveland Composers Guild. From the Cleveland Composers Guild, new music from: Karen Greibling, Bryan Kennard, William Rayer & Nicholas Underhill. From the CJO, new music from: Chas Baker, Aidan Plank & Brad Wagner. A swinging evening of eight brand new “3rd Stream” compositions that combine jazz and classical elements. Bop Stop, 2920 Detroit Avenue. Tickets are available online.
ALMANAC FOR MARCH 28:
By Jarrett Hoffman
March 29 was the date of Beethoven’s first public concert appearance, as well as, in a delightful coincidence, his funeral.
Both events took place in Vienna. The concert was at the Burgtheater in 1795 and featured his Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat — actually written before his Concerto No. 1 in C.
But the ordering of pieces can be such a strange topic. Instead, let’s talk about the ordering of Beethoven’s burials.
His funeral was held in 1827 at a cemetery in the district of Währinger, with many thousands of people in attendance, and such composers as Schubert, Carl Czerny, and Johann Hummel participating in the ceremony. Naturally, that was his first time being buried. And oh, how we all remember our first.
In 1863, he was moved from an oaken coffin to a metal one, all the better to preserve him in. That exhumation and reburial were paid for by the Musikverein, as was the study of his body. Head to the website of the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn for a series of photographs and drawings of his skull, as examined on that occasion. Multiple angles included!
And in 1888, after that cemetery had been shut down, later to be turned into a park — pray for any child that has ever run around screaming on those grounds — the remains were transferred to the Vienna Central Cemetery, where they, well, remain. (Above: his grave in that cemetery.)