Not Associated With Any Emperor

Ludwig van Beethoven’s (1770-1827) fifth and final piano concerto was commissioned by Archduke Rudolf, his friend and student. Beethoven began writing the piece in 1809, but the Napoleonic Wars made this difficult as Napoleon’s armies invaded Vienna. Nevertheless, Beethoven completed the piece, but the war delayed its premiere.

While Beethoven could still compose, performing with an orchestra was becoming more difficult due to his declining hearing. (This is likely the reason it was the last piano concerto he wrote.) Frederich Schneider, a 25-year-old church organist, was the soloist when the piece premiered in Leipzig, Germany, in 1811. Critics called it “one of the most original, imaginative, most effective but also one of the most difficult of all existing concertos.” In fact, it later became a favorite of Franz Liszt’s (1811-1886) performance repertoire.

Interestingly, Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto is not associated with any emperor. The origin of the nickname is unknown, but it is said a French army officer who attended the premiere referred to it as “an emperor among concertos.”