Jahn's Hall

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 Deutsch) "400 at the most".[1] It is remembered as a performance venue for works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Ignaz Jahn

Jahn was born in Hungary in 1744 and died in Vienna, 26 February 1810.[2] He was appointed Imperial caterer for Schönbrunn Palace in 1772.[2] 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.[2]

Jahn's Hall was a part of Jahn's restaurant, in the main part of the city, which as of 1788 was at 6 Himmelpfortgasse.[2] Concerts began there after the restaurant opened, and were given on a regular basis starting in 1790.[2]

In 2018 a restaurant opened close to Augarten, carrying his name.

Works by Mozart

  • His transcription of Georg Frideric Handel's masque Acis and Galatea was premiered there roughly November 1788.[1]
  • His last public appearance took place in this hall on 4 March 1791. Contrary to the claim of many authors it is not known which piano concerto Mozart performed at this concert.
  • The blind glass harmonica performer Marianne Kirchgessner performed in the hall 8 September 1791; she may have included the Adagio and Rondo K. 617 that Mozart wrote for her.[3]
  • The first public performance of Mozart's Requiem took place in the hall on 2 January 1793. This was a benefit concert on behalf of Mozart's widow Constanze, organized by Mozart's patron Gottfried van Swieten; it raised "more than 300 golden ducats" (about 1350 florins, a substantial sum[4]) to support Constanze and her two sons.[5]

Works by Beethoven

Notes

  1. Deutsch 1965, 330
  2. Clive, 2001, 176
  3. Deutsch 1965, 400
  4. Solomon 1995, xi
  5. Deutsch 1965, 467
  6. Deutsch 1965, 486

References

  • Clive, Peter (2001) Beethoven and His World: A Biographical Dictionary. Oxford University Press.
  • Deutsch, Otto Erich (1965) Mozart: A Documentary Biography. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
  • Solomon, Maynard (1995) Mozart: A Life. New York: Harper Collins.

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