Rita Steblin: The Marriage Letters of Joseph Deym and Josephine Brunsvik-Deym. Documents from Beethoven’s Milieu 1799–1804, Wien: Hollitzer Verlag, 2024 (Wiener Veröffentlichungen zur Musikwissenschaft 57), 482 S., 17 x 24 cm, English, Hardcover
ISBN 978-3-99094-227-7 (hbk) € 80,00
ISBN 978-3-99094-228-4 (pdf) € 79,99
The Marriage Letters of Joseph Deym and Josephine Brunsvik-Deym
Documents from Beethoven’s Milieu 1799–1804
Countess Josephine Brunsvik-Deym-Stackelberg was the woman Beethoven loved, his “only beloved,” his “everything,” and the “angel of my heart.” Nowhere does she come more vividly to life than in the 107 surviving letters that Josephine and her first husband, Count Joseph Deym exchanged between 1800 and 1803. They reveal the day-to-day concerns and social circumstances of a young wife and mother of noble birth, highly intelligent and musical, in the early nineteenth century. Joseph was a famous entrepreneur and wax-figure artist, and the Deym house on Rotenturmtor was Vienna’s largest tourist attraction. The richly annotated first edition of the marriage letters is rounded off by official documents and letters concerning the Deym’s wedding and Joseph’s death. Beethoven, who was Josephine’s piano teacher for several years and often performed in er Viennese home, is mentioned repeatedly in other Brunsvik family letters of these years, here edited in English translation together with the memoirs of Josephine’s elder sister Therese. Two final chapters provide detailed biographical material on Joseph Deym and his wax museum, and on the Brunsvik family.
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INHALT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword (by David Hiley)
Acknowledgements
Introduction
List of Figures and Tables
Sigla and Frequently Used Abbreviations
1. THE SURVIVING MARRIAGE LETTERS OF
JOSEPHINE AND JOSEPH DEYM, 1800 TO 1803
Editorial Principles
Marriage Letters in 1800 (No. 1)
Marriage Letters in 1801 (Nos. 2–14)
Marriage Letters in 1802 (Nos. 15–63)
Marriage Letters in 1803 (Nos. 64–107)
Concluding Remarks on Josephine’s Character
2. DOCUMENTS ABOUT THE MARRIAGE OF
JOSEPHINE AND JOSEPH DEYM, 1799 TO 1804
Joseph’s Request to be Awarded the Title of “k. k. Kämmerer”
(Doc. 1)
Josephine’s Conquest in Vienna, an Anonymous Attempt
in Buda to Halt the Deym Marriage, and the Wedding
in Martonvásár on 29 July 1799 (Docs. 2–8)
Letters by Joseph and Josephine in Anna Brunsvik’s Estate
in H-Bol (Docs. 9–12)
After the Birth of Viky Deym: Disagreements Between
Joseph Deym and Anna Brunsvik (Docs. 13–17)
Items Involving the Death of Joseph on 27 January 1804
in Prague (Docs. 18–22)
After Josephine’s Return to Vienna: February to April 1804
(Docs. 23–25)
Concluding Note: Beethoven Courts the Widow Josephine Deym
3. BEETHOVEN IN THERESE BRUNSVIK’S MEMOIRS
AND IN BRUNSVIK FAMILY LETTERS, 1799 TO 1803
Therese Brunsvik’s Memoirs, Begun in 1846, as Published
by La Mara in 1909
References to Beethoven in 79 Brunsvik Family Letters,
1799 to 1803
Time Line for Beethoven and Josephine Brunsvik-Deym,
1799 to 1803
4. BIOGRAPHY OF JOSEPH DEYM ALIAS
JOSEPH MÜLLER (1752–1804)
Joseph Deym’s Military Career, and a Duel?
When Did Müller/Deym Arrive Back in Vienna?
Müller’s Court Case in 1788 Involving a Musical Clock
Müller/Deym’s Advertisements in the Wiener Zeitung (WZ)
Bedroom of the Graces
Newly Reorganized Gallery: Antique and Modern Rooms
Müller Receives the Title of “k. k. Hofstatuar” in 1795
Müller’s Proposal to Construct a New Gallery on the Rotenturmstraße
Müller’s Three Foster Daughters
5. THE FAMILY OF JOSEPHINE BRUNSVIK-DEYM-STACKELBERG (1779–1821)
Important Relatives
Josephine’s Eight Children
Suggestions for Future Research on Josephine Brunsvik-Deym-Stackelberg
APPENDICES
Appendix 1
Müller/Deym’s Guide to his Art Gallery
by C. M. A. in 1797
Appendix 2
Deym Marriage Letters and Insertions
(Chapter 1)
Appendix 3
Documents and Letters about the Deym Marriage
(Chapter 2)
Appendix 4
References to Beethoven in Brunsvik Family Letters
(Chapter 3)
Bibliography
Index
Rita Steblin –
Biography and Publications
