Maria Wilhelmine Thun
Encyclopedia
Countess Maria Wilhelmine von Thun und Hohenstein, née Uhlfeldt (Vienna 13 June 1744 - Vienna 18 May 1800) was a Viennese aristocrat of the 18th century. She is remembered as the sponsor of a musically and intellectually outstanding salon and for her patronage of music, notably that of Mozart
and Beethoven
.
In the 1750s, the young Countess Thun may have studied music with the young Joseph Haydn
, at the time a struggling freelancer. This is difficult to determine, since the source indicating this only gives the title "Countess Thun," which was held by other women over time as well. Whoever her teacher may have been, the Countess evidently became a very skilled musician. The visiting English musicologist Charles Burney
praised her harpsichord playing in print, saying that she "possesses as great skill in music as any person of distinction [i.e., aristocrat] I ever knew."
The salon that developed in her home is described by Clive as "a focal point of the musical and social life of the Viennese aristocracy."
She had six children, of whom four survived into adulthood:
(24 March 1781), "[she is] the most charming and lovable lady I have ever met; and I am very high in her favor." He frequently performed in her home, and she lent him her excellent Stein
piano when Mozart performed before the Emperor in competition with Muzio Clementi
, 24 December 1781.
Thun may have played an essential role in Mozart's career when she arranged for him to perform extracts from his recent (1780) opera Idomeneo
in her home before a set of guests that included Count Orsini-Rosenberg
, the manager of the Imperial Theater. The Count "applauded warmly", and not long thereafter gave his agreement to the plans to commission Mozart for the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail
, which turned out (1782) to be his first great success in Vienna. As Mozart composed the work, Countess Thun listened with encouragement to each of three acts of the opera, performed on the piano by Mozart in her home, as he completed them.
According to Kenyon, "after 1782, [Thun] features less often in his activities." After Mozart's death in 1791, it is believedthat she helped financially with the schooling of his two surviving sons.
She was the dedicatee of Beethoven's Piano Trio in B flat, Opus 11
.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
and Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
.
Biography
She was the daughter of Imperial Count of the Realm Anton Corfiz Ulfeld (also spelled Uhlfeldt; 1699-1770), who "held several high political and court appointments" and his second wife Maria Elisabeth (1726-1786), a princess of the Lobkowitz family. At age 17 (30 July 1761) she married Count Franz Joseph Anton von Thun und Hohenstein (1734-1801), who later became an Imperial Chamberlain.In the 1750s, the young Countess Thun may have studied music with the young Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
, at the time a struggling freelancer. This is difficult to determine, since the source indicating this only gives the title "Countess Thun," which was held by other women over time as well. Whoever her teacher may have been, the Countess evidently became a very skilled musician. The visiting English musicologist Charles Burney
Charles Burney
Charles Burney FRS was an English music historian and father of authors Frances Burney and Sarah Burney.-Life and career:...
praised her harpsichord playing in print, saying that she "possesses as great skill in music as any person of distinction [i.e., aristocrat] I ever knew."
The salon that developed in her home is described by Clive as "a focal point of the musical and social life of the Viennese aristocracy."
She had six children, of whom four survived into adulthood:
- Maria Theresia (3 August 1762-1763)
- Maria Elisabeth (25 April 1764-1806) on 4 November 1788 married Count (later Prince) Andrei Kyrillovich Razumovsky, who became Russian ambassador in Vienna (1793-1799) and was a patron of Beethoven.
- Maria Christiane Josepha (25 July 1765-1841) on 24 November 1788 married Prince Carl Alois Nepomuk Vinzenz Leonard, Fürst Lichnowsky. She was a "fine pianist" (Clive 1993) and was a patron of both Mozart and Beethoven.
- Ferdinand Joseph (29 August 1766-1768)
- Joseph Johann (5 December 1767-1810) succeeded his father as Count.
- Maria Carolina Anna, or Caroline, Countess Thun (19 May 1769-1800) married 16 October 1793 an English aristocrat, Lord Gillford, better known as Richard Meade, 2nd Earl of ClanwilliamEarl of ClanwilliamEarl of Clanwilliam is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1776 for John Meade, 1st Viscount Clanwilliam. The Meade family descends from John Meade, who represented Dublin University and County Tipperary in the Irish House of Commons and served as Attorney-General for Ireland...
(10 May 1766 - 3 September 1805).. She "excelled as a singer and guitarist". They had issue, one son Richard Charles Francis Christian Meade, 3rd Earl of Clanwilliam, and two daughters Caroline, Countess Szechenyi (1794-1820) and Selina, Countess Clam-Martinic (1797-1872) who married back into the Austrian aristocracy.
Relations with Mozart and Beethoven
It is possible that Countess Thun first met Mozart in 1762, when she was 18 and he was seven; this was during an early concert tour of the Mozart family, carried out to display their children as musical prodigies; the young Mozart performed in her father's home. In 1781, when the 25-year-old Mozart moved permanently to Vienna to pursue his career, he and Thun became friends (they ate lunch together frequently). Mozart wrote of her to his father LeopoldLeopold Mozart
Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was a German composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist. Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.-Childhood and student years:He was born in Augsburg, son of...
(24 March 1781), "[she is] the most charming and lovable lady I have ever met; and I am very high in her favor." He frequently performed in her home, and she lent him her excellent Stein
Johann Andreas Stein
Johann Andreas Stein, was an outstanding German maker of keyboard instruments, a central figure in the history of the piano...
piano when Mozart performed before the Emperor in competition with Muzio Clementi
Muzio Clementi
Muzio Clementi was a celebrated composer, pianist, pedagogue, conductor, music publisher, editor, and piano manufacturer. Born in Italy, he spent most of his life in England. He is best known for his piano sonatas, and his collection of piano studies, Gradus ad Parnassum...
, 24 December 1781.
Thun may have played an essential role in Mozart's career when she arranged for him to perform extracts from his recent (1780) opera Idomeneo
Idomeneo
Idomeneo, re di Creta ossia Ilia e Idamante is an Italian language opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was adapted by Giambattista Varesco from a French text by Antoine Danchet, which had been set to music by André Campra as Idoménée in 1712...
in her home before a set of guests that included Count Orsini-Rosenberg
Orsini-Rosenberg
Orsini-Rosenberg is the name of an old Austrian noble family. Originally sprang out from the family Von Graben from Schloss Alt-Grabenhofen near the city of Graz....
, the manager of the Imperial Theater. The Count "applauded warmly", and not long thereafter gave his agreement to the plans to commission Mozart for the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Die Entführung aus dem Serail is an opera Singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Christoph Friedrich Bretzner with adaptations by Gottlieb Stephanie...
, which turned out (1782) to be his first great success in Vienna. As Mozart composed the work, Countess Thun listened with encouragement to each of three acts of the opera, performed on the piano by Mozart in her home, as he completed them.
According to Kenyon, "after 1782, [Thun] features less often in his activities." After Mozart's death in 1791, it is believedthat she helped financially with the schooling of his two surviving sons.
She was the dedicatee of Beethoven's Piano Trio in B flat, Opus 11
Piano Trio No. 4 (Beethoven)
The Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 11, was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1797 and published in Vienna the next year. It is one of a series of early chamber works, many involving woodwind instruments because of their popularity and novelty at the time. The trio is scored for piano, clarinet ,...
.