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Joseph Franz von Lobkowitz

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Joseph Franz Maximilian, 7th Prince of Lobkowitz (also spelled Lobkowicz) (8 December 1772 – 16 December 1816[1]) was an aristocrat of Bohemia, from the House of Lobkowicz. He is known particularly for his interest in music and as a patron of Ludwig van Beethoven.

Joseph Franz von Lobkowitz
Prince of Lobkowitz
Born(1772-12-08)8 December 1772
Vienna
Died16 December 1816(1816-12-16) (aged 44)
Třeboň, South Bohemia
Spouse
Maria Karolina von Schwarzenberg
​
​
(m. 1792; died 1816)​
HouseLobkowicz
FatherPrince Ferdinand Philipp von Lobkowicz
MotherPrincess Maria Gabriella di Savoia-Carignano

Early life

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He was born in Vienna, son of Ferdinand Philipp Joseph, 6th Prince Lobkowicz (1724–1784) and Princess Maria Gabriella di Savoia-Carignano (1748–1828).[1] In 1786 Emperor Joseph II made him Duke of Roudnice (Herzog von Raudnitz in German, vévoda roudnický in Czech).[2]

His paternal grandparents were Phillip Hyacinth, 4th Prince of Lobkowicz, and Countess Anna Maria von Althann. Joseph Franz's father succeeded his brother, Wenzel Ferdinand, as reigning Prince of Lobkowitz in 1739. His maternal grandparents were Louis Victor, Prince of Carignano and Princess Christine of Hesse-Rotenburg (daughter of Ernst II Leopold, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg).[3]

Patron of music

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Palais Lobkowitz (on the left) in Vienna; painting by Canaletto, about 1760

The prince was an amateur musician, playing violin and cello, and sang with a bass voice. Countess Lulu Thürheim, sister-in-law of Prince Razumowsky, said of him: "This Prince was as kindhearted as a child and the most foolish music enthusiast. He played music from dusk to dawn and spent a fortune on musicians. Innumerable musicians gathered in his house, whom he treated regally."[4][5]

He was a member of the Gesellschaft der Associierten, an important concert-sponsoring organization of his time which sponsored, among other events, the 1798 premiere of Joseph Haydn's The Creation.

In 1799, Lobkowitz commissioned a set of six string quartets from Haydn. The composer was both busy and in ill health, and he managed to complete only two of them; these were published as the composer's Opus 77 and were the last quartets he was to complete.[6]

Lobkowitz had a private orchestra at his palace in Vienna, the Palais Lobkowitz; in the hall of the palace, this orchestra performed in 1804 Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 (which was dedicated to the Prince) before the first public performance.[4][7]

In 1808, Beethoven was offered the post of Kapellmeister at Cassel, where Jérôme Bonaparte, King of Westphalia, had his court. Prince Lobkowitz, together with Archduke Rudolph and Prince Kinsky, successfully persuaded Beethoven to stay in Vienna by offering a yearly pension of 4,000 florins. In 1811 Prince Lobkowitz, in financial difficulty, discontinued paying his share.[5][7] However, he eventually resumed payment, which continued past his death in 1816 until Beethoven's own death in 1827.

Beethoven dedicated several works to the Prince: his third, fifth and sixth symphonies; his String Quartets Op. 18 and String Quartet Op. 74; the Triple Concerto and the song cycle An die ferne Geliebte.[2][7]

Beethoven composed a Birthday Cantata for Prince Lobkowitz (WoO 106); it was written for the composer's friend Karl Peters, tutor for the Lobkowitz family. It was intended to be sung by the young Princes on their father's birthday in 1816. However, the prince was seriously ill at that time, and died a few days later.[5]

Personal life

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Portrait of his daughter, Marie Gabrielle, Princess of Auersperg, by Franz Schrotzberg, 1843

In 1792 he married Maria Karolina von Schwarzenberg (1775–1816), daughter of Johann I, Prince of Schwarzenberg [de] and Countess Maria Eleonore zu Oettingen-Wallerstein (a daughter of Count Philipp Karl von Oettingen-Wallerstein).[8] They had twelve children, including:[1][4]

He died 1816 in Třeboň in South Bohemia, and was buried in Roudnice nad Labem.[1]

Descendants

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Through his daughter, Princess Gabriella, he is a direct ancestor of Princess Michael of Kent (née Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz), the wife of Prince Michael of Kent, who is a grandson of King George V.[20]

Ancestors

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Joseph Franz Maximilian, VII. Fürst zu Lobkowicz Geni, accessed 31 December 2014.
  2. ^ a b Family History Archived 2018-06-12 at the Wayback Machine Lobkowicz, accessed 25 February 2017.
  3. ^ Steinforth, Dirk H.; Rozier, Charles C. (17 May 2021). Britain and its Neighbours: Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Medieval and Early Modern Europe. Routledge. p. 206. ISBN 978-1-000-36537-5. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Franz Joseph Maximilian von Lobkowitz Kulturfreunde Lobkowitz Neustadt a.d. Waldnaab, accessed 30 December 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Paul Nettl. "Lobkowitz, Prince Josef Max". Beethoven Encyclopedia. Philosophical Library, New York, 1956.
  6. ^ Grave, Grave, and Margaret G. Grave (2006) The string quartets of Joseph Haydn. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 17. Excerpts viewable at Google Books: [1].
  7. ^ a b c Friedrich Oelenhainz (1745–1804), Franz Joseph Maximilian Fürst von Lobkowitz (1772–1816) Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Beethoven-Haus Bonn, accessed 30 December 2014.
  8. ^ Hofstaat, Österreich-Ungarn (1898). Handbuch des Allerhöchsten Hofes und des Hofstaates seiner K. u. K. Apostolischen Majestät: für das Jahr ... (in German). Verlag d. K. K. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. p. 107. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  9. ^ Deutsche Adelsproben aus dem Deutschen Ordens-Central-Archive (in German). W. Braumüller. 1888. p. 148. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  10. ^ Neu, Peter (1989). Die Arenberger und das Arenberger Land: Das 19. Jahrhundert: Adelsleben, Besitz, Verwaltung (in German). Verlag der Landesarchivverwaltung Rheinland-Pfalz. p. 51. ISBN 978-3-922018-70-4. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  11. ^ Pisano, Sandra; Collections, Lobkowicz (2007). The Lobkowicz Collections. Scala Publishers Limited. pp. 4, 55. ISBN 978-1-85759-520-8. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  12. ^ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels (in German). C.A. Starke. 1997. p. 381. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  13. ^ Pálmány, Béla (2011). A reformkori országgyűlés történeti almanachja (1825-1848) (in Hungarian). Argumentum. p. 562. ISBN 978-963-446-613-0. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  14. ^ Monarchy, Austro-Hungarian (1912). Handbuch des allerhöchsten Hofes und des Hofstaates seiner K. und K. Apostolischen Majestät ... (in German). K. K. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. p. 405. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  15. ^ Wurzbach, Constant von (1866). Biographisches lexikon des kaiserthums Oesterreich, enthaltend die lebensskizzen der denkwürdigen personen, welche seit 1750 in den österreichischen kronländern geboren wurden oder darin gelebt und gewirkt haben (in German). K. K. Hof- und staatsdruckerei. p. 325. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  16. ^ Gates-Coon, Rebecca (15 January 2015). The Charmed Circle: Joseph II and the 'Five Princesses,' 1765-1790. Purdue University Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-61249-370-1. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  17. ^ Konegen, Carl (1913). High Life Almanach | Adreßbuch der Gesellschaft Wiens und der österreichischen Kronländer (in German). Vienna. p. 269. Retrieved 19 August 2024.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  18. ^ Almanach de Gotha: annuaire généalogique, diplomatique et statistique. 1893 (in French). Dieterich. 1893. p. 427. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  19. ^ Österreichisch-kaiserlicher Hofkalender: für das Jahr ... (in German). Ghelen. 1879. p. 72. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  20. ^ Kent, Princess Michael of (13 September 2005). The Serpent and the Moon: Two Rivals for the Love of a Renaissance King. Simon and Schuster. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-7432-5106-8. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
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