On This Day

Ludwig van Beethoven's "Fidelio", his only opera, premieres at Vienna's Theater an der Wien

Fidelio, originally titled Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe (Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love), Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

Fidelio, originally titled Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe (Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love), Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly. The opera premiered at Vienna's Theater an der Wien on 20 November 1805. The following year, Beethoven's friend Stephan von Breuning rewrote the libretto, shortening the work from three acts to two. After further work on the libretto by Georg Friedrich Treitschke, a final version was performed at the Kärntnertortheater on 23 May 1814. As these libretto revisions were going on, Beethoven was also revising some of the music.

Historical Significance

Fidelio, originally titled Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe (Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love), Op.

Key People

Ludwig van Beethoven

composer

German composer

Events Before

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  2. World’s first steam locomotive, built by Richard Trevithick, runs for the first time along the tramway of the Penydarren

    World’s first steam locomotive, built by Richard Trevithick, runs for the first time along the tramway of the Penydarren Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales

  3. Economist Thomas Malthus (38) weds Harriet Eckersall in Bath, Somerset

    Economist Thomas Malthus (38) weds Harriet Eckersall in Bath, Somerset

  4. Napoleonic Code is adopted in France, stressing clearly written and accessible law

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  5. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's expedition sets out from St. Louis for the Pacific Coast, commissioned by Thomas Je

    Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's expedition sets out from St. Louis for the Pacific Coast, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson

Events After

  1. Napoleon Bonaparte abolishes the French Republican calendar after 12 years of use

    The French Republican calendar (French: calendrier républicain français), also commonly called the French Revolutionary calendar (calendrier révolutionnaire français), was a calendar created and…

  2. Frontiersman Davy Crockett (20) weds Polly Finley in Tennessee

    Frontiersman Davy Crockett (20) weds Polly Finley in Tennessee

  3. German writer, artist and politician Johann Wolfgang von Goethe marries mistress Christiane Vulpius in Weimar

    Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language.

  4. Battle of Blaauwberg: British forces attack French vassal, the Batavian Republic near Cape Town, modern day South Africa

    Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa.

  5. Dutch forces in Capetown surrender to the British

    Dutch forces in Capetown surrender to the British

More from the 1800s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on November 20, 1805?
Fidelio, originally titled Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe (Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love), Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly.
Why is Ludwig van Beethoven's "Fidelio", his only opera, premieres at Vienna's Theat... significant?
Fidelio, originally titled Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe (Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love), Op.
Who was involved in Ludwig van Beethoven's "Fidelio", his only opera, premieres at Vienna's Theat...?
Key figures include Ludwig van Beethoven (composer).

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