The Culture of Vienna before 1848

There were three main facets of Viennese culture before the revolution of 1848 splintered the country into many different nationalistic beliefs. The first was the cafe, the second was the theatre, while the third, and most unmistakable, was the symphony. Pre-1848 Vienna was entirely dynastic and aristocratic. The culture of the city catered to this cohort. However, the Viennese cafe was a middle ground where both the upper class and middle class could enjoy good food as well as political and ideological discussions. Before the revolution the cafe served both as a second home for the Viennese and a monument to culture. The quantity and luxury of the Viennese cafe was astonishing, but quite understandable considering the terribly low standard of living in Viennese flats. (In fact, as the quality of Viennese housing improved later in the century, the number of cafes decreased markedly.) Waiters were known to be extremely prompt, polite, and humorous. The patron, one noted, was "lost in wonder at the skill and the costliness and the labor involved in...these very necessary places of public amusement." Although the quality and elegance of the cafe associated it with upper class culture, the discussions the cafe fostered made it very much a part of middle class life. Before 1848 these cafes were crucibles for intense discussions and debates on politics and society. Certainly, a portion of the discontent manifested in the Austrian revolution of 1848 can be traced to issues debated in Viennese cafes. Unlike the cafe, the theater, prior to 1848, was a source of enjoyment for the high aristocracy alone. At the theatre, oneÕs private box was personally decorated and meant not only as a perch from which to watch a show, but also a place to receive guests. At theatres such as the Karntnertor and Hofburg, social restrictions were enforced by law. The seating arrangements at the theatre were very important because they represented the importance of individuals and demonstrated the power these people had in politics and society, in addition to their wealth. Indeed, the theatre existed for the wealthy and well-connected. After a night at the theater, Viennese aristocrats would pile into fancy and expensive restaurants to eat, another distinguishing mark between themelves and the lower classes. It is impossible to imagine Viennese culture without music -- especially the music of W.A. Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven and Mozart are often musically classified as baroque, yet the terminology is erroneous, because the two composers created a new form of music that was marked by a new and pulsating rhythmic energy. The musical form was called the sonata -- music that is ÔsoundedÕ rather than ÔsungÕ. Due to Mozart and Beethoven, Vienna became a capital city for music. The music was also different for more traditional forms, because it gave birth to expressions that were both sacred and profane. This duality had not been seen in music before. Examples of this can be seen in MozartÕs Requiem (1791) and BeethovenÕs Missa solemnis (1823). (Maybe there can be links to bars of these pieces.) Previously, music had been written in defined structures. By creating so many musical landscapes , the scores of Beethoven and Mozart broke free of the previous rigidity . This new music became classified as "Romantic". No one has ever been considered to have mastered the music as Beethoven did. Even though the artist went deaf in the prime of his career, he is credited for exploiting the richness and depth of the piano in an unforseen way. Beethoven, along with Mozart, is hugely responsible for making music the premiere art of the 19th century. The visual arts did not receive such great attention. Much of ViennaÕs art had come from Italian influences in the 16th and 17th centuries and from French influences in the 18th century. In the 19th century, Viennese painters sought to break free and define their own style of painting. Viennese painting, between 1815 and 1848, is categorized as Biedermeier, which suggests an intimate attitude of life. Landscape painting, the family portrait and genre painting (depictions of everyday life) were the most popular subjects for Biedermeier painters. History painting, which was quite popular in a France seeking to encourage nationalism, received little attention in Vienna. Peter Fendi, Josef Franz Danhauser, and Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller are regarded as the truest representation of the Biedermeier method.