1878 - 1880. Памятник Бетховену Каспара Зумбуша (Caspar Zumbusch).

The most famous Beethoven monument from the second half of the 19th century is without doubt the one created by Caspar Clemens Zumbusch (1830-1915) in Vienna. The tendency to depict Beethoven as a hero and express the meaning of his music by scores of allegorical figures is even stronger than in Friedrich Drake's draft.

Beethoven monument in Vienna by Caspar Zumbusch (1880)

The composer rests enthroned far away from the beholder on whom he looks down. The front and rear side of the monument feature puttos at the composer's feet, representing his symphonies or his music in general. Prometheus and goddess Fama are on the sides of the monument. The entire construction is supported by a three-step base.

Beethoven monument in Vienna by Caspar Zumbusch (1880)

The Beethoven monument by Caspar Zumbusch was not the first monument for a Vienna musician. In 1862, the Vienna Male Choral Society had a statue erected for Franz Schubert. It was designed by artists Theophilus Edvard von Hansen (1813-1891) and Carl Kundmann (1838-1919) and unveiled in 1872.

Beethoven statue of the Beethoven monument in Vienna by Caspar Zumbusch (1880)

In the 1870s Vienna felt a need to finally set up a monument for Ludwig van Beethoven and held a competition. Well-known artists - particularly Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms supported the project with generous financial contributions so that the monument could be presented to the public on May 1st, 1880.

Beethoven monument in Vienna by Caspar Zumbusch (1880)

Schubert monument in Vienna by Carl Kundmann (1842)

The new and special features of Carl Zumbusch's monument become particularly clear when comparing it to the slightly older Schubert monument from Karl Kundmann. Kundmann also presented the composer in a sitting position on a high pedestal and wrapped in a large coat. However, his monument is less pompous and conveys a more private atmosphere. This is mainly due to the pedestal's design which, for the Schubert monument, was decorated with reliefs, whereas the pedestal of the Beethoven monument features vivid sculptures.

Therefore, Caspar Zumbusch's monument represents the strong self-confidence of the German and Austrian upper middle classes which regarded themselves as the main supporters of German art during the second half of the 19th century. In accordance with this conviction, the monument should not only honour an important person but also adorn the city, as a newspaper article from 1877 says.