Joseph Karl Bernard (forenames also spelled Joseph Carl, Josef Karl and Josef Carl; 26 January 1780 – 31 March 1850) was an Austrian journalist and

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

, and friend of

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

Life

Bernard was born in Horatitz (present-day Hořetice, part of Žiželice in the Czech Republic), and studied in

Žatec Žatec (; ) is a town in Louny District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře River. Žatec is famous for an over-700-year-long tradition of growing Saaz hops, Saaz noble hops u ...

, Prague and Heidelberg. He moved to Vienna about 1800, and was employed there by the ''

Hofkriegsrat The ''Hofkriegsrat'' (or Aulic War Council, sometimes Imperial War Council) established in 1556 was the central military administrative authority of the Habsburg monarchy until 1848 and the predecessor of the Austro-Hungarian Ministry of War. Th ...

''."Bernard (Pseudonym Flazius), Josef Karl"
''

Neue Deutsche Biographie (''NDB''; Literal translation, literally ''New German Biography'') is a Biography, biographical reference work. It is the successor to the ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, Universal German Biography). The 27 volumes published thus far co ...

'', Volume 2 (1955).Paul Nettl. "Bernard, Josef Karl". ''Beethoven Encyclopedia''. Philosophical Library, New York. 1956. He edited the magazine '' Thalia'' from 1810 to 1813, and ''Friedensblätter'' in 1814; he was a collaborator for the magazine ''Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur und Mode''. For 30 years until 1847 (initially for foreign affairs) he was editor of ''

Wiener Zeitung ''Wiener Zeitung'' () is an Austrian newspaper. First published as the ''Wiennerisches Diarium'' in 1703, it is one of the oldest newspapers in the world. Until April 2023, it was the official gazette of the government of the Republic of Austria ...

''. From 1849 he published the daily paper ''Austria''.

Librettist

He wrote the libretti for

Louis Spohr Louis Spohr (, 5 April 178422 October 1859), baptized Ludewig Spohr, later often in the modern German form of the name Ludwig was a German composer, violinist and conductor. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Spohr composed ten symphonies, ...

's opera ''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

'' (1814), and

Conradin Kreutzer Conradin Kreutzer or Kreuzer (22 November 1780 – 14 December 1849) was a German composer and conductor. His works include the operas ''Das Nachtlager in Granada'' and incidental music to ''Der Verschwender'', both produced in 1834 in Vienna. ...

's opera ''Libussa'' (1823). Bernard was a friend of Beethoven for many years, and appears frequently in Beethoven's conversation books (used during the composer's later years of deafness). The composer often asked for his advice in various matters. In 1815 Bernard rewrote the text, originally written by Aloys Weissenbach, of Beethoven's cantata ''

Der glorreiche Augenblick Der or DER may refer to: Places * Darkənd, Azerbaijan * Dearborn (Amtrak station) (station code), in Michigan, US * Der (Sumer), an ancient city located in modern-day Iraq * d'Entrecasteaux Ridge, an oceanic ridge in the south-west Pacific Ocean ...

'', Op. 136 (first performed in 1814). He later wrote the text for a projected oratorio by Beethoven, ''Der Sieg des Kreuzes'' (The Victory of the Cross), commissioned in 1818 by the

Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde The (), also known as the (German for 'Viennese Music Association'), is an Austrian music organization that was founded in 1812 by Beethoven’s friend Joseph Sonnleithner, general secretary of the Court Theatre in Vienna, Austria. Overview ...

. In 1823 Bernard delivered the text, awaited since 1820; Beethoven, dissatisfied with Bernard's work, told the Gesellschaft that corrections to the text were necessary. The oratorio was never written.Ludwig van Beethoven, Brief an Joseph Karl Bernard, Wien, wohl 23. Januar 1824, Autograph

Beethoven House The Beethoven House (German: ''Beethoven-Haus'') in Bonn, Germany, is a memorial site, museum, and cultural institution serving various purposes. Founded in 1889 by the Beethoven-Haus association, it studies the life and work of composer Ludwig v ...

. Retrieved 10 November 2018.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernard, Joseph Karl 1780 births 1850 deaths Journalists from the Austrian Empire Journalists from Vienna Opera librettists German Bohemian people People from Louny District Wiener Zeitung editors