Stephan von Breuning (librettist)


Stephan von Breuning was a German civil servant and librettist. He was Ludwig van Beethoven's lifelong friend, from his childhood in Bonn when receiving music lessons until acting as executor in Vienna.

Life

Born in Bonn, Breuning was the son of Emanuel Joseph von Breuning and his wife Helene von Breuning, also known as Beethoven's second mother. In 1784 the family made the acquaintance of Ludwig van Beethoven in their home at Bonn. He gave piano lessons to the Breuning children Eleonore and Lorenz.
In 1801 Breuning moved to Vienna where four years later Beethoven's Fidelio was premiered. Besides Joseph Sonnleithner and Georg Friedrich Treitschke, Breuning also contributed to the libretto. 1806 Beethoven dedicated his violin concerto op. 61 to his friend. After Beethoven's death in 1827, Breuning took care of the estate, but died in the same year. The plan to publish a Beethoven biography, which Breuning had considered together with Beethoven's childhood friend Franz Gerhard Wegeler and Anton Schindler, could not be realized in this way.
Von Breuning died in Vienna at age 52.

Family

Breuning married in April 1808 Julie von Vering, the daughter of Beethoven's physician Gerhard von Vering, to whom Beethoven dedicated the piano version of his Violin Concerto. After her untimely death he entered into a relationship with Constanze Ruschowitz around 1812, whom he married on 18 February 1817. She had three children: