The great tradition of Viennese classical music. A walking tour to the most important music sites and theatres in the historical town centre.

It may seem a commonplace to quote Vienna as the capital of music. But if we overview the cultural history of the city, no art has ever played such an eminent role in Viennese life as music. Music history starts in the Baroque Age with the representation of early Italian operas at the Habsburg court. In fact, Italian style dominates till late 18th century. 1781 marks a turning point with Mozart settling in Vienna. Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven are the outstanding figures of the so-called »First Viennese School of Music« carried on by the great composers of the Biedermeier and the Romantic period such as Schubert, Brahms, Bruckner and Mahler. Mahler’s eruptive but also profoundly melancholic music reflects the peculiar atmosphere of Viennese Fin-de-siècle already overshadowed by the twilight of the Habsburg Empire.

Itinerary

The tour starts in front of the renowned »Theater an der Wien«, Vienna’s oldest opera house. We will then cross the Karlsplatz and stop at the emblematic State Opera. A walk past the elegant winter palaces of the aristocratic families (many of them music patrons) leads us to the political and cultural heart of the Habsburg Empire: the Hofburg where the great baroque operas were performed. After a walk through the fashionable commercial streets of the inner city (Kohlmarkt, Graben) we will reach Mozart’s first Viennese domicile, the Guest House of the German Order which still presents its magnificent Renaissance courtyards and characteristic wooden galleries (»Pawlatschen«). A narrow passage leads to St. Stephen’s Cathedral where numerous important music events took place. The tour ends at the »Figarohaus«, the only apartment from Mozart’s time with its preserved historical interior.

Practical information

MEETING POINT: »Theater an der Wien«,

Address: Linke-Wienzeile 6

DURATION: the tour lasts for about 2,5 hours.

END OF THE TOUR: Mozarthaus Wien (near Cathedral).

ADMISSION FEE: Mozarthaus Vienna.

FURTHER READING: David L. Nelson, Vienna for the Music Lover, Vienna 2007.

Richard Rickett, Music and Musicians in Vienna, Vienna 1993.Charles Rosen, The Classical Style. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven. Faber and Faber 2005.