duce a third b o o k that could be d e e m e d trustworthy in every d e t a i l , T h a y e r n o w h o p e d t o t r a v e l t o E u r o p e t o i n i t i a t e his o w n p r i m a r y r e s e a r c h for a m o n u m e n t a l p r o j e c t t h a t h e w o u l d n o t even b e g i n until 1849 and w h i c h , in the end, w o u l d c o n s u m e t h e r e s t o f his life. B i o g r a p h i e s o f t h e g r e a t m a n w e r e fine, a s far a s t h e y w e n t , b u t fierce B e e t h o v e n p a r t i s a n s s u c h a s F r a n z Liszt w e r e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a p h y s i c a l m o n u m e n t h o n o r i n g h i m a n d his i m mortality was immediately m u c h m o r e important.
In 1839,
Liszt h a d c o m e t o t h e r e s c u e o f a ^ g r o u p o f d i s t i n g u i s h e d c i t i z e n s i n B o n n w h o w e r e w o r k i n g t o raise t h e f u n d s t o e r e c t a s t a t u e i n h o n o r o f t h e i r city's n a t i v e s o n . T o a i d t h e m i n t h e i r efforts, Liszt h a d o r g a n i z e d a n d p e r f o r m e d a t a s e r i e s o f b e n e fit c o n c e r t s i n V i e n n a , P a r i s , a n d L o n d o n , e a c h o n e f e a t u r i n g m u s i c b y t h e m a s t e r , a n d b y w a y o f e x p r e s s i n g its t h a n k s t o h i m , t h e c o m m i t t e e i n t u r n r e q u e s t e d t h a t Liszt c o m p o s e a n e w w o r k t h a t w o u l d b e p r e m i e r e d a t a gala " B e e t h o v e n Festival," t h e h i g h l i g h t o f w h i c h w o u l d b e t h e u n v e i l i n g o f t h e grand statue of B e e t h o v e n in Bonn's Miinsterplatz. In August
1845, the bronze m o n u m e n t , designed by r e -
n o w n e d Dresden sculptor Ernst Julius Hahnel, was completed a n d i n p l a c e ; f i v e t h o u s a n d v i s i t o r s h a d d e s c e n d e d o n t h e small city, a n d a h i g h - m i n d e d a n d l a u d a t o r y c a n t a t a c o m p o s e d b y Liszt w a s r e a d y for p e r f o r m a n c e . T h e f o u r - d a y festival w a s a g r a n d l y successful, i f c h a o t i c e v e n t — t h e r e w e r e p e r f o r m a n c e s o f t h e Missa solemnis a n d t h e N i n t h S y m p h o n y a s w e l l a s t h e c a n t a t a b y Liszt; t h e r e w e r e g r a n d s o i r e e s a n d d i n n e r s a n d e v e n the
christening and
maiden
voyage
of the
S.S.
Ludwig van
Beethoven, w h i c h h e n c e f o r t h w o u l d p l y t h e l a n g u i d w a t e r s o f