Intellectual gifts
were valued by the Von Breunings; to the youth, in his formative period,
association with people like these was an education in itself.
About this time the Elector enlarged the sphere of his musical
operations by establishing a national opera at Bonn, modeled after the
one maintained by his imperial brother at Vienna. The works were
produced on a good scale, and some excellent singers were engaged.
Beethoven was appointed to play the viola, and this connection with the
orchestra was of inestimable value to him in many ways. It not only gave
him a knowledge of orchestration; it also made him familiar with the
noted operas, which must have been greatly enjoyed by him. Mozart's
operas were given a prominent place in the _repertoire_, and many others
that were noteworthy were introduced. But it was not opera alone which
was being performed; the drama was also represented, and his connection
with the orchestra gave him an intimate acquaintance with the
masterpieces of literature, which greatly influenced his subsequent
career.
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