Mozart and Beethoven were both alive during the American Revolutionary War and the birth of the United States. You would think that people with strong republican sympathies would have been inspired by these events, but instead we see Beethoven writing music for Napoleon and Dutch independence but nothing for the U.S. Do we have any idea how classical-era composers felt about the U.S.?
I’ve actually thought about this question before! Sadly I have never read anything about any musician or composer from Revolutionary America time having thoughts one way or another about America. European art music (especially opera) didn’t really get a foothold in America until the 1820s. Classical composers tend to be a mercenary bunch, and America from 1750-1800ish just didn’t have much money or potential consumers of art music to attract Italian or Viennese musicians to schlep alllll the way over to North America.
In the Classical period music still tended to go to the old classical stories for inspiration for their secular music (although it’s starting to lose the absolute stranglehold that it had in baroque times), so you see operas and symphonies starring more Greek gods than revolutionary mortals. In the 1770s Metastasio librettos, which are all classical stories, are still in heavy rotation in opera. If the American revolution had happened a couple of decades later during the Romantic period I really think it could have got some traction in opera though… But this explains pretty well why it doesn’t appear thematically in more places. Also, if you’ve got royal patrons (Mozart and Beethoven both), or an official court position (like Haydn as Kappelmeister) writing music about how awesome a colony overthrowing its monarch is, well, that’s not very politically savvy to say the least. Best to just write about Venus and Mars yet again… Maybe you could get away with it in France though?
Your observation about Napoleon and republic idealism is a keen one! However, I have my own cynical read on its dedication, which is that Beethoven was working on the centuries-old practice of dedicating music to someone unsolicited in the hopes the maybe-new-patron would like the music and give you some money, or heck just give you some money to be polite. This was a pretty common thing, Bach did it (close to Beethoven in time/society). Napoleon was a pretty huge fan of music, opera in particular, and he did give a fair amount of money out to musicians as he went through Europe. You also see (in the Wikipedia you linked to) that Beethoven stripped the dedication from it to get money from someone else. Cash Rules Everything Around Musicians says me.
Now here’s an interesting footnote - Italian opera got into SOUTH America way before it got into North America, because they had more money for one, and the Spaniards liked opera, arguably more than the British did in the 18th century, though that’s a pretty long argument I’d have to work out. John Rosselli wrote a fair amount about Italian opera in Latin America if you’d like to look into more. Although USA is the top global consumer of opera now, so we caught up. :)
Better late than never.
Otto Kinkeldey's article Beginnings of Beethoven in America from "The Musical Quarterly ([1927] Vol. 13, No. 2, pp.217-248), discusses the first appearance of Beethoven's works in North America, going into detail about the high regard with which the London Philharmonic was held and their fascination with Beethoven's works towards the beginning of the 19th century. As well as a little about Beethoven's connection to North America which included proposed commissions and meeting people from North America - most of these, however are first hand accounts from people who had talked to Beethoven or information gathered from his conversation-books. Here's a few:
Earliest mention: Viennese poet Johann Baptist Rupprecht's "Merkenstein" had been set to music by Beethoven in 1814. According to Nohl's Life of Beethoven (1877), there was talk of an opera book by Rupprecht called "Die Gründung von Pennsylvania" (The founding of Pennsylvania) that Beethoven thought of setting to music.
Beethoven had apparently received an offer to write an oratorio for Boston. When asked about it by his friend Bühler, Beethoven said "I do not write that which I would most gladly, but for the sake of money, what I must." [italics taken from source]. Sounds like he was taking the job, but mostly for money. A Boston banker had been in contact with a Viennese banker to secure this, and in a Viennese journal of the time "Morgenblatt für Gebildete Leser" ("Morning Journal for Educated Readers") on November 5, 1823, a list of works it is expected he will pen includes: "a symphony, quartetts [sic], a biblical oratorio in English sent to Beethoven from the United States through the American consul... ". Furthermore, and even earlier (possibly referring to the same work), on December 20, 1822, Beethoven wrote to his friend Ferdinan Ries:
If I were only in London, what would I not write for the Philharmonic Society. For Beethoven can write, thank God! - not much of else, of course, in this world. If God will only restore my health, which has, at any rate, been somewhat improved, I can fill all the commissions from all parts of Europe, yes, even from North America, and I might yet acquire a competence.
(I couldn't say why these works were never written).
Another run in with a North American: Beethoven was not easily accessed by head hunters at the time, but a visit from a gentleman passing through Vienna is recorded in Beethoven's conversation books, from mid-December 1825, in which the man wrote: "I am a teacher of music in Quebec in North America." He goes on to the usual praise of B. For some reason, B seem to take a liking to the fellow, either due to his personality or the glamour of North America, because the man (Molt) later wrote to B asking for an autograph which he forgot to do the first time. B replied by jotting down a canon with the words "Freu' dich des Lebens", signed with "A memento for Mr. Theodore Molt, from L. van Beethoven." (My knowledge of German translates the words to "Have a happy life" or "Enjoy life" or something. Maybe someone can translate it better...)
In terms of his musical presence in America: Beethoven's works were known to America by at least 1819, both due to Germans coming to America already familiar with his music, and the fact that most of America's knowledge of the time came by way of England. The Boston Philharmonic Society's "order book" contains an entry in March 1819 for "two copies of Beethoven's symphonies for duet".
As far as professional performances go, there are numerous references to chamber music performances of his works, or societies' commitment to playing/spreading his works etc. including public concert programs, newspaper advertisements, and statements from musical societies from as far back as 1816.
And it goes on. Overall, there is much more to say about America's regarding of Beethoven than the other way round. Unfortunately the orchestra scene in North America was very late in the game so in terms of a relationship with Beethoven while he was still alive, they may have just missed the boat there. Hence the performances mentioned being mostly chamber works, and quartets etc. Unfortunately I've not seen anything to do with B referring to America directly in any form, which is a shame because I also would've loved to have seen that, especially on a personal, non-musical level.