As a fan of Ludwig van Beethoven, I've long been familiar with the famous Egmont Overture. And I've long known that New Zealand's - and one of the world's - most perfect volcanoes was also named Egmont. The photo shows the mountain at dusk after we had reached New Plymouth and were heading to Pukekura park, which is the subject of the next post. The 2500 m (8,125 feet) peak is majestic and has a second official name - Taranaki - which is also the region in which New Plymouth is located.
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I had always wondered if Captain Cook, who named the peak Egmont was a fan of Beethoven's but the dates don't add up. Cook named the peak on 11 January 1770; Beethoven finished his work in June 1810, some 40 years later. Back, then, to the drawing board. Well, it seems there may be a link. Cooks' benefactor after whom the peak was named, was John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont, He, as First Lord of the Admiralty, supported Cook's trip to the South Pacific. Now, Beethoven's work was inspired by one of Goethe's plays based on the life of a 16th century Dutch Nobleman, the Count of Egmont. And guess what! The English Earl of Egmont claimed family ties with the Dutch Egmonts.- something yet to be proved - and unlikely to be proved since the British line is now extinct.
AS
I had always wondered if Captain Cook, who named the peak Egmont was a fan of Beethoven's but the dates don't add up. Cook named the peak on 11 January 1770; Beethoven finished his work in June 1810, some 40 years later. Back, then, to the drawing board. Well, it seems there may be a link. Cooks' benefactor after whom the peak was named, was John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont, He, as First Lord of the Admiralty, supported Cook's trip to the South Pacific. Now, Beethoven's work was inspired by one of Goethe's plays based on the life of a 16th century Dutch Nobleman, the Count of Egmont. And guess what! The English Earl of Egmont claimed family ties with the Dutch Egmonts.- something yet to be proved - and unlikely to be proved since the British line is now extinct.
AS
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