The German Theatre in Pest, which once stood in Vörösmarty square, opened for the first time on 9 February 1812. For this grand occasion the German dramatist August von Kotzebue wrote two celebratory pieces: King Stephen, or Hungary's First Benefactor and The Ruins of Athens. Beethoven wrote incidental music for both of them. The best-known movement today from The Ruins of Athens, which consists of eight movements and an overture, is the Turkish March, which was transcribed for piano by Anton Rubinstein.

These popular piano works are printed on separate sheets, each piece consisting of two pages. Thus, placed on the piano's wide music stand, they can be played without page-turning.