It was commissioned by Carl Friedrich Hensler, the Director of Vienna's new Theater in der Josefstadt, and was first performed at the theatre's opening on October 3, 1822.
The Consecration of the House overture was also the first item on the program at Beethoven’s 7 May 1824 concert at Vienna’s Theater am Kärntnertor, where the world premiere of his 9th Symphony took place.
Beethoven wrote a completely new overture for the work, altered some of the musical numbers, and added others, including a final chorus with violin solo and ballet.
An anecdote by Anton Schindler describes Beethoven conceiving two themes for the overture while on a walk, and relates the composer's intention of treating one of these in contrapuntal fashion after Handel.
A trumpet fanfare, with runs in the bassoon, and later the violins, appearing to describe the hurrying and excitement of the crowd, introduces a fast tutti section which seems to signal the main body of the overture, but which instead gives way to a sonata-allegro form.
The trumpets and drums resume, leading to an interlude connecting finally with the body of the overture: a fugal Allegro (referred to by Schindler) at the work's centre, in both single and double counterpoint.