Opus 114 – March with chorus in E-flat major, Opus 114, from Die Ruinen von Athen, Opus 113 – September 1822, (GA No. 207/a – series 20/3). Bruers 114 – KH 114 – L.IV, page 121 – Nottebohm 114 – Thayer 166 – Biamonti 742; published in full score and separate parts in Vienna by Steiner, April 1826.

The modifications mainly concern the introduction of the choral part.

 [By Biamonti Giovanni – Catalogo cronologico e tematico delle opere di Beethoven comprese quelle inedite e gli abbozzi non utilizzati, Torino, ILTE 1968]

Official title: Opus 114 Marsch und Chor aus dem Fest-Nachspiel „Die Ruinen von Athen“ (Es-dur) für Chor und Orchester Widmung: — NGA 1X78 AGA 207a = Serie 20/3

Origin and publication: The work was composed in August/September 1811 in Teplitz as No. 6 of the incidental music for The Ruins of Athens, Op. 113, and was probably revised in 1822 for separate publication. The original edition of the arrangements for piano duet (two- and four-hand versions) was published by Steiner & Comp. in Vienna in October 1822; the full score and orchestral parts followed from the same publisher in 1826. Contrary to earlier assumptions, it is very likely that Op. 114 itself was not published as an independent work, but rather the revised version of March and Chorus No. 6 from Op. 113, which in 1822 was incorporated into Carl Meisl’s stage work Die Weihe des Hauses for the inauguration of the Theater in the Josephstadt in Vienna (see also Op. 124). Helmut Hell assumes that the planned printing of Op. 113 No. 6, and perhaps a wish on the part of the publisher Steiner, led to the addition of a choral part from bar 119 to the end of the piece.

On 5 October 1822 a “Vorläufige Nachricht” by Steiner & Comp. appeared in the Wiener Zeitung (repeated on 7 and 8 October 1822):
„Der mit allgemeinem Bevfall bev der Erött-nung des neuen Theaters in der Josephstadt in Wien aufgeführte große Marsch mit Chor, zu dem Gelegenheitsgedicht: Die Weihe des Hauses, in Musik gesetzt von Ludwig van Beethoven, den wir von dem berühmten Compositeur als Eigenthum an uns gekauft haben, wird in wenigen Tagen in verschiedenen Ausgaben in unserm Verlage erscheinen“.

In October 1822 the piano arrangements were issued; they were not by Beethoven but were probably corrected by the composer himself (BGA 1502f). The publication of the full score and parts was apparently not undertaken until 1825. This led to disputes and delays, as the publishers were unwilling to introduce the corrections to the musical text and the title that Beethoven had requested. In April 1826 the composer even appealed to the censor: „Hochlöbl. Censur! Es droht eine Herausgabe mehrerer Werke von mir [Op. 114, 116–118], wovon man aus rachsucht gegen mich, die von mir angegebnen Fehler, nicht corrigiren will, die Aufschriften sind so Barbarischer Art, daß Sie vien [Wien] schände machen würden, ich ersuche daher eine löbl. Censur, daß sie selbe werke nicht zur Ankündig, gelangen läßt, bis ich mit meiner Unterschrift versichert habe, daß diese Werke im gehörigen Zustande erscheine[n]“
(BGA 2144f; Haslinger’s reply of 12 April has not survived).

The controversy was resolved after Tobias Haslinger took over the publishing house in July 1826 (BGA 2216; see also Op. 116). The editions appeared around the middle of 1826; Wh10 1826/27 shows the score bearing Steiner’s name, the parts that of Haslinger. Apart from the “Vorläufige Nachricht” of 5 October 1822, the Wiener Zeitung did not advertise Op. 114. For the text, see Op. 113.

The text of the choral section added from bar 119 onwards is found neither in August von Kotzebue’s Die Ruinen von Athen nor in Carl Meisl’s 1822 text for Die Weihe des Hauses (see Op. 124); the author of the text is unknown. The first performance is not documented. Op. 114 was among the compositions that Beethoven sent to Ferdinand Ries in Aachen at the beginning of May 1825 for performance at the 8th Lower Rhine Music Festival (22–23 May). It was not, however, included in the programme, as the material arrived too late (BGA 1864, 1987). Ignaz Schuppanzigh performed Op. 114 on 11 May 1826 in the Augarten Hall in Vienna.

The sketches will be featured in an article specially created for the Beethoven Music Research Center, www.lvbeethoven.org

Gli abbozzi saranno trattati in un articolo appositamente creato per il Centro Ricerche Musicali www.lvbeethoven.org