Biamonti 252 – Minuet and Trio in D Major (Landsberg 7, Page 65, Lines 1–5) | Beethoven Music Research Center www.lvbeethoven.org

Biamonti 252 – Minuet and Trio in D Major, 1800 Page 65, lines 1–5 of the Landsberg 7 Sketchbook, corresponding to page 61 in Mikulicz’s edition.

The musical examples and texts on this page are by Graziano Denini, Emanuele Stracchi and www.unheardbeethoven.org

Biamonti 252 – Minuet and Trio in D Major, 1800

Page 65, lines 1–5 of the Landsberg 7 Sketchbook, corresponding to page 61 in Mikulicz’s edition. The sketch comprises 21/8 and 8/16 measures.

This fragment is situated among sketches that appear to relate to the slow movement of the String Quartet Opus 18 No. 1.

The Minuet exhibits certain affinities with the Trio of the Second Symphony, and also with the Allegretto of the Piano Sonata Opus 27 No. 2. In fact, the Trio more distinctly evokes the character of that Allegretto.

Biamonti 252 – Minuet and Trio – Reconstruction by Emanuele Stracchi

Biamonti 252 – Minuet and Trio – Reconstruction for orchestra by Willem

Biamonti 252 – Minuet and Trio in D Major,

Hypotheses on the possible reconstruction
By Emanuele Stracchi

Minuet in D, Biamonti 252.

This sketch is from the Landsberg 7-sketchbook, and therefore dates, like the Biamonti 228 and 249-sketches, from 1800.

At first sight there are several striking similarities between this sketch and the one for Biamonti 249: both are in D major, in both cases Beethoven indicates a contrapuntal writing in the first few bars, and both start with the same harmonic formula: I – VI – IV. This poses the question whether these may be different sketches for the same piece. The answer has to be an emphatic: no!

While in the case of Biamonti 249 the working out of the sketch results in a languishing decadence, the same technical features give rise to something very different in the case of Biamonti 252, namely the majesty and splendour of a George Frederic Handel.

Beethoven had become familiar with the works by Handel through Baron van Swieten, the Dutch ambassador to Vienna, who was a big fan of baroque composers like J.S. Bach and Handel. Beethoven was deeply impressed by Handel, whom he regarded even more highly than Mozart.

It’s therefore not surprising that Beethoven attempted an orchestral piece in the manner of Handel as early as 1800. Eventually he would write such a piece only 22 years later: the Overture for the Consecration of the House, op.124.

The learnedness of the writing of the Biamonti 252 Minuet contrasts sharply with the apparent silliness of its Trio. In the sketch the Trio is little more than a single motif, repeated 24 times. Two additional notes hint at a counter melody. When worked out, the Trio takes on a pastoral mood.

It’s possible that the three sketches, Biamonti 228, 249 and 252, were intended for a dance-cycle like the Minuets WoO 7, or German Dances, WoO 8, from 1795. If that’s so, then they seem to be a new departure, since they are of a heavier build, and more intellectual.

Completion by Willem. World premiere for the Unheard Beethoven.

Karl L. Mikulicz: A Pioneer in Beethoven Sketchbook Studies

Karl L. Mikulicz was a distinguished early 20th-century scholar whose name is closely associated with the publication and decipherment of Beethoven’s sketchbooks, particularly the Landsberg 7 manuscript. His work is notable for its methodical reproduction of Beethoven’s jottings, which he approached with both philological rigor and editorial sensitivity.

In a 1927 facsimile edition, Mikulicz published the Landsberg 7 sketchbook, a crucial source containing early material for works such as the String Quartets Op. 18. His edition remains one of the earliest attempts to present Beethoven’s sketches in a faithful visual format, preserving the layout, ink density, and even the smudges and corrections that reveal Beethoven’s compositional process.

Mikulicz advocated what he called the “ideal solution” for sketchbook publication: A complete facsimile reproduction accompanied by a detailed decipherment and commentary, allowing scholars to compare the original manuscript with a modern transcription and analytical notes.

This approach was later echoed by institutions such as the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn and the Glinka Museum in Moscow, which continued the tradition of publishing Beethoven’s sketchbooks in multi-volume editions combining facsimile, transcription, and commentary. Though Mikulicz may not be widely known outside specialist circles, his contribution laid the groundwork for modern Beethoven research, especially in the study of unrealized fragments and compositional evolution.

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