Biamonti 255 – Una scena stromentale, Approximate Date: 1800 Page 134, lines 1–8 of the Landsberg 7 Sketchbook, corresponding to page 124 in Mikulicz’s edition.
The musical examples and texts on this page are by Graziano Denini.
Biamonti 255 – An Instrumental Scene, Approximate Date: 1800
Page 134, lines 1–8 of the Landsberg 7 Sketchbook, corresponding to page 124 in Mikulicz’s edition.
At the end of this page—and in the immediately preceding and following pages—there are extensive sketches for the Funeral March of the Piano Sonata Opus 26.
This sketch is found on page 134 of the Landsberg 7 Sketchbook and is defined by Beethoven himself as “una scena stromentale” (an instrumental scene). It occupies the entire page, except for the last two staves, where—starting from the middle of the staff—Beethoven begins working on the third movement of the Second Symphony Op. 36, a task he continues on the following pages.
Throughout the second half of this sketchbook, from page 73 to the end, Beethoven also works on music for the ballet “Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus” (The Creatures of Prometheus), Op. 43. Therefore, this page might plausibly be a discarded sketch for a scene from the ballet.
Prometheus and the Awakening of the Elemental Spirit
Scene inspired by Biamonti 255 – An Instrumental Scene
Setting: A twilight cavern at the edge of Mount Olympus. Flickering shadows dance across jagged rocks. Prometheus, alone, approaches a dormant figure—an elemental spirit yet untouched by divine fire.
Music: The sketch in F minor begins with a hesitant, searching motif. The strings whisper a question; the winds respond with trembling uncertainty. The rhythm falters, as if the music itself is unsure whether to proceed.
Choreography: Prometheus steps forward slowly, his gestures deliberate. He raises his hand, and with a sudden burst of orchestral tension, the spirit stirs. The music swells—briefly—then collapses into silence. The awakening is incomplete.
Narrative: This is not triumph, but struggle. The “instrumental scene” is not celebratory—it is a moment of existential doubt. Prometheus, bearer of fire, confronts the limits of his gift. The spirit, half-awake, recoils from the light. The music reflects this: fragmented phrases, unresolved harmonies, a dance that never quite begins.
Interpretation: Beethoven’s sketch, with its abrupt shifts and unfinished gestures, becomes a metaphor for creation interrupted. In the context of the ballet, it could represent a rejected variation—a spirit too wild, too melancholic, to join the chorus of Enlightenment.