Biamonti 505 – Unused Piano Sketches, ca. 1809 More accurately: “Sketches for Bagatelle Opus 119 No. 6,” ca. 1821.

These sketches are found among Beethoven’s papers preserved at the Library of the Conservatoire de Paris, on a sheet that also contains sketches for a “Gloria in excelsis” and a “Dona nobis pacem”, which, apparently, are not related to either the Mass in C major Op. 86 or the Missa Solemnis Op. 123. Described by Max Unger (M.U., pages 104/58 and 118).

New considerations from the Beethoven Music Research Center (May 2024): According to the cataloging by Max Unger of Beethoven’s manuscripts held in Paris at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, this sketch is listed as ms. 58d. The manuscript consists of a single sheet with 20 staves, written in pencil. The dating is not as identified by Biamonti (i.e., 1809), but rather should be placed around 1820–1821.

Unger writes in his catalog of the Paris manuscripts: “Unbenutzte Entwürfe für Klavier und theoretische Versuche (Auszüge aus Lehrbüchern?)” [“Unused sketches for piano and theoretical experiments (excerpts from textbooks?)”] The second page of this sheet is entirely occupied by a sketch already in an advanced stage of the Bagatelle Op. 119 No. 6. It is likely that another sheet originally followed this one, where the final portion of the Bagatelle would have been found. The handwriting is fairly clear—indicating that the composition was already well underway—but in some places the pencil markings are faded and not always legible. To verify the accuracy of the transcription, the editors also consulted the printed version. Regarding this sixth Bagatelle: The original manuscript is held at the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek in Berlin. The period is likely 1820–1821. A completed sketch is found on a sheet that also contains material for “Judicare vivos et mortuos” from the Missa Solemnis.