Biamonti 628 – Note for a March Passage, 1815

Sketchbook page: 51 (Nottebohm, Zweite Beethoveniana, p. 328)

This brief sketch, consisting of a simple rhythmic motif, is likely related to the March in D major, WoO 24 (Biamonti 653). It may have served as a preparatory rhythmic cell for a larger orchestral work, possibly intended for military or ceremonial use. Nottebohm had already identified it as a probable reference to a parade march appearing later in the sketchbook, noting that it indicates the rhythm to be observed.

New Findings from the Beethoven Research Centre (October 2025): Closer analysis of the Scheide Sketchbook, page 51, has revealed new details: Beethoven writes the fragment twice—first in ink with a fine, delicate hand, and then again in pencil, more boldly.

Significantly, above the first version appears the instruction: “Auf jede Note einen Schritt” (“one step per note”).

This newly noted annotation offers a direct link between rhythm and physical motion, underscoring the fragment’s connection to marching and reinforcing its role as a functional rhythmic prototype for the March in D major, WoO 24. The presence of the same material in two forms—ink and pencil—suggests Beethoven was actively experimenting with both the notation and conceptual clarity of this rhythmic idea.

This finding enriches our understanding of Beethoven’s compositional process and provides concrete evidence of his intent to synchronise musical rhythm with coordinated physical movement, an element particularly relevant in military or ceremonial contexts.