Biamonti 629 – Sketches for a Symphony, 1815 Biamonti 629 – Sketches for a Symphony, 1815, p. 51 (N., II, p. 329, without musical citation). They bear the following annotation: “Sinfonie erster Anfang in bloss 4 Stimmen 2 Viol. Viola, Basso dazwischen forte mit andern Stimmen u. wenn möglich jedes andere Instrument nach und nach eintreten lassen.” (Symphony at the beginning simply in 4 parts: 2 violins, viola, bass, in the middle forte with other parts, and if possible let every other instrument enter little by little.)

New information from the Beethoven Research Center (October 2025): This comment is found in the Scheide Sketchbook (on page 51, at the bottom), but it is not specified to which sketch it is connected. Nottebohm writes: “und eine bei einer liegengebliebenen Skizze vorkommende Bemerkung.” [and a remark that appears in a sketch that was left aside.]

On the same page we find three sketches:

• a rhythmic sketch for a March in 2/2, catalogued as Biamonti 628;
• a sketch in 3 or 4 voices, 12 measures long, in 3/4 and in B-flat major;
• a two-voice fragment of 6 measures in D major, also in 3/4, with a melodic motion very close to the character of an Irish song.

Apart from the first sketch, which we have already discussed in the previous number, both of the other sketches could be considered as the subject of Beethoven’s comment; in doubt, we present them both.