Biamonti 635 – Sonata in A major for piano, Opus 101: original ideas for the third movement, 1815

Page reference: page 85 (Nottebohm, II, page 343) Beethoven writes: “3tes Stück poco allegretto” (third piece poco allegretto).

It is found on page 77, line 1 of the Scheide Skizzenbuch; Biamonti erroneously assigns it to page 85. Biamonti, who certainly could not study the manuscript directly, based his entry on the indications written by Gustav Nottebohm in his volume Zweite Beethoveniana.

On page 342, Nottebohm illustrates the canon Beethoven wrote for the second part of the second movement (Lebhaft. Marschmässig. – Vivace. Alla marcia) of this sonata, which we find on page 85 of the Scheide Skizzenbuch, and then writes: “Während der Arbeit am zweiten Satz entstanden Andeutungen und Ansätze zu den letzten Sätzen der Sonate. Der dritte Satz sollte ursprünglich so beginnen.” (During the work on the second movement, hints and approaches to the final movements of the sonata emerged. The third movement was originally supposed to begin like this.) Immediately after, he illustrates this sketch. From here comes Biamonti’s error. Above this fragment, Beethoven writes: “3tes Stück” (third piece) and a little further: “poco All[egre]tto”

I am not convinced by Nottebohm’s transcription, which only indicates the melodic line, forgetting the bass clef part; Nottebohm writes: whereas for me it should be: