Biamonti 645 – Beginning of Various Scottish and Irish Folk Songs, circa 1815
Biamonti 645 – Beginning of various Scottish and Irish popular songs, circa 1815. The original manuscript is located in the library of the Paris Conservatoire (Max Unger 106/65). We are not able to provide further information.
New updates from the Beethovenian Musical Research Centre (January 2026). They are found in the National Library of France, Gallica collection, ms. 65. The manuscript consists of a bifolio in long format with 12 staves. Max Unger describes it as follows: “Vermerke von Anfänger verschiedener schottischer und irischer Volkslieder. – 2Bl., Querfolio, 4 SS mit Blei beschrieben. Auf der 1. S. Rechts oben von A. Schindlers Hand der Vermerk: ‘Anfang verschiedener schottischer u. Irischer Lieder von Beethovens Hand notirt.” [Notes of beginnings of various Scottish and Irish folk songs. – 2 leaves, oblong format, 4 pages written in pencil. On the first page, upper right, in A. Schindler’s hand, the note: “Beginning of various Scottish and Irish songs noted by Beethoven’s hand.”]
In the description by the curators of the Gallica collection we instead find this other description: “Incipits of the ‘Schottische Lieder’ op. 108, with attempts at different numbering systems with the aim of choosing the order of the pieces for the Berlin edition: A. Schlesinger, 1820; the continuation of these attempts is found in D‑BNba NE 43. – Autograph manuscript in pencil. – Staff paper with 12 staves of 8 × 250 mm per page (space between staves: 8 mm). – Bluish paper.”
The numbering begins on folio 2‑verso and ends on folio 1‑verso; folio 2‑recto, instead, is almost empty with only a writing above the first staff. Beethoven numbers the 25 songs complete with incipits. Beethoven’s numbering, however, does not correspond to that of the printed edition; at times we find two different incipits on the same staff. The pencil writing, half‑erased by time, hurried and superimposed on indications of tempo, nonetheless makes deciphering problematic.
Probably the second leaf should be the first, so that the numbering may proceed in ascending order. Another classification of the same Lieder is found at the Beethoven‑Haus in manuscript NE 43.
