Biamonti 720 – Fragment in G major, late December 1819 – early January 1820. Probably for piano Source: BH 107, page 30 (Sch. G. page 44)

On this page one can see a pocket sketchbook from the winter of 1819/1820, in which Beethoven sketched primarily ideas for the Missa solemnis Op. 123, especially for the Credo. The pocket sketchbooks were smaller than the others, since Beethoven carried them in his coat when going out, so he could immediately jot down musical ideas. For this reason, the annotations in the pocket sketchbooks are almost entirely in pencil, not ink.

Just below the middle of the first page, Beethoven himself wrote: “noch von 1819 vom Credo” (still from 1819 for the Credo)

Beethoven preserved all his sketches carefully until his death. Did he add this note later in order to organize the notebook chronologically? Is the annotation reliable, or did Beethoven misdate the material? The date can only be partially confirmed by the genesis of the Mass and the sketch material, since some sketches were made later.

In addition to the sketches for the Missa solemnis, the notebook contains other annotations, related to people surrounding Beethoven in the years 1819/1820. These small works are particularly useful for dating: on pages 28 and 29, there is a canon with the text: Dr. Alois Weißenbach was a professor in Salzburg. In October 1819, Beethoven decided to send his nephew to Salzburg to study with him. On November 15, 1819, Weißenbach wrote Beethoven a letter about this. The canon was probably not written before receiving the letter, i.e., not before late November 1819.

On page 30 (see image), this small fragment in G major, Biamonti 720, is written. It appears almost complete, at least in its melodic part. The notes are heavily faded. It features a Da Capo indicated by Beethoven. The fair copy transcription is by Sieghard Brandenburg: Beethoven. Skizzenbuch aus den Jh. 1819/20 SV81 (BH I/34) – Drei Skizzenbücher zur Missa solemnis. I: Ein Skizzenbuch aus den Jahren 1819/20, SV 81. Faksimile. [Ms. Beethovenhaus, Bonn, SBH 665]. Veröffentlichungen des Beethoven-Hauses, I/34. Bonn, 1952–1968.

Another annotation on page 32 concerns another person connected to Beethoven: “Sanct petrus ist ein Fels” (Saint Peter is a rock) – WoO 175. This refers to Karl Peters, tutor to Prince Lobkowitz. Peters appears frequently in Beethoven’s conversation books from that winter. For example, in early January 1820, he writes: “Schade um Ihren Canon der ist vielleicht schon verwischt / Er hätte mich verewigt.” (Too bad about your canon, it may already be smudged / It would have immortalized me.)

On page 33, another canon is written: “Wähner Es ist kein Wahn” (Wähner, it is no illusion) – Hess 301. Dedicated to the writer Friedrich Wähner, who also appears several times in the conversation books from that same winter.

Finally, another figure from Beethoven’s life appears among the Mass sketches: On the penultimate page, the note: “Geh’ Bauer” (Go, Bauer) – a pun on the name Gebauer. This refers to Franz Xaver Gebauer, choir master and organizer of the “Concerts spirituels.” Gebauer also writes in his own hand in a conversation book dated around April 10, 1820. Thus, not all the material is from “1819,” as Beethoven wrote on the first page—some of it actually dates to spring 1820.

 Related Sketches:

• SV 81 – for Op. 123
• Hess 300, 301
• Biamonti 720

• WoO 175