Biamonti 813 – Sketches Probably Intended for the First Movement of the String Quartet in B-flat Major, Opus 130
The musical examples and texts on this page are by Graziano Denini
Biamonti 813 – Sketches Probably Intended for the First Movement of the String Quartet in B-flat Major, Opus 130. February – August 1825 (Deroda, page 90)
These sketches, like others in this section, are housed at the Beethoven-Haus in the De Roda Sketchbook.
On pages 90–91 of his analytical book A Notebook of Beethoven Autographs from 1825, De Roda writes about these four fragments:
“There are also some brief studies on these pages, without direct relation to what was later used. The following ones, derived from the same idea, are interesting for the persistence with which they appear in the early pages and for their analogy with number 70 of these entries, corresponding to the first movement of the B-flat quartet, Op. 130.” […] “For the opening movement [of the Quartet Op. 130], there are no other notes than those verified in the appropriate location.”
Fragment “a”: Located on folio 4-recto, staves 4–5 (first half of the staff)
Fragment “b”: Located on folio 4-recto, staves 4–5 (second half of the staff)
These two sketches were likely written at different times and certainly with different pencils: – The first with a light pencil – The second, later, with a pencil of much sharper and more defined quality
Fragment “a”: Located on folio 4-recto, staves 4–5 (first half of the staff)
Fragment “b”: Located on folio 4-recto, staves 4–5 (second half of the staff). These two sketches were likely written at different times and certainly with different pencils: – The first with a light pencil – The second, later, with a pencil of much sharper and more defined quality
Fragment “c”: Located on folio 6-recto, staves 1–4 Here, the pencil from fragment “a” returns.
Fragment “d”: Also on folio 6-recto, staves 7–8 Like fragment “b,” this fourth sketch is written with a more precise and high-performance pencil. Contrary to De Roda’s claim, I believe the fragment ends at the second measure and does not continue. Beneath this fragment, we find an original inscription that De Roda translates as: “three more times and then 70”
