Hess 077 – Hess 078 – Two Cadenzas for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto in C Major, Op. 15 | Beethoven Music Research Center www.lvbeethoven.org

Hess 77 e 78 – Two Cadenzas for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto in C Major, Op. 15

Two Cadenzas for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto in C Major, Op. 15

Overview

Hess 77 is a cadenza intended for the first movement (Allegro con brio) of the concerto.
Hess 78 corresponds to the second movement (Adagio).
Both sketches are dated circa 1790, and represent a unique insight into Beethoven’s evolving pianistic expression and improvisational language.

Style and Purpose

Stylistically, the cadenzas reflect influences of Mozartian elegance, yet are marked by a more assertive and personal voice, indicative of Beethoven’s early experimentation.
According to Kalischer, these cadenzas may have been composed for Anna Fröhlich, a lesser-known pianist active in Beethoven’s Viennese circle.
Rather than finalized versions, they constitute sketches or alternative possibilities, revealing Beethoven’s interest in formal play and expressive nuance.

Among the most intriguing musical personalities of 19th-century Vienna was Anna Fröhlich, born in 1793 and passing in 1880. A woman of remarkable talent and charisma, she was a soprano, pianist, and teacher with deep ties to Vienna’s cultural life. The eldest of four musically gifted sisters, Anna stood out not just for her artistry but for the influential role she played in the city’s musical and educational circles.

Far more than a pedagogue at the Vienna Conservatory—where she trained generations of young singers and pianists—Fröhlich became a central figure in Vienna’s private musical salons. Spaces like those hosted by the Kiesewetter family regularly brought together prominent artists and enthusiastic amateurs, and her own home was equally celebrated as a hub of chamber music and spirited artistic dialogue.

Anna was closely connected to the circle of Franz Schubert, embodying the intimacy and creativity that defined early Romantic musical life in Vienna. Music historians acknowledge how she and her sisters helped elevate the art of song interpretation at a time when the German Lied was flourishing.

Some sources even speculate that Beethoven may have dedicated the cadenzas Hess 77 and Hess 78 to her, hinting at a direct artistic bond. Although documentation is scarce, the hypothesis opens an exciting window into Beethoven’s interactions with the vibrant community of women musicians in early 19th-century Vienna.

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