Hess 207 – “Bolero a due,” a Spanish Folk Song (Schünemann No. 20; see also entry No. 164 in this catalog)

Cataloging Notes: The C/C Catalog, p. 271, states: “A slightly different early version of WoO 158, Group 1, No. 19 is also known. Hess Catalog No. 207 erroneously describes it as an early version of WoO 158, Group 1, No. 20.” However, Cooper later revised his position in a subsequent publication (C/F, p. 229), describing it as a “primitive sketch of WoO 158, Group 1, No. 20.” (See also entry No. 164 in this catalog.)

Manuscript Provenance and Reconstruction: The Beethoven-Haus holds the first half of this song in a different elaboration. Refer to: L. Schiedermair, Veröffentlichungen des Beethovenhauses, Vol. VI, Bonn, 1930, pp. 17–18, where the fragment is reproduced. According to a letter from Samuel Geiser, the second half of the piece was auctioned in 1953 from the Kux Collection (Chur, Switzerland) in Lucerne, for 2,950 Swiss francs, and later also arrived in Bonn. Thus, after nearly a century, the two parts of the autograph manuscript are once again reunited in the same location.

Autograph Annotation: At the bottom of one page of the autograph, in Anton Schindler’s handwriting, the following inscription appears: “Handschrift von L. van Beethoven. Mitgetheilt der Frau Dokter G. Görres von A. Schindler. Aachen im Juny 1845” (“Manuscript by L. van Beethoven. Shared with Dr. G. Görres by A. Schindler. Aachen, June 1845”). It is therefore highly probable that Schindler himself divided the manuscript to satisfy autograph collectors. See also entry No. 79 in the Schmidt-Görg Catalog.

Historical and Musical Context: Julia Ronge, writing for the Beethoven-Haus website, notes: The autograph score of an arrangement of a Spanish Bolero, taken from the WoO 158 series, is visible here. Between 1803 and 1820, Beethoven arranged a total of 126 Scottish, Irish, and Welsh songs for the Scottish publisher and folk song collector George Thomson. Thomson inspired Beethoven to do the same with melodies from other countries, selected by the composer himself, and arranged for voice and piano trio. Although Thomson acquired the rights to the Lieder verschiedener Völker (“Songs of Various Peoples”) in November 1818, these works were never published.

Musical Details: Song No. 20 is the second Bolero in the WoO 158 collection. It begins on the second page of the manuscript. Beethoven titled the piece: “Bolero a due No. 2.” The first page contains the final bars of the preceding song (WoO 158 No. 19), also a Bolero—likely included to preserve the correct sequence of songs. Both manuscripts arrived at the Beethoven-Haus via different paths, and were likely separated in the mid-19th century. Each bears an authenticity certification handwritten by Anton Schindler: The first dated 1831. The second dated 1845.