Hess 296 – Short Violin Cadenza for Léon de Saint Lubin (Lost)

The original manuscript of this brief musical fragment—two lines penciled by Beethoven for the violinist Léon de Saint Lubin, who had performed a solo during the October 3, 1822 presentation of Die Weihe des Hauses (see Hess 118)—was once held at the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna. However, Hess reported in 1954 that he could no longer locate it.

Hess and Green describe the piece as: “Short Cadenza for Léon de Saint-Lubin. Unpublished. The manuscript belongs to the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Sm 3154). Two lines of music written in pencil by Beethoven.”

Beneath the musical notation, Saint-Lubin inscribed: “Beethovens Notenschrift. — Cadenz, die er mir aufschrieb, als ich am 3. Oktober 1822 bey Eröffnung des k. k. privaten Theaters in der Josephstadt ein Violinsolo von ihm vortung.” (Beethoven’s handwriting. — A cadenza he wrote for me when I performed a violin solo by him at the opening of the Imperial and Royal Private Theater in Josephstadt on October 3, 1822.)

Unfortunately, during Hess’s visit to Vienna in 1954, the manuscript could not be found, preventing further analysis. Thanks to Thomas Leibnitz of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, we now know that the manuscript went missing during an inventory conducted in 1948 and has yet to be recovered.

Biographical Note: Léon de Saint Lubin

Born in Turin, Saint-Lubin was the son of a French language teacher. He relocated to Hamburg at the age of four, where he began his studies in violin and harp. From 1814 to 1817, he received violin instruction in Dresden from Giovanni Battista Polledro (1781–1853), a pupil of Pugnani.

In 1817, Saint-Lubin traveled to Berlin and Dresden, and in 1818 moved to Frankfurt am Main to study under Louis Spohr. By 1820, he had settled in Vienna, where he was warmly received. In 1823, he was appointed concertmaster at the Josephstädter Theater, and in 1824 became Kapellmeister.

Later, he taught music in Hungary at the estate of Count L. Festetics, striving to refine his virtuosity in the style of Paganini. In 1830, he was named concertmaster at the Königsstädtische Theater in Berlin, a position he held until 1847.

Saint-Lubin hosted chamber music gatherings and concerts at his home, featuring renowned artists such as Spohr, Liszt, Servais, and Mendelssohn. In addition to virtuosic violin works, he composed Lieder and songs praised by Robert Schumann, as well as violin duets, piano trios, string quartets, quintets, and an octet for winds and strings. After a prolonged illness, he passed away in Berlin on February 13, 1850.