Opus 45, 3 Marches in C major, E flat major and D major for piano 4 hands
I) Allegro ma non troppo – II) Vivace – III) Vivace
Opus 45 Three Marches in C major, E-flat major, and D major for piano four hands, op. 45, dedicated to Princess Maria Esterhazy. (Princess Maria of Liechtenstein (1768-1845), married in 1783 to Prince Nicolaus Esterhazy (Haydn’s “master”), to whom Beethoven later dedicated his first Mass in C major, op. 86.) 1802-1803, published in Vienna, Bureau d’arts et d’industrie, March GA. no. 121 (series 15/2) – B. 45 – KH. 45 – L. II, p. 241 – N. 45 – T. 107
The original manuscript is lost. The sketches can be found in the Eroica notebook described by Nottebohm. The first two marches date from 1802, the third from 1803.
According to Ries’s account of the somewhat amateurish musical gatherings held at Count Browne’s residence, during which the idea for these marches (at least the first two) was suggested to Beethoven by the Count himself, we can easily imagine how they belonged to a typical genre of “social music.”
This does not detract from the fact that Beethoven also left a personal imprint: this is proven by the judgment of the critic from the Leipziger Musikalischer Zeitung of June 20, 1804 (year VI, no. 38), who found the three marches, despite their simplicity, to be conceived and born in a strange, almost bizarre mood, so that a gradual acclimatization was necessary for them to be well understood. Later, De Lenz would recognize in them “the faults of the marches of Dussek, Ries, Moscheles, Czerny, and even Schubert.”
The marches consist of a brief first part, schematically expository; a second, broader section which develops the thematic elements of the first and enriches them with new episodes; and a Trio with themes and rhythmic figures different and almost opposed to those of the preceding parts.
But each march has its own character: the first is robustly square in a typical 4/4 rhythm with a relaxing two-part melodic trio; the second is more impetuous, with a pomp we might call Napoleonic, featuring the effect of rolling drums in the Trio; the third, in cut time, alternates ringing fanfare rhythms with more nourished melodic and harmonic developments and movements.
The Sonata in D major op. 6, the eight Variations on the Count Waldstein’s theme, the song with variations Ich denke dein, and the three marches in question are the only—and none extraordinarily demanding—compositions for piano four hands written by Beethoven. (The Great Fugue op. 134 from 1826 is a transcription of the original string quartet op. 133).)
Official title: Opus 45 Drei Märsche (C-dur, Es-dur, D-dur) für Klavier zu vier Händen Widmung: Maria Josepha Hermenegild Fürstin Esterhazy von Galäntha NGA VII/1 AGA 121 = Serie 15/2
Composition and Publication; It is possible that two of the marches were composed before November 1802, and the third shortly thereafter. In September 1803, Beethoven offered all three compositions to Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig. However, the original edition was published in March 1804 by the Kunst-und Industrie-Comptoir in Vienna.
There is some evidence that at least two of the three marches were written during Beethoven’s summer stay in Heiligenstadt near Vienna in 1802, which lasted until the end of October. Ferdinand Ries reports in his Biographischen Notizen: „Dieser Marsch [ein von Ries improvisierter, den er dem Publikum scherzhaft als von Beethoven stammend vorgetragen hatte] veranlaßte übrigens das Gute, daß Graf Browne gleich die Composition dreier Märsche zu vier Händen, welche der Fürstinn Esterhazy gewidmet wurden (Opus 45), von Beethoven begehrte“ (Wegeler/Ries p. 91).
Ries does not give a date.
In a letter once owned by Sieghard Brandenburg, dated summer 1802 and possibly written in October of that year, Beethoven writes to Ries from Heiligenstadt:„Haben sie die Güte mir zu berichten, ob’s wahr ist, daß Gr. [af] Browne die 2 Märsche schon zum Stich gegeben — mir liegt drann es zu wissen; — ich erwart unausgesezt die Wahrheit von ihnen – nach heilgstadt Brauchen sie nicht zu kommen, indem ich keine Zeit zu verliehren habe“ (BGA 96).
At the time, there were rumours that Johann Georg Reichsgraf von Browne-Camus (1767–1827) had sold two of the march manuscripts to a publisher, in breach of Beethoven’s rights and without his knowledge. Breitkopf & Härtel likely alluded to this rumour in a letter dated 20 November 1802, which, in connection with a pirated edition of Op. 29, noted: «ein ähnlicher Fall mit einem dem Grafen Browne überlassenen Werke pp. schon Aufmerksamkeit erregt hat» (BGA 112; see also BGA 119 and 120).
That these were in fact two of the three marches of Op. 45 is confirmed by a letter from Kaspar Karl van Beethoven to Breitkopf & Härtel dated 5 December. In it, he refers them to the Kunst-und Industrie-Comptoir for further information: „Wegen Grf Braun verlange ich, das Sie sich an die Kunst- und Industriehandlung in Wien um Auskunft wenden, denn mir ist es zu unbedeutend mich hierüber weiter auszulassen“ (BGA 119).
In 1837, Ferdinand Ries described the rumour as: „eine grade Lüge“ (BGA 96 note 4).
It is unknown whether the third march was also written in Heiligenstadt or only after Beethoven returned to Vienna at the end of October 1802. Carl Czerny informed Gustav Nottebohm that all three marches were composed in Vienna between November 1802 and April 1803 (Nottebohm/Landsberg 6, p. 77). According to Katherine Syer, this statement may also refer to revision work (Syer/Landsberg 6, p. 174). The dating of two of the marches to 1802 is debated considering sketch studies. Johnson, Tyson, and Winter date the sketches in the so-called “Landsberg 6” notebook to the summer of 1803, based on the observation that there is no temporal overlap in usage with the previous “Wielhorsky” sketchbook. These scholars therefore presume — despite the aforementioned evidence — that the marches Beethoven gave to Count Browne were likely other compositions now lost and never published (JTW p. 140f).
Katherine Syer, however, offers a possible explanation, suggesting that the sketches in “Landsberg 6” may have been written well before the notebook was actively in use — and thus possibly in 1802 (Syer/Landsberg 6, pp. 168–181; see also Lockwood-Gosman in Landsberg 6).
In September 1803, Beethoven offered Breitkopf & Härtel, among other works, the three marches Op. 45: „3) Drey Märsche zu Vier Händen, die leicht, aber doch nicht ganz klein sind, wovon aber der leztere so groß ist, daß er der Marsch dreyer Märsche heißen kann“ (BGA 158).
However, no contract was signed.
Dedication: The marches were dedicated to Maria Josepha Hermenegild, Princess Esterházy von Galántha, née Princess of Liechtenstein, born 13 April 1768 and deceased 8 August 1845. She was the daughter of Prince Franz Joseph of Liechtenstein (1726–1781) and Princess Maria Leopoldine, née Countess of Sternberg (1733–1800), and sister of Field Marshal Prince Johann Joseph von Liechtenstein (1760–1836).
Prince Esterházy — who had employed Joseph Haydn from 1794 — was one of the great patrons of the arts and sciences in the Habsburg monarchy. He established a library of approximately 20,000 volumes, a public collection of paintings and engravings, and a mineral cabinet (BGA 291, Note 1). He was also among the subscribers to Beethoven’s Op. 1.
He belonged to the Theater-Unternehmung-Gesellschaft, which included Joseph von Schwarzenberg, Franz Joseph Maximilian Lobkowitz, Counts Franz and Franz Nikolaus Esterházy, Ferdinand Pálffy von Erdödy, Hieronymus Lodron, and Stephan Zichy. In January 1807, this group assumed control of the two court theatres (the Burgtheater and Kärntnertortheater) as well as the Theater an der Wien, where Beethoven hoped to secure a position.
For his wife’s name day, Esterházy commissioned Beethoven’s Mass in C major, Op. 86, which was performed on 13 September 1807.
In the summer of 1804, Beethoven lived in the Rotes Haus, an apartment complex owned by the Esterházy family on the edge of the glacis in Alservorstadt. The house at Walfischgasse 1087, where Beethoven lived in the winter of 1809–1810, also belonged to a member of the Esterházy family, Count Nikolaus Esterházy.
In May 1823, Beethoven invited Prince Esterházy to subscribe to the Missa solemnis (BGA 1660), but the prince declined (BGA 1674).
First Performance: The date of the first performance is unknown. Ferdinand Ries mentions a small concert held at Count Browne’s residence, during which he performed two of the marches, but does not provide a specific date (Wegeler/Ries p. 91f).
Sketches: The sketches for the marches are preserved in the Kraków collection: PL-Kj, Mus. SM. autogr. Beethoven Landsberg 6 (“Eroica”), pp. 44–47 and 57–58. Their dating is uncertain: possibly the last months of 1802 or summer 1803. Original Edition, Date: March 1804. Publisher: Kunst-und Industrie-Comptoir (Bureau d’Arts et d’Industrie), Vienna. Publisher Number: VN/PN 358. Title Page: TROIS GRANDES MARCHES / pour le Pianoforte, à quatre mains, / composées et dediées / à son Altesse, / Madame la Princesse regnante d’Esterhazy.
