This concerto was written for the renowned violin virtuoso Franz Clement, who gave the first performance during an Akademie held on 23 December 1806 at the Theater an der Wien. The autograph manuscript, preserved in the Nationalbibliothek in Vienna, bears the humorous inscription: “Concerto par Clemenza pour Clement, primo violino / e direttore al teatro a Vienna / dal L. v. Bthvn 1806.” Sketches for the work are found among a number of leaves described by Nottebohm, which also contain drafts of the Fifth Symphony and the Cello and Piano Sonata, Op. 69.

The concerto, composed, by all appearances, in a relatively short period and completed only a few days before its première, bears the character of an impulsive and spontaneous creation. Soloist and orchestra are united by a gently affectionate musical sentiment; one might say that the soloist—aside from displays of virtuosity—merely echoes and elevates the orchestral phrasing into the realm of purer melodiousness. This phrasing, rich in articulation yet unambiguous in expression, forms the heart of the ensemble writing. It is this, above all, that defines the character of the first movement, in which the structural role played by the rhythm—announced from the outset by the timpani—is of particular importance, underpinning both principal thematic elements.

The height of melodic expressiveness is reached at the close of the recapitulation, when the soloist, following the ad libitum bravura cadenza, reintroduces the second theme in the lower strings, leading into the final coda.

The second movement is marked by a splendid outpouring of melody. The opening section, dominated by the orchestra with four successive statements of the theme, may at first seem somewhat static in character, despite its various instrumental colourings and the violin’s ornamental lines. Yet from this emerges an inspired song in the solo violin, before which the other orchestral voices gradually fall away, eventually leaving the soloist to sing ever more freely, unimpeded.

This spell is then abruptly broken by a brief, assertive passage that introduces the Rondo, which unfolds upon a theme both robust and graceful, dance-like in its character. Among the various episodes, one, cast in the minor mode and bearing the qualities of a romantic song, recalls, in character if not in actual material, the second movement of the String Quartet Op. 59 No. 1, as well as the finale of the String Quartet Op. 95.

Official title: Opus 61 Konzert (D-dur) für Violine und Orchester Widmung: Stephan von Breuning NGA III/4 AGA 29 = Serie 4/1 SBG X/2 („Urfassungen“ der Solostimme)

Composed, according to Beethoven’s autograph date on the manuscript score, in 1806. The solo violin part was extensively revised when the concerto was prepared for publication in 1808. The original Viennese edition, in orchestral parts, was published at the beginning of 1809 by the Kunst- und Industrie-Comptoir in Vienna and Pest; the original London edition, also in parts, appeared in August/September 1810 through Clementi & Co.

Carl Czerny wrote the following about the composition of the concerto: „Beethoven componirte dieses Concert (vielleicht sein grösstes und schönstes) in sehr kurzer Zeit für den Violinisten Franz Clement, im Jahr 1808 [!], von dem es auch, kaum 2 Tage nach seiner Vollendung, mit grösster Wirkung produziert wurde“ (Czerny/Klavierschule p. 117). Although Czerny mistakenly recalls the wrong year, it is indeed true that Beethoven composed the concerto in great haste, with little time at his disposal. Examination of the ink used in the autograph score confirms that the manuscript was written at the end of November 1806.

This left the composer with only a few weeks before the first performance, which took place on 23 December 1806. However, the only surviving sketch may have been written earlier, during Beethoven’s stay with Prince Lichnowsky in Silesia at the end of the summer (Kojima/Op. 61 p. 102). After completing a clean copy of the full score, Beethoven added an alternative version of the solo violin part, containing numerous virtuosic passages.

Shin Augustinus Kojima was able to demonstrate that, contrary to earlier views (e.g. Nottebohm/Beethoveniana II, p. 587), this version was written neither before nor immediately after the premiere with the help of Franz Clement, but only six months later, in May/June 1807, in connection with the preparation of the piano arrangement (Kojima/Op. 61, pp. 103–108; on Clement’s influence on the composition, see also Stowell/Op. 61, pp. 20–29).

Nonetheless, whether these additions to the autograph score constitute an independent second version remains a matter of debate, even though Willy Hess included it in the “original versions” of the solo part in the SBG edition. The engraving model for the original Viennese edition—containing both the solo violin and the piano reduction parts—was probably produced between June and August 1807.

The violin part appears here in a new version, incorporating both the original autograph text and the alternative passages noted therein. Questions regarding the authenticity of this version have occasionally been raised (Kaiser/Op. 61), but it is now regarded as the final version (see especially Kojima/Op. 61, Del Mar/Op. 61).

For Beethoven’s efforts to bring Opp. 58–62 to the German, Austrian, English, and French markets simultaneously, see the entry on Opus 58. In the end, however, only the Kunst- und Industrie-Comptoir in Vienna acquired all six works (in June 1807), publishing them in quick succession (numbers 580 to 596) in 1808. Yet, in the Wiener Zeitung, the publisher advertised only the piano version, issued under the same imprint and plate number (10 August 1808), while the original version for violin (together with Op. 60) was first listed in April 1809 among the works available from Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig.