Official title: Opus 108 25 Schottische Lieder für eine oder mehrere Singstimmen mit Begleitung von Klavier, Violine (Flöte) und Violoncello Widmung: Anton Heinrich Fürst von Radziwill NGA XI/1 AGA 257 = Serie 24/1

Creation and publication: Beethoven composed the songs published in the Op. 108 collection and those in the WoO 152–158 collections in several stages between 1810 and 1820 in Vienna. Regarding Op. 108, the songs were composed from 1810 (piece no. 20 with a second version in 1813). In May 1815, another group was conceived (nos. 5, 6, 7, 10, 19, 24); in October 1815, pieces nos. 8, 12, 14, 15, 16 were completed; in January 1817, songs nos. 22 and 25; in February 1817, another group (nos. 1, 3, 4, 9, 13, 17, 21); and in February 1818, a final group (nos. 2, 18, 23). A part for flute was composed between July 1818 and May 1819. The original English edition of the 25 songs was published in August 1818 in Vol. 5 of Thomas Preston’s Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs in London and George Thomson in Edinburgh. The original German edition followed in July 1822 with Schlesinger in Berlin.

The Scottish music enthusiast and publisher George Thomson (1757–1851) first contacted Beethoven in July 1803 (letter BGA 149), asking whether the composer would be willing to compose sonatas using Scottish melodies. Although this project did not come to fruition, it initiated an extensive correspondence that over the years led to the composition of more than 160 Volkslied (folk songs), which were published in various collections of Scottish, Irish, or Welsh national songs launched by Thomson as early as 1793 (see also WoO 152–158).

Below is the genesis of Op. 108, also taking into account that (as confirmed in many letters) further commissions for other folk-song arrangements were entrusted to Beethoven and completed during the composition of this work. On July 1, 1806, Thomson first asked Beethoven whether he intended to compose Scottish songs for the collections published in the United Kingdom (BGA 253). Beethoven agreed (BGA 259), and Thomson subsequently sent 21 melodies to Vienna at the end of 1806 or the beginning of 1807, but this shipment was probably lost, possibly due to postal inefficiencies. On September 25, 1809, he sent 43 melodies (including the first 21), including the one for Op. 108 no. 20 (BGA 401). On July 17, 1810, Beethoven sent his realizations in triplicate and via separate routes to Edinburgh (BGA 457). When, after a year, none of the packages had arrived, Beethoven (who had also sent his autograph scores) asked Ignaz von Baumeister to retrieve the fair copy that the copyist had made for Archduke Rudolf so that it could be recopied (BGA 514). The copies were resent on July 20, 1811 (BGA 515). Thomson confirmed receipt on August 5, 1812 (BGA 590), but requested some modifications, including to Op. 108 no. 20. He cited technical difficulties as the reason: “la partie du piano forte est trop difficile, et contient trop de roulades pour être generalement jouée ici. […] je vous prie de composer des Rit.s et Accompagn.s à cet air d’un stile simple et coulant, comme la chanson est d’un caractere tout-a-fait – innocent et simple.”

The revision (BGA 623), sent on February 19, 1813, along with other second versions, did not reach Edinburgh until a year later—Thomson confirmed receipt on April 23, 1814 (BGA 713). In the same year, Thomson published the first volume of his collection A Select Collection of Original Irish Airs (with 29 Irish songs, WoO 152). On August 17, he sent more melodies to Vienna to be arranged, including those for Op. 108 nos. 5, 6, 7, 10, and 24 (BGA 730).

Beethoven took his time, sending a list of errors for the volume already published and simultaneously requesting an increase in his fee. Thomson accepted the requests on November 12, 1814, and in the same letter sent three new melodies, including that for Op. 108 no. 19 (BGA 754). In response, in January 1815, Beethoven announced that he had completed new arrangements. Although he had in fact already completed some of these arrangements, the letter contains one of Beethoven’s famous retroactive and euphemistic exaggerations: he probably completed the series only in the spring (“im Monath Maj 1815”). In any case, Beethoven did not deliver the shipment to the Fries bank until June 1815, which immediately sent it to Great Britain (BGA 813, June 10, 1815). Thomson confirmed receipt of the shipment a few weeks later, on August 20, 1815, including three new melodies in his reply, including those for Op. 108 no. 11 (BGA 825).

Beethoven completed the work on October 23, 1815 (dated “1815 den 23ten Weinmonath” and “1815 dans l’octobre”), and on November 4 delivered the pieces to the Bankhaus Fries. Thomson confirmed receipt of these songs on January 1, 1816, and sent additional pieces, including those for Op. 108 nos. 8, 12, 14, 15, and 16 (BGA 874). Beethoven worked quickly again: on May 2, 1816, he delivered a total of 24 compositions to the Fries bank and received payment (BGA 931). In his letter of July 8, 1816 (BGA 946), Thomson confirmed receipt of the delivery and sent seven melodies, including those for Op. 108 nos. 22 and 25. He also ordered more songs and announced the delivery of the second volume of Irish Airs, which contained only Beethoven’s arrangements (see WoO 152 and 153).

At the end of the year, Thomson informed Beethoven that he still needed two of the seven melodies sent in July (BGA 1018, December 20, 1816). This request was repeated on January 24, 1817 (BGA 1072) and specified with the incipits written in the letter (including Op. 108 no. 22). Beethoven wrote to Thomson on January 18, 1817, stating that he had already completed the arrangements of all seven melodies by the end of September 1816, but a serious illness had prevented him from completing the series to be sent to Fries for shipment. On June 25, Thomson acknowledged receipt of the two shipments of January 18 and February 26, noting that the piano part was “charmante,” but the violin part was “pour les Écossais, trop remplie de notes, trop difficile pour la main et la mesure, et trop éloignée du genre des Airs.” This was followed by a request from Thomson for a new violin part on December 28, 1817, together with the sending of three additional Scottish melodies, Op. 108 nos. 2, 18, and 23 (BGA 1207). Beethoven delivered the two new versions of the parts and the three new melodies on February 21, 1818 (dated “1818: le 15 février”).

English edition: Thomson confirmed receipt of Beethoven’s final shipment on June 22, 1818 (BGA 1262), though it must have arrived earlier, as only with the pieces contained in it could he publish all 25 Scottish song arrangements together in Vol. 5 of A Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs, which went to press in August (Stationers’ Hall, August 15, 1818). This edition formed the basis of the 1822 original German edition and became Op. 108. Thomson immediately sent Beethoven the freshly printed volume along with a request to check the alternative flute part prepared in Edinburgh and correct it if necessary (BGA 1262). He repeatedly urged Beethoven to revise this flute part: at the end of December 1818 (BGA 1275) and again, “très fâché,” on April 5, 1819 (BGA 1297). In a subsequent letter of November 23, 1819 (BGA 1357), the flute part is no longer mentioned; Beethoven had likely sent it by then—not a revision of the Scottish model, but his personal copy.

The 25 Beethoven song arrangements thus appeared in Vol. 5 of Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs, alongside five arrangements by Joseph Haydn, as nos. 201–230 (the volume also contained Henry Bishop’s cantata The Jolly Beggar).

Thomson published all volumes of his Select Collection, issued from 1793 by Thomas Preston in London. Each volume comprised three parts: a reduced score and separate violin and cello parts. The reduced score includes the piano part with the vocal line and, in some passages (e.g., at the beginning, before the vocal entry), also the accompanying parts. The score usually contains additional pages with illustrations, a preface, and an alphabetical index of melodies and texts, and in later volumes, a glossary of Scottish words (these sections are not complete in all copies). Pages of engraved music alternate with printed text pages (including additional stanzas or alternative texts). On this page (above and below this text) you can admire examples of these magnificent volumes, property of the Centro Ricerche Musicali: www.lvbeethoven.org.

Sketches, individual pieces, variants, texts, and authors will be made available on the pages dedicated to each individual work.