Inquiry into the Authorship of Beethoven’s Divertimenti for Harp

Although Beethoven was not particularly inclined to compose for the harp, this instrument was, in his time, among the most widely used—on par with the piano and the harpsichord. The period witnessed a feverish race toward organological innovation, aimed at enabling the harp, through the use of pedals, to perform music of increasing chromatic complexity. The Variations on a Swiss Air, WoO 64, composed by Beethoven in 1790 and published in 1798, stand as tangible evidence of the musical habits of the era. Intended for the harp, these variations bear a double attribution—harp/harpsichord—since composers, pianists, and harpsichordists were often capable of playing the harp as well. According to Luigi Della Croce, these Variations were proposed to Beethoven by his composition teacher, Neefe, as an exercise. At that time, the harp was the instrument most favored by both aristocracy and royalty—initially in the German-speaking world, and soon after becoming the most fashionable instrument throughout Europe.

A further proof of the coexistence and interchangeability between piano and harp is found in a letter dated 1796, in which Beethoven wrote to a piano maker expressing his desire to modify the instrument so as to differentiate it more distinctly from the harp. In addition to this, there exists a second letter, written under entirely different circumstances much later, addressed to the harpist and conductor Franz Stockhausen (1792–1868), in which Beethoven requested financial support for his composition.

Equally significant is the testimony offered by the numerous contemporary transcriptions of works by the most celebrated composers, including Beethoven. This practice of transcribing even operatic arias for solo instruments undoubtedly harks back to earlier historical periods, when it was taken for granted that different instruments could tackle the same repertoire (keyboard, lute, and vihuela).

Before asserting that Beethoven’s only works for harp remain the Variations and, as is well known, the harp part in The Creatures of Prometheus (1801), we must consider another manuscript of music attributed to him, containing the Three Divertimenti for Harp. These have recently come to light thanks to the research of Michel Rouch for the Centro Ricerche Musicali Beethoveniane and have been recorded by Dynamic Records.

For a thorough investigation, we must consider the historical period in which Beethoven (1770–1827) and his contemporary Jindřich Vilém Haugwitz (1770–1842) were active—a crucial era for the organological evolution of both harp and piano. During those years, the harp enjoyed immense popularity, and countless compositions were written by amateurs who delighted in reworking themes by celebrated authors.

The Three Divertimenti lead us to Bohemia, to the castle of Count Jindřich Vilém von Haugwitz, where they were long preserved and forgotten; more precisely, to the castle of Náměšť nad Oslavou, located in present-day Czech Republic. In this geographical context, around the castle, Count von Haugwitz—a promising and passionate musician, a man of culture and a politician by lineage—established a vibrant musical environment. He maintained contact with important Viennese musical circles and was a friend of Salieri (with whom he studied singing in Vienna). He founded a prestigious musical library and purchased numerous instruments for the local citizenry, who participated in concerts, thus carrying out an educational mission of great value. In this inspiring endeavor, he was assisted by his wife Sophie Friess, a noblewoman, musician, and gifted harpist, descended from a distinguished family closely connected to renowned composers of the Austro-German world.

After Jindřich Vilém’s death, his eldest son Karl Wilhelm von Haugwitz (1736–1819) succeeded him at Náměšť, continuing his father’s tradition but in a different manner. He too founded his own library, yet, neglecting the volumes collected by his father, left them virtually unknown. He nonetheless pursued an active musical life within his region, though unlike his father, he favored a musical practice aimed at pleasure and virtuosity—often daring but devoid of substance. He was himself a composer, harpist, and lyre player, but his musical tastes inclined toward a repertoire frequently improvised and of limited artistic depth.

Jindřich Vilém Haugwitz, an ardent translator of Gluck’s libretti and admirer and performer of works by Händel, Gluck, and Naumann, appears as a typical representative of a pre-Classical regression at the dawn of the nineteenth century, whereas his son Karl Wilhelm Haugwitz was regarded as a follower of early Romanticism.

The Three Divertimenti, catalogued as A 17.647 a, b, c, known to numerous Bohemian musicologists and perhaps unjustly attributed to Count von Haugwitz, have not yet been studied in sufficient detail to determine their true authorship.

Among the scholars who have shown interest in the castle’s musical holdings, we recall Milos Stedron, who in his fascinating article Die Harfen Komposition des Karl Wilhelm Haugwitz (1973) for the University Studia Minora Facultatis Philosophicae Universitatis Brunensis, illustrates Karl’s harp compositions. In this study, Stedron does not mention the Three Divertimenti, but he deliberately lists the harp works written by Karl, providing a brief harmonic-formal analysis and highlighting a language certainly not Beethovenian.

Comparing the catalogue numbers, these compositions bear different signatures—A 15.357 and A 15.376. Stedron emphasizes their simplicity, noting numerous repetitions that seem to fill a void in the writing, and the absence of original melodic motifs (Karl borrowed themes from celebrated authors). The musicologist Jaroslav Pohanka asserts that the earliest harp pieces preserved at the castle may date to around 1820.

The principal sources of inspiration for Karl Junior’s compositions were the Viennese dance music of Lanner and Strauss, and the Italian and French opera of composers such as Bellini, Boieldieu, and Rossini. He devoted himself to musical genres such as fantasies, potpourri, ländler, waltzes, polkas, variations, and transcriptions for his favored instruments.

These and other considerations might lead us to reflect upon the possible Beethovenian hand behind the Three Divertimenti; yet, before analyzing their musical content, let us examine the cover of the three works.

Here it is clearly written that the author is Beethoven, and by comparing the cover of the manuscript of the Variations WoO 64 with that of the Three Divertimenti, we notice no difference. Each divertimento bears the same inscription and the same archival designation—A 17.647 a, b, c—numbered 1, 2, and 3, as if to indicate a single work divided into three parts. A divertimento, almost an exercise, in writing pathos and diverse dialectics within a single tonality.

Another interesting fact is that in this piece the name of Karl does not appear—not even under his pseudonyms, which he so loved to include alongside acronyms or fanciful names. Karl Haugwitz sometimes signed his works in French as Guillaume, his first name translated. He also used the pseudonym Ztiwguah, a mirror image of the name Haugwitz. Another early pseudonym was Stillbürger, meaning “quiet citizen,” which also alluded to his choice of instruments and musical style: mostly non-boisterous, entirely suited to the salon—harp, guitar, zither, and piano.

As already noted, the musical dialectic of Karl’s compositions is quite simple: predictable harmonic progressions and few modulatory passages, with a markedly virtuosic use of the harp that serves to justify the value—undoubtedly superior—of his skill as a performer rather than as a composer.

The Three Divertimenti, however, display markedly different characteristics. The use of the key of E-flat major was typical for the single-action harp. These compositions resemble “album leaves” that Beethoven might have written for friends or acquaintances, employing diverse forms and textures, imposing distinct characters and a different poetic sensibility. Their virtuosity is far removed from Karl Junior’s works, expressing through the harp an expressive technique that does not exclude bold chromaticism (as seen in the finale of the third Divertimento). It is unlikely that a harpist-composer would have introduced such technique, given its considerable difficulty of execution.

Investigating the musical life of Moravia, where the count had established his residence, the musicologist Lucie Kapová, in her 2017 article, focuses on the works of Karl’s son, particularly Salieri’s Cantata di Congratulazioni, written for the birthday of Jindřich Vilém Haugwitz, and the Divertimento for Four Harps (catalogue number A 15.429). The musicologist Jaroslav Pohanka studied the previously unknown cantata by Ludwig van Beethoven preserved in the musical collection of Náměšť, which had not yet been recognized as an authentic Beethoven work and now rightfully belongs to his oeuvre. It bears the signatures A 15.803 and A 15.896.

From 1797 to 1804, Jindřich Vilém Haugwitz spent part of each year in Vienna, where he enthusiastically attended the theatres and even paid admission for his employees to enjoy performances. In Vienna he learned to play several instruments, including the violin (under Franz Kreibich, a member of Emperor Joseph II’s quartet), the cello, the piano, and the harp. There he also fell in love with the theatre, opera, and his future wife, Countess Sofie Friesová, whom he married in 1794. An excellent harpist and pianist, she became his soulmate and shared his passion for music. At her suggestion, he sought to purchase musical instruments from Vienna and to order scores for the occasional orchestral concerts held at the castle of Náměšť.

Jindřich Vilém’s operatic repertoire was extensive, including works by C. Ph. E. Bach, Beethoven, J. A. Benda, Caldara, Fux, Gassmann, Graun, Cherubini, Mozart, and many others. He created a vast musical archive that, in his time, comprised 1,400 works. Among them were compositions by Händel, Mozart, Haydn, Dittersdorf, Beethoven, Koželuh, Förster, Hummel, C. Ph. E. Bach, Gluck, Vranický, Vaňhal, Naumann, Salieri, Strauss, Schubert, and many others spanning the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Heinrich Wilhelm Haugwitz was not only one of the talented and distinguished “amateurs” of the musical salons of his time but also an important patron of music, supporting, for instance, the development of the Wiener Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Wiener Musikverein). He was one of the successors of Baron Gottfried van Swieten, who financed and promoted performances of earlier musical works, particularly Handel’s oratorios. Swieten’s activities found financial support, imitation, and continuation among numerous wealthy art patrons. Upon Jindřich Vilém’s death on 19 May 1842, all musicians from the surrounding villages were ordered to cease rehearsals; the instruments were distributed among local churches, and his music was deposited in the castle library. This may explain why Beethoven’s harp works did not become widely known.

The authenticity of the Divertimenti was partially studied by the musicologist Jana Švarcová, who, in her research, makes extensive and necessary reference to Sophie de Fries (von Haugwitz), though unfortunately the sources concerning her activity as a harpist are scarce. A gifted musician and organizer of musical life at the castle and the subchalet of Náměšť and later at Nový Světlov, she came from a young bourgeois-noble family. Her father, Jan Fries (Johann Joseph von Fries), through a brilliant career, attained a position of prominence. The earliest written records of local musicians date to 1803, when Countess Sofie Haugwitz divorced her husband and purchased the estate of Svetlov. An excellent harpist, she founded at Svetlov a chamber ensemble of local musicians.

Moritz von Fries, a relative of Sofie, opened his doors to artists and poets, supporting Franz Schubert and Ludwig van Beethoven. It is particularly interesting to trace the relationship between Moritz von Fries and Beethoven. We may suppose that the Haugwitz family encountered Beethoven through their uncle or brother-in-law. The Haugwitz musical archive contains two compositions attributed to Beethoven: the cantata Der Lenz verblüht (A 15.803 and A 15.896) and the Three Divertimenti for Harp (A 17.647 a, b, c). In early nineteenth-century Vienna, the harp underwent a profound technical transformation, marking its transition from a salon instrument to a protagonist of the concert and operatic stage. In the first decades of the century, Vienna favored single-action harps, but double-action harps began to prevail in the 1820s. Historical instruments are preserved at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. In German-speaking rural areas, a tradition of pedal-less harps persisted, perpetuated by simple craftsmen and itinerant musicians. It is therefore not impossible that the instrument used for the Divertimenti was a double-action harp.

A. Hiller, in his Violin Manual (1972), emphatically notes that the harp enjoyed great popularity in Germany. In Bohemia especially—a land of harpists and harp virtuosos, as Wagner praised—the harp had previously been appreciated by Mozart, who is even said to have left a Theme with Variations in tribute to the excellence of a harpist and skilled improviser.

Among the many harpists who achieved distinction, we must mention Josepha Müller-Gollnhofer, harpist of the imperial court, who enchanted Viennese audiences to such an extent that Beethoven composed for her the only harp part in his heroic-allegorical ballet The Creatures of Prometheus.

Conclusions

One of the reasons for the “oblivion” of the Three Divertimenti may lie in Karl Wilhelm’s lack of interest in the music of Ludwig van Beethoven (whose works probably lay forgotten in his father’s archive). Moreover, he had no taste for noisy, melancholic, boisterous, or aggressive music. Nor did he appreciate the exuberant Romanticism of his later years, with the grand symphonic works of Bruckner or Brahms. He loved intimate music, constructed simply and harmonically easy to comprehend. Nevertheless, Countess Sophie Haugwitz (von Fries), wife of Heinrich Wilhelm Haugwitz, and particularly the young Karl Wilhelm Haugwitz, played an equally important role in the family’s relationship with Beethoven. Countess Haugwitz probably met her future husband, Heinrich Wilhelm, in one of Vienna’s salons or concerts. Count Haugwitz was an important organizer, patron, and participant in Viennese musical life. Baron Gottfried van Swieten was among Heinrich Wilhelm’s friends. This diplomat, son of Maria Theresa’s personal physician and originally from Holland, was a friend of Count Moritz Christian von Fries (1777–1826). Count Moritz von Fries was the brother of Countess Sophie Haugwitz and uncle of Karl Wilhelm Haugwitz. This renowned banker, art collector, and patron was, like Baron van Swieten, a supporter of Beethoven. Beethoven dedicated to von Fries the Violin Sonata in A minor, Op. 23 (1801), the Violin Sonata in F major, Op. 24 (1802), and also the Seventh Symphony in A major, Op. 92 (1812). Another mutual friend of father and son Haugwitz was the music theorist Raphael Georg Kiesewetter (1773–1850), born in Holešov in 1773. This important collector, theorist, composer, and patron organized domestic concerts presenting mainly historicist works, which Beethoven regularly attended. He was connected to Heinrich Wilhelm Haugwitz through their shared love of the old masters, and to Karl Wilhelm through his skill on the guitar. Heinrich Wilhelm may also have been linked to Beethoven through Gottfried Rieger (1764–1822), a well-known conductor.

The Haugwitz castle band was the principal center of musical activity in Bohemia; both Beethoven and Haugwitz, and not least Franz Schubert (1797–1828)—Beethoven’s friend and confidant, whom he greatly respected and whom Count Karl Wilhelm supported—trusted it. It is therefore highly probable that the Haugwitz family, prominent in Viennese musical life, regularly encountered Beethoven during his stays in Vienna.

The Divertimento A 17.647, Divertiment pour la Harpe par Beethoven, may well have been written as an homage to Sophie von Haugwitz; it diverges from the series of compositions attributed to Karl von Haugwitz, both in its archival number and in its compositional style.

All the sources pertaining to Jindřich Vilém Haugwitz and the works of his son Karel Vilém Haugwitz are now preserved at the Moravian Museum in Brno. The musical archive of the Moravian Museum, which houses the collection from the Castle of Náměšť, contains a total of 335 compositions by Karl Wilhelm Haugwitz. His oeuvre comprises 52 vocal works (solo voices with harp or piano accompaniment, quartets and sextets, mostly a cappella), 16 works for guitar (solo guitar or up to quartets for guitars), 14 works for harp and two for zither, no fewer than 157 pieces for solo harp, quartets for four harps, 93 pieces for piano, and 3 works for horn. Haugwitz’s works are catalogued under the signatures A 15.286–A 16.638 (with missing numbers), A 17.647*, and A 30.351–A 30.370 in complete sequence.

It is noteworthy that under the signature A 15.704 there are, across seven folders, a total of 68 divertimenti and duets for harp, a harp fantasy on a theme by Schubert, and a prelude to Gluck’s Armida arranged for harp. The authorship of individual compositions by Haugwitz in the Náměšť collection is indicated in various ways: with his full or partial name, or with pseudonyms easily recognizable as Ztiwguah – Haugwitz. Examples of authorship designations include: Charles Guillaume de Ztiwguah, Charles Guillaume, K. W. H., C. W. H., Ztiwguah, Charles Guillaume Graf Haugwitz, K. W. GrHaugwitz. In some vocal works we also find Haugwitz’s earlier pseudonym Stillbürger, later erased in pencil and replaced in certain pieces with the designation K. W. H.

Paola Perrucci