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Unv.19 – Cantata in B major for Four Voices and Piano (Fischhof & Kafka Sketches)

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Unv. 19 Composition (Cantata, in B major) for four voices and piano

(Fischhof folio 1 versus, Kafka folio 66 e 100 recto)
The musical examples on this page are by Gerd Prengel.

Unv. 19 Composition (Cantata, in B major) for Four Voices and Piano.  Source: Fischhof folio 1 verso, Kafka folios 66 and 100 recto Musical examples: By Gerd Prengel Note: This composition is not included in NGA-AGA-e or SBG catalogs.

Origin and Dating: The work was sketched between 1790 and 1792, during Beethoven’s final period in Bonn. All three sheets containing sketches for this cantata originate from this time.

Sketch Details:

  • Sketch 1: Found on the “Fischhof” miscellanea sheet. Also includes sketches for the song Op. 75 No. 3, dated May 1790 (with a later sketch from 1793).
  • Sketch 2: Located in the “Kafka – Skizzenkonvolut” miscellanea. Adjacent to sketches for WoO 67 variations, composed between 1790–1792.
  • Sketch 3: Viennese sketch among sketches for WoO 113, known to be composed by March 1790.

Textual Fragments

  • Only a few words appear in the sketches:
    • “Sind wir gute”
    • “Sind wir”
    • “und zur”
    • “hin zu einer Jugend”
  • Due to the fragmentary nature, the author of the original text cannot be identified.

Location of Sketches

Archive Reference Notes
D-B (Berlin State Library) Mus. ms. autogr. Beethoven 28 (“Fischhof”), Bl. lv Facsimile available; transcription by Johnson/Fischhof Vol. 2, p. 148f
GB-Lbl (British Library, London) Add. Ms. 29801 (“Kafka”), Bl. 100 recto Facsimile and transcription by Kerman Kafka
A-Wgm (Vienna) A 66, Bl. Ir Transcription by Johnson/Fischhof Vol. 2
Sources
  • Johnson / Fischhof Vol. 1, pp. 441–443

Unv.05 – Fragment of a “Concertante” in C major (c. 1802) | Beethoven Music Research Center

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Unv. 5 – Frammento di un “Concertante” in do maggiore

1802 circa

Many times Beethoven began large‑scale works only to abandon the project later. This is the case with this concertante in C major, a double or triple concerto—perhaps for violin, violoncello (piano), and orchestra—which predates by several years the well‑known Triple Concerto, Opus 56.

Beethoven began working intensively on this concertante in the sketchbook known as the “Kessler,” which he used from the first half of 1802. Some sketches already appear on folios 38 verso and 38 recto, continuing densely up to folio 41 verso. From this point onward, the composer was probably becoming dissatisfied with the progress, rewriting the second half of the work in a manner far more disorderly than before.

At the same time, Beethoven also began preparing a complete orchestral score, written on paper bearing the same watermark as the Kessler sketchbook. This score, which has come down to us as a 12‑page fragment, has been catalogued as Artaria 183 and is preserved at the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin. The first pages have been lost, and what remains corresponds to bar 43 of the Kessler project, continuing with the solo entry up to bars 113–126.

Some ideas for further “solo” passages were found on folio 41r of the sketchbook, but the corresponding passages in the score are much more fully developed. What clearly emerges is that the Artaria 183 manuscript lacks its opening pages. Indeed, the very first surviving note is a viola bar with a slur that must necessarily have begun on a preceding (now lost) page.

Whether Beethoven continued writing after bar 126 remains an open question. The last bar of the solo violin part coincides with the end of the page, but from that point onward the score—which until then had been fairly polished (though not complete)—gradually declines into a sketch. Little was developed beyond the first exposition: a few conceptual ideas, only lightly worked out. It is important to note that one of these ideas is marked “for the Concertante,” specifying precisely the aesthetic form Beethoven had in mind for this composition.

The principal study of this material was carried out by Richard Kramer. His work was published in 1977 in the volume Beethoven Studies. Kramer observes:

“The very existence of a fragmentary score for the first movement of the concertante stands as evidence that Beethoven would work intermittently between sketchbook and score within a single movement… Much remained to be worked out in the sketchbook: the solo exposition is not sufficiently drafted; the development has not even been attempted; the recapitulation would surely require at least some sketching. With fundamental aspects of the first movement still unsettled, Beethoven has begun the transfer from sketchbook to score.”

Many times Beethoven began large‑scale works only to abandon the project later. This is the case with this concertante in C major, a double or triple concerto—perhaps for violin, violoncello (piano), and orchestra—which predates by several years the well‑known Triple Concerto, Opus 56.

Beethoven began working intensively on this concertante in the sketchbook known as the “Kessler,” which he used from the first half of 1802. Some sketches already appear on folios 38 verso and 38 recto, continuing densely up to folio 41 verso. From this point onward, the composer was probably becoming dissatisfied with the progress, rewriting the second half of the work in a manner far more disorderly than before.

At the same time, Beethoven also began preparing a complete orchestral score, written on paper bearing the same watermark as the Kessler sketchbook. This score, which has come down to us as a 12‑page fragment, has been catalogued as Artaria 183 and is preserved at the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin. The first pages have been lost, and what remains corresponds to bar 43 of the Kessler project, continuing with the solo entry up to bars 113–126.

Some ideas for further “solo” passages were found on folio 41r of the sketchbook, but the corresponding passages in the score are much more fully developed. What clearly emerges is that the Artaria 183 manuscript lacks its opening pages. Indeed, the very first surviving note is a viola bar with a slur that must necessarily have begun on a preceding (now lost) page.

Whether Beethoven continued writing after bar 126 remains an open question. The last bar of the solo violin part coincides with the end of the page, but from that point onward the score—which until then had been fairly polished (though not complete)—gradually declines into a sketch. Little was developed beyond the first exposition: a few conceptual ideas, only lightly worked out. It is important to underline that one of these ideas is marked “for the Concertante,” specifying precisely the aesthetic form Beethoven had in mind for this composition.

The principal study of this material was carried out by Richard Kramer. His work was published in 1977 in the volume Beethoven Studies. Kramer observes:

“The very existence of a fragmentary score for the first movement of the concertante stands as evidence that Beethoven would work intermittently between sketchbook and score within a single movement… Much remained to be worked out in the sketchbook: the solo exposition is not sufficiently drafted; the development has not even been attempted; the recapitulation would surely require at least some sketching. With fundamental aspects of the first movement still unsettled, Beethoven has begun the transfer from sketchbook to score.”

These considerations indeed prompt reflection on Beethoven’s compositional method. But why, then, did Beethoven ultimately abandon this project?

Kramer believes that the answer may be found in a letter dated 22 April 1802 from Beethoven’s brother Karl to Breitkopf & Härtel:

“My brother would have written in person, but he is unwilling to do so at the moment, since Baron van Braun is a stupid and coarse theatre director and has refused the use of the theatre for the Akademie, turning it instead into a stage for utterly mediocre performers.”

If Beethoven was preparing the concertante for this Akademie and for that theatre, the incident may have discouraged him.

We find Karl again in another letter to Breitkopf & Härtel dated 14 October 1803, offering a “Konzertant für alle Instrumente für Klavier, Violonzello und Violino.” Since the earliest known sketches of the Triple Concerto Op. 56 date from the first months of 1804, it is entirely plausible that Beethoven considered returning to work on this concertante.

Beethoven’s dissatisfaction with this first attempt at a concertante may be attributed to the limited potential of the chosen material. Even though the solo entries are beautiful and interesting, as Kramer notes, the principal theme is at once short and poor, and probably not suited to support a large‑scale composition.

Kramer sees the Triple Concerto as:

“at once a reaction to the failed attempt, and… a realization of images and concepts latent in the fragment. The muted opening bars, barely articulate in the low strings, are common to both works (though we must infer some of this quality from the inconclusive sketches in ‘Kessler’). In both cases, this initial idea is detached from, or introductory to, a principal thematic event, though in Opus 56 the two are motivically akin.”

The Concertante in C major thus seems to have been abandoned when the circumstances that justified its immediate realization ceased to exist. The bitter taste of that disappointment may have reinforced Beethoven’s dissatisfaction with the flaws in the conception of the work—flaws he may have considered irreparable.

Yet it is reasonable to view the Triple Concerto as a definitive stage in the gestation of the same project. The important and fundamental concepts of the earlier concertante are not simply rejected; rather, they are assimilated—consciously or not—into a work that embodies the completion of a temporarily set‑aside undertaking.

Composition

Composed in the first months of 1802, up to April at the latest. The orchestral works drafted in the “Kessler” notebook at the beginning of 1802 (see Brandenburg/Keßler vol. 1, pp. 32f) can almost all be seen in connection with an Akademie that Beethoven planned for April 1802 and which did not take place (see letter BGA 85). Among the unfinished works, the Concertante is the most advanced; Beethoven had already begun to elaborate the exposition of the first movement. There also exist brief sketches and ideas for the other movements.

Sieghard Brandenburg assumes that Beethoven probably would not have been able to complete the work in time, even if the Akademie had taken place (Brandenburg/Keßler vol. 1, p. 14). Perhaps for this reason he had already abandoned the Concertante. Richard Kramer postulates musical reasons for the abandonment, reinforced by the failed Akademie plan (Kramer/Concertante).

In 1803 Beethoven tried again with the same instrumentation in a Concertante in F major (see BGA 163 and Op. 56), and finally composed the Triple Concerto Op. 56 in 1804. For possible musical relationships between Op. 56 and Unv. 5, see Kramer/Concertante and Ferencz/Op56.

Sketches and Drafts

A‑Wgm, A 34 (“Kessler”), folios 38v–39r, 40v–43r, and 71r. Dating: from the first months to April 1802. Facsimiles and transcriptions: Brandenburg/Keßler, Kramer/Concertante.

Autograph Score, 1st Movement

Key: D major – B‑flat. Shelfmark: Mus. SM. autogr. Beethoven Artaria 183. Missing folios at the beginning and possibly at the end; the score is incomplete. Extent: 12 folios; 24 pages in score, 1r–12v. Paper: horizontal format, 23.5 × 32 cm, double‑spaced.

Provenance: Purchased by Artaria at auction in 1827. Artaria publishing house archive, Vienna. Erich Prieger, Bonn, from 1897. Acquired in 1901.

Facsimile of folios 1r and 10v and partial transcription: Kramer/Concertante. Complete facsimile: SBB.

Descriptions: Bartlitz/Catalogue; Johnson/Artaria p. 21ff.; Kramer/Concertante. Biography: Brandenburg/Keßler; Ferencz/Op56 pp. 134–145; Kramer/Concertante.

Unv.16 – Overture “Macbeth” Fragment (Previously Biamonti 454)

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Unv. 16 Overture to a “Macbeth” by H.J. Collin; unfinished work. (Previously Biamonti 454)

(Landsberg 10 Skizzenbuch seite 133 )

Unv. 16 – Biamonti 454. Macbeth, notes for an opera based on a libretto by Collin, drawn from Shakespeare’s tragedy, 1808 (no later than late autumn).

As reported by Nottebohm (Vol. II, pp. 225–227), in 1808—or possibly even earlier—Beethoven had come to an agreement with H. J. von Collin regarding a libretto based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The poet completed the first act, which was published in the Wiener-Hof-Theater-Taschenbuch for 1809, but the libretto progressed no further than halfway through the next act. According to a note added by Collin’s brother, Matteo von Collin, in the collected edition of the poet’s works, the opera was abandoned because it “threatened to become too gruesome.”

A sheet preserved in the Royal Library in Berlin contains a musical sketch, reproduced by Nottebohm, which can only refer to the witches’ chorus that opens Collin’s libretto. This sketch is immediately followed by drafts for the Largo of the Piano Trio in D major, Op. 70 No. 1.

The stage direction for the witches’ chorus reads as follows:
“(Waldige Gebirgsgend. Die ganze Bühne erfullt sich mit Wolken. Die Hexen kommen auf Adlern, Greifen in der Luft geflogen).” Act One (mountainous wooded region. The entire stage fills with clouds. The witches arrive flying on eagles and griffins).

First Witch: Thrice the brinded cat hath mew’d.

Second Witch: Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined.

Third Witch: Harpier cries:—’tis time! ’tis time!

First Witch: Round about the cauldron go; In the poison’d entrails throw.— Toad, that under cold stone, Days and nights has thirty-one Swelter’d venom sleeping got, Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot.

ALL: Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble.

The proximity, contemporaneity, and identical key of the sketch with those immediately following for the Largo of the Trio “lead one to suppose,” says Nottebohm, “an association of states of mind. Whether Beethoven, through an earlier reading of the libretto and the thought of Shakespeare’s terrifying drama, was led to the ghostly tone of the Trio’s Largo—or vice versa—is difficult to determine.”

On a second sheet containing sketches for The Ruins of Athens, the following note appears:
“Ouverture Macbeth fällt gleich in den Chor der Hexen ein.”


Sketched between 1808 and 1811. The only existing drafts for the opera Macbeth appear on a sheet that belongs to the Pastoral Symphony and dates back to 1808. According to a short notice in the Fliegenden Blättern aus dem Portefeuille eines Reisenden im Junius und Julius 1808 (in the Journal des Luxus und der Moden, page 705), that year Beethoven set aside Macbeth in favour of a planned staging of Goethe’s Faust:
„Die Oper, zu welcher Herr Collin das Sujet bearbeiten sollte, componiret er nun nicht.“
(“He is no longer composing the opera for which Herr Collin was to develop the subject.”)

However, it seems that the project was not entirely abandoned. At the beginning of the Petter sketchbook, there is the following note:
“Ouverture Macbeths fällt gleich in den Chor der Hexen ein”
The Petter sketchbook likely dates from September 1811. Beethoven brought it with him to Teplitz, where he spent the summer. The news that the librettist Heinrich Joseph Edler von Collin (1771–1811) had died on 28 July of that year, and thus could not complete his libretto, evidently never reached him. Still, Collin had not worked on the text for quite some time. His brother Matthäus von Collin gave the reason for this in 1813:
„Macbeth, den er [Heinrich] gleichfalls für Beethoven nach Shakespeare zu dichten unternahm, ward in der Mitte des zweyten Actes unvollendet liegen gelassen, weil er zu düster zu werden drohte“
(“Macbeth, which [Heinrich] likewise undertook to write for Beethoven from Shakespeare, was left unfinished halfway through the second act because it threatened to become too dark.”) (Collin / Biographie, p. 422f)

Heinrich Joseph von Collin (Vienna, 26 dicembre 1771 – Vienna, 28 luglio 1811) (Litografia Proprietà di Armando Orlandi(

In his Memories, the actor Heinrich Anschütz recounted a conversation he had with Beethoven in the summer of 1822 about the musical setting of Macbeth. However, this did not concern the operatic project from 1808, but rather incidental music for Shakespeare’s tragedy:

„Eines Tages begleitete ich ihn [Beethoven] eine Strecke. Wir sprachen über Kunst, Musik und endlich über Lear und Macbeth. Wie zufällig warf ich die Bemerkung hin, daß mich schon öfter der Gedanke beschäftigt habe, ob er nicht als Seitenstück zur Egmont Musik den Macbeth musikalisch illustriren sollte? Der Gedanke schien ihn zu elektrisirert blieb wie angewurzelt stehen, sah mich mit einem durchdringenden, fast dämonischen Blicke an und erwiderte hastig: ,Ich habe mich auch schon damit beschäftigt. Die Hexen, die Mordscene das Geistermahl, die Kesselerscheinungen, die Nachtwandlerscene, Macbeth’s Todesraserei Es war im höchsten Grade interessant, seinem Mienenspiele zu folgen, in welchem sich die blindschnellen Gedanken jagten. In wenigen Minuten hatte sein Genius das ganze Trauerspiel duruchgearbeitet. Bei der nächsten Frage, die ich an ihn richtete, drehte er sich um und rannte einer flüchtigen Begrüßung davon. Leider aber war einer stürmischen Erregung nicht die Thragefolgt. Als ich nach einiger Zeit das Thema noch einmal berührte, fand ich ihn verdrießlich und schwieg.“
(Heinrich Anschütz, Erinnerungen aus dessen Leben und Wirken, Vienna 1866, p. 269)

Heinrich Joseph Edler von Collin’s Macbeth (1771–1811) was based on Shakespeare, but according to Dieter Martin, it is more likely that Collin had begun composing an opera based on this subject. In 1807, Collin had published a programmatic essay „Sul dramma cantato“, in which he called for a fusion of drama and opera. In Collin’s Macbeth, Martin suspects the attempt „den Versuch, ‚die deutsche Librettistik durch die musikdramatische tion einer Shakespeare-Tragödie zu fördern und damit einen nicht etablierten Opertypus in deutsche Musiktheater einzuführen’“ (Martin/Shakespeare, p. 10).

However, Collin failed in his programme. He did not complete the libretto but broke off halfway through the second act. The completed first act appeared in the Wiener Hof-Theater-Taschenbuch for 1809 (pp. 87–109). An anonymous reviewer of this publication found the plot “dark and horrible,” and also wrote: „Eine Handlung von solcher Beschaffenhet kann nicht der Stoff des Singspieles seyn“ (Review of the Vienna Court Theatre 1809, in: Annalen der Literatur und Kunst 2, 1809, p. 123, cited by Martin/Shakespeare p. 13).

(1) D-B, Mus. SM. autogr. Beethoven Landsberg 10, p. 133. Belonging to the Pastoral sketchbook (GB-Lbl, Add. Ms. 31766). Dated: 1808
(2) D-BNba, Coll. H. C. Bodmer, HCB Mh 59 („Petter“), folio 9verso, September 1811, facsimile: DBH

(see below)

Unv. 16 Overture to a “Macbeth” by H. J. Collin; unfinished work. (Previously Biamonti 454)

Sketches written for the concert held in November 2002 in Rennes (F) and for other circumstances

Programmatic Notes on Beethoven’s Macbeth Overture

Biamonti 454 (1808/11)

Shortly after the premiere of the Macbeth overture in Washington in 2001, an article appeared in the online version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica stating: “The desire of classical music enthusiasts for Beethoven’s music remains insatiable; and this desire is heightened by the knowledge that many of his compositions never saw the light of day.” This observation compels us to reflect: What is it about Beethoven’s music that provokes such enduring fascination? Why do scholars and musicologists dedicate themselves to the study of fragmentary sketches and drafts? The answer lies in Beethoven himself and his music: he wrestled with fate — not only his own, but that of humanity at large. His struggle — one of the great epic poems of the modern world — is embodied in a succession of powerful works that, in their humanity and unmediated immediacy, have never been equalled.

Through his personal battle, Beethoven became one of humanity’s heroes, and through his triumph, he was — and remains — one of its prophets. This is why scholars pursue unfinished works, seeking possibilities of completion. Musicologists and composers who, through their efforts, have shed new light on Beethoven’s genius are themselves musical heroes of the modern age. In expanding our understanding of Beethoven, they have broadened our understanding of ourselves. Against the skepticism of closed minds and at the risk of ridicule, they have liberated these works from silence; from our side, the only fitting response is sincere gratitude.

The sketches for Macbeth are essentially grouped into three collections. One page of sketches, preserved in the Beethoven-Haus, bears the inscription: “introduction… Macbeth suddenly joins the witches’ chorus.” Another notebook, held by the British Library, contains sketches for Macbeth alongside a trio entitled “Geist.” Some scholars, including Gustav Nottebohm — the most eminent Beethoven scholar of the nineteenth century — believed that the trio sketches directly relate to the witches’ chorus in Macbeth. A third sheet of sketches, preserved in Berlin, contains stage directions and outlines the introduction. The version featured on this recording, based on these sketches, was completed in 2000 by Albert Willem Holsbergen and is dedicated to Avishai Kallai, an Israeli musicologist.

The Introduction is a miniature version of the opera’s dramatic action. It begins — as does Shakespeare’s drama and Collin’s libretto — with thematic material representing the “witches’ chorus.” This is followed by the thematic exposition defining the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macduff and his troops are evoked through a musical depiction of the battle in which “Birnham wood” moves to attack Dunsinane Hill. The material of the witches’ chorus then returns. Holsbergen writes, “I like to imagine a listener familiar with Shakespeare’s drama who, upon hearing this work for the first time, perceives that it has been written solely for Macbeth, and no other drama.”

Preliminary Draft of CD Article: Macbeth Overture

The Macbeth Overture, Biamonti 454: from the virtual to the real.

When, in the spring of 2000, Willem Holsbergen shared with me the definitive reconstruction of the Macbeth overture, Biamonti 454, we had many reasons to feel satisfied. Not only was the website www.unheardbeethoven.org receiving countless monthly visitors, but for the first time a work of considerable intellectual depth had been completed. Both the sketches—of remarkable quality—and the reconstruction appeared to us as the most ambitious project attempted up to that point. The MIDI file was uploaded in the site’s summer update of the same year, yet it took a long time before the work took on the tangible form of a public performance.

The opportunity arose from a meeting between James Green, Mark Zimmer, and the renowned conductor Leonard Slatkin, music director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, in the spring of 2001. From this fruitful encounter came the world premiere of the overture at the Kennedy Center in Washington on 20 September 2001. Unfortunately, due to a tragic coincidence, this concert was overshadowed by far more momentous events that shook the world at that time. Although the newly unveiled overture was met with warm applause, reflection focused more on the meaning of the word “life” than on the meaning of “art.”

The second public performance took place in a decidedly different atmosphere, in the charming city of Rennes, Brittany. The European premiere was entrusted to the vigorous baton of Stefan Sanderling, conductor of the Orchestre de Bretagne. On 29 November 2002, at the Opera de Rennes, as the second part of a concert-recital by Fazil Say, the overture filled for the first time that Europe Beethoven so cherished. People and artists divided by an ocean met for the first time on that occasion; what distance divides, art unites.

This recording edition is the fruit of the passion and dedication of conductor Roberto Diem Tigani. Roberto honoured us by conducting the overture’s first performance on Italian soil on 9 December 2003, leading the Orchestra Sinfonica Teatro e/o Musica di Sassari at the Sala Concerti “Pietro Sassu.” This concert demonstrated, if ever it were necessary, the sensitivity with which Inedita embraces new musical propositions.

Conceived in 1808 and never completed, the overture has been given new life and brought to completion through the work and love of all these artists. This recording marks the first great step toward the work’s consecration. The final words, therefore, belong to Macbeth himself, and seem addressed to those who, with dedication and passion for research, always feel they have only just begun their journey in Art: “My strange illusion is the fear of the initiate, who needs rigorous practice. We are still novices in the work.”

The overture “Macbeth” Unv. 16 is part of the project “Research becomes Art”

A New Life for the Unknown Works of Ludwig van Beethoven: An Artistic Exploration by Ensemble Accademia Ducale. Musical adaptation by Giovanni Claudio Traversi

Macbeth Overture premiered on 14 September 2022 in Potenza, at the Teatro F. Stabile.
The reduction for instrumental ensemble, by Giovanni Claudio Traversi, was based on the version by Roberto Diem Tigani, composer and conductor, who in turn worked on the version by Albert Willem Holsbergen. The concert, sponsored by the Municipality of Potenza, was part of the concert season I nuovi fiori dell’Accademia, which has received recognition from the Ministry of Culture – General Directorate for Performing Arts for the 2022–2024 triennium.

ENSEMBLE ACCADEMIA DUCALE
Michele Fiore, flute
Maria March Vazquez, oboe
Erminia Nigro, clarinet
Marco Coviello, bassoon
Antonio Fracchiolla, horn
Fabio Macchia, timpani
Francesca Cicolecchia*, violin I
Mirko Palmieri, violin I
Michele Barbieri, violin I
Ludovica Del Bagno*, violin II
Davide Moro, violin II
Maria Grazia D’Agostino, violin II
Carmine Caniani*, viola
Rosalba Potenza, viola
Vito Stano*, cello
Vincenzo Lioy, cello
Giuseppe D’Amico, double bass

CONDUCTOR
Simone Genuini

Unv. 18 – Östrerreich über alles, song for choir and orchestra

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Unvollendete 18 Österreich über alles, song for choir and orchestra

(Mislaid? Left unfinished?)

Unv.18 = Biamonti 477 – “Wehrmanns Lied” Biamonti 478? : Austria above all, to the text by Collin, March – April 1809. A draft included in a group of sheets described by Nottebohm in Zweite Beethoveniana, page 262, and quoted by him as follows (I provide the entire draft, NDA). A patriotic Lied composed on the occasion of Austria and England entering the Fifth Coalition against Bonaparte (April 1809). The war lasted only a few months but was disastrous for Austria: Vienna was occupied by French troops, and it was defeated at Wagram in July. Austria had to sign a peace treaty in October. Many noble families, in addition to the imperial family, had left the city during this period. Beethoven remained there: however, whether the physical and moral hardships had any impact on the character of the works he composed or drafted during this time — except perhaps delaying the completion of some — we cannot say. Only in the first two movements of the Sonata in E-flat Major for Piano, Op. 81a, can we perhaps see signs of a depressed state of mind. (The sketchbook referred to by Biamonti and Nottebohm is the Landsberg 5, NDA).

Sketched in March 1809. The reasons for Beethoven not completing the work remain unknown. Perhaps he did not wish to enter direct competition with the acclaimed works of the genre by Joseph Weigl composed during the same period.

The lyrics of the Lied “Oesterreichischer Wehrmänner” by the poet Heinrich Joseph von Collin were published in Vienna by A. Strauss and later republished in the collection Collin’s sämmtliche Werke, Bd. 4 Epische und lyrische Gedichte, Vienna 1813. The poetic text is based on a lyric by Philipp Wilhelm von Hoernigk, “Oestreich über Alles.”

According to Matthäus von Collin, Heinrich Joseph von Collin’s brother, this poem was published thanks to the insistence of the Austrian army major Catinelli, who urged his friend, the poet, to write compositions celebrating the victories and power of Austria.

On this subject, Collin’s biography reads as follows (from page 433): “In Austria, starting from the year 1808, everything gradually took on a martial character. Preparations were made for a landwehr (citizen militia), and every person able to bear arms was trained for military service; grand events, previously unseen, took place. Collin was invited by his dear friend, the k.k. Lieutenant Colonel Catinelli, to compose a number of lyrics suitable for the occasion, (The allied nations from 1809 formed the so-called ‘Fifth Coalition’ against Napoleon – NDA) and to express the sentiments that had sparked that worthy and noble enthusiasm; the poet said that he had never received a task more sacred, more dear to his innermost desires than this. He therefore created these lyrics full of great enthusiasm, strength, and overflowing emotion, as his heart beat fervently for the homeland, along the same path later followed by other singers, not as inspired, who also ventured into this theme. When the first edition of this lyric was released, accompanied by music by Mr. Weigl, a frenzy of joy seized the assembly; the expression of the most unrestrained enthusiasm erupted, to the extent that many could claim it was the most wonderful day of their lives.” (Collin / Biography, p. 433F.)

The text of Collin’s poems was finished in the autumn of 1808, at least in its first version, but was not published until February 1809 (second edition in print, April). “Oestreich über Alles” immediately became the most popular song in the collection. The Wehrmannslieder were set to music several times, for instance by the aforementioned Joseph Weigl (published by A. Strauss in 1809) and by Adalbert Gyrowetz.

Weigl’s songs were performed on 25 March 1809 at a musical academy at the Court Theatre next to the castle, and the concert was repeated in the presence of the imperial couple on 28 March. Johann Friedrich Reichardt described the details in his “Vertrauten Briefen”, letter dated 31 March 1809.

“The gathering was the most splendid and numerous I have ever seen; the entire hall, all the galleries, every corner and corridor were packed with people from all walks of life, such that many hundreds had to turn back. It was a grand and solemn spectacle — all these people quivering with anticipation, librettos in hand, and with what enthusiasm Collin revived the powerful songs […] And now, even in the song ‘Österreich über alles’: as soon as he began his verses, the enthusiasm reached its peak; there was applause, shouting, loud cries, cheers and sobbing — from the imperial box down to the hall and throughout the ‘mundum’. Never have I experienced such profound emotion.”

The Leipziger Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung also reported:

“On the 25th [March], there was an academy at the theatre near the Kärntnertor Theatre for the three opera inspectors, Mr Saal, Vogel and Weinmüller, and eight war songs by Collin were performed, set to music by Jos. Weigl and Gyrowetz. Given the general enthusiasm that gripped all hearts for our monarchy, especially those in Vienna, these songs […] could not fail to be well received. The same programme was repeated on the 28th, and also on the 2nd and 16th of April in the large Redoutensaal, and each time the hall was filled to overflowing. The enthusiasm grew, and the applause was boundless.”
(AmZ 11, 1808/09, 12 July 1809, column 651.)

(1) A-Wgm, A 62a, one sheet, formerly owned by Guido Peters and Anton Dermota. Brenneis / Landsberg 5, vol. 2, p. 28, 52; JTW p. 187; Wien / Autographe p. 120. Facsimile and transcription in Kienzl / Skizzen, pp. 321, 323.

(2) D-B, Mus. SM. autogr. Beethoven Landsberg 5, page 19. Dating: March 1809. Facsimile and transcription in Brenneis / Landsberg 5, further facsimile: SBB.

(3) D-BNba, Coll. H.C. Bodmer, HCB Mh 79, one sheet. Facsimile: DBH / online.

Bibliography: Brauneis / Unv. 18 – Brenneis / Landsberg 5, vol. 2, pp. 20f, 52 – Collin / Biografie – Kienzl / Skizzen – Nottebohm / Beethoveniana II, p. 262 ff.

Unv.17 – Hess 317 – “Europens Befreyungsstunde” (Cantata, Existence Doubtful)

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Unv. 17 “Europens Befreyungsstunde” — Cantata.

(Existence doubtful). (Formerly Hess 317).

Unv. 17 – Hess 317. Europens Befreyungsstunde.
A cantata bearing this title was sketched beginning in the middle months of 1814. The author of the poetic text is Josef Karl Bernard, as indicated in Michael Ladenburger’s article Der Wiener Kongress im Spiegel der Musik, in Beethoven: Zwischen Revolution und Restauration, Beethoven-Haus, Bonn, 1989, from page 293 (see: Der Wiener Kongreß im Spiegel der Musik, in Beethoven, Zwischen Revolution und Restauration, ed. by Helga Lühning and Sieghard Brandenburg, Sonderveröffentlichungen des Beethoven-Hauses, Bonn, 1989, pp. 275–306).

The complete autograph remains unknown, and it is not certain whether the work was ever finished. Several sketches for the piece have been located in the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek, Berlin (autograph manuscript Grasnick 20b); in the Conservatoire de Paris (Beethoven Ms 93); and in the Bodmer Collection of the Beethoven-Haus, Bonn (Mh 89).
[The Deutsche Staatsbibliothek is now the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (SBB); the Conservatoire de Paris has transferred its holdings to the Bibliothèque nationale; and the Bodmer manuscript in Bonn has been re-catalogued as SBH 625 (SV 137).]

Two additional sketch leaves have been identified in the Heyer Collection in Cologne. The same work is mentioned in George Kinsky, Musikhistorisches Museum von Wilhelm Heyer in Köln, catalogue, vol. 4, musical autographs no. 223, 1916, p. 182. The complete text of the cantata was first published in Festschrift zum 60. Geburtstag von Joachim Schmidt-Görg, Bonn, 1957, pp. 363–366.

The work is also cited in Wilhelm Virneisel, Kleine Beethoveniana, p. 361. (A copy of the text and one page of the sketches were reproduced in facsimile in Beethoven: Zwischen Revolution und Restauration, Beethoven-Haus, Bonn, pp. 296–297.)

Textanfang: „Nach Frankreichs unheilvollem Sturz“. Sketched at the beginning of 1814. Beethoven had planned this cantata for his grand academy concert in the Redoutensaal on 27 February 1814 in Vienna, as reported by Georg Friedrich Treitschke at the beginning of March that year (BGA 707). However, the performance did not take place owing to censorship on 17 February. The authorities also rejected another application for 10 September 1814—on both occasions without providing justification (notes by Friedrich von Gentz, Hofrat at the State Chancellery, and Freiherr von Bretfeld, concerning the nature of the text; a facsimile of the censorship notes appears in Ladenburger, Kongreß, p. 296; see that source for the text). The cantata text, however, is decidedly anti-French and revanchist. The publicly expressed hostility toward the French—found in Bernard’s text—was probably considered undesirable in light of the reconciliation among nations sought during the Congress of Vienna.

Beethoven’s nephew Karl reported in a conversation book from early May 1825: “Bernard spoke again of an oratorio for which he had written the book, and you had almost finished the music, but which was not passed by the censors?” He then added: “Now they would let it pass” (BKh 7, p. 259ff.). Nevertheless, the surviving sketches do not suggest that Beethoven had progressed very far with the work.

Europens Befreyungsstunde by Joseph Karl Bernard (1780–1850). The handwritten libretto is preserved in D-B (Mus. ms. autogr. Beethoven 37.34; reprinted in Virneisel, Beethoveniana, pp. 363–366).

(1) D-B, Mus. ms. autogr. Beethoven Grasnick 20b, fols. 14r–15r.

(2) D-BNba, Coll. FL C. Bodmer, HCB Mh 89, 2 leaves. Facsimile: DBH/online.

(3) D-BNba, HC Bodmer Coll., HCB BSk 15/63, one leaf. Facsimile: DBH/online.

(4) F-Pc (in: Pn), Ms. 93, one leaf. Facsimile: Gallica.

(5) D-Dl, Mus. 4l93-D-12,l, one leaf. Facsimile: Ullrich, Oratorienpläne, p. 25. (This is the first of the two leaves formerly in the Wilhelm Heyer Collection; see Kinsky/Heyer no. 223.)

Unv.14 – Fragment of Piano Variations (Fischhof, folios 25–26 verso)

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Unv.14 – Fragment of Piano Variations

(Fischhof, folios 25/26 verso)

Sketched at the end of 1794 or the beginning of 1795. The sketches are contained on three leaves of the Fischhof sketchbook and probably represent a theme, eight variations, and a coda.

On folio 25 recto of the notebook, immediately after the variations, there is a brief sketch for the first movement of the Piano Sonata in A major, Op. 2 No. 2. This has led some to suppose that Beethoven may have considered a set of variations as the finale of that sonata. Both this hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis of an independent set of variations remain plausible.

Further variations in A major — therefore in the same key and with the same tempo indication — appear in the “Kafka” miscellany (GB‑Lhl, Add. Ms. 29801, fol. 158v), although they probably refer to “Là ci darem la mano” from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, which is certainly not the subject of the variations in the Fischhof.

Unv.14 – Fragment of Piano Variations

Study of a Possible Reconstruction – by Maestro Graziano Denini

INTRODUCTION

Attempting to reconstruct a coherent musical idea from a Theme with 8 Variations and a final Coda — whose sketches are scattered across three pages of Beethoven’s manuscript — is no simple task. I wish therefore to clarify that my reworking can only be considered a hypothesis of transcription, and that many other, perhaps better, interpretations could be proposed.

One of the difficulties I always encounter when analysing Beethoven’s manuscripts is the absence of key signatures at the beginning of the staves. Beethoven rarely wrote the key signature at the start of each system; more often he simply implied it. At times this practice makes deciphering difficult — even more so in a Theme and Variations where the character and mood shift frequently. Occasionally I have identified a minor mode solely from the otherwise unnecessary presence of a G‑sharp.

I will therefore share my working method.

First, I transcribed — as faithfully as possible — all the sketches that could relate to this work and that appear on three leaves of the Fischhof sketchbook (facsimiles are reproduced on this page).

Second, I sought the fragments closest to one another in character or motion; I then began positioning them within a hypothetical Variation, adding missing notes here and there (below I illustrate, Variation by Variation, the results I obtained), while trying to use as much of the material as possible.

At this point, having a clearer view of the Variations and their thematic idea, I asked myself what the original Theme might have been. I believe the answer is that they refer to the Bagatelle in A major, WoO 213 No. 4, which should be slightly earlier. The key is the same, and the first six notes of the Bagatelle correspond exactly to those of Variation No. 6 (except that they are written in doubled values and in 4/4). The figure E–F♯–E in the middle of the Bagatelle also appears among the fragments of the minor‑mode Variation.

(For our work on this composition and the other three forming WoO 213: Four Bagatelles in D‑flat major, G major, A major, and A major.)

I therefore rewrote the entire Bagatelle in 2/4, halving all note values so that it would correspond more closely to Beethoven’s sketches for the Variations. The Bagatelle includes a Da Capo but has no ending; I therefore repeated the first eight measures (ABA form) and added a concluding bar derived from the ending of Variation 6, which is the closest to the Theme.

Finally, I redistributed the Variations in an order that seemed to me the most coherent.

I hope that my work — again, a hypothetical reconstruction of the eight Variations — will not prove disagreeable to Beethoven enthusiasts. In any case, it has been a valuable “exercise in style.”

RECONSTRUCTION OF THE VARIATIONS

Theme

As stated in the introduction, I believe the Theme of these Variations derives from the Bagatelle in A major, WoO 213 No. 4. These four Bagatelles, dating from 1793, have recently been included in the new Kinsky–Halm catalogue. They are sketches already catalogued by Giovanni Biamonti in 1968, though erroneously dated to 1800. Beethoven used a type of paper associated with compositions from 1793 (I thank my friend Luigi Bellofatto for this valuable historical‑analytical contribution).

Mark Zimmer informs us that these Bagatelles are found together with the Allemande WoO 81, the Anglaise WoO 212, the Bagatelle Hess 60, two nearly complete Bagatelles (Biamonti 269 and 277), and numerous sketches (Biamonti 268–270, 271–274, 276, 278–281) on two leaves in the Beethoven‑Archiv in Bonn, SBH 631 (SV 88).

Variation I

Found on folio 26 recto (staves 1–4). It is essentially complete; my contribution was limited to adding a few notes in the empty passages, mostly doubling the left hand. Note the unusual harmony of the last three measures, which seems to veer toward B minor before returning to A major.

Variation II

Based on the sketch on folio 26 recto (staves 15–16), continuing on folio 26 verso (staves 1–6). It is built on right/left imitations. It is fully developed; my intervention was limited to filling in missing parts of Beethoven’s original.

Variation III

Based on two sketches on folio 25 verso (staves 9–10). Note the indication “6——–” in measures 3–4 of the second sketch, showing how the left hand should proceed. The first three measures are complete; I added the lower parts to allow repetition. I also added semiquaver octaves as a link between the first and second fragment. The second fragment is complete; I added missing notes at the end to allow repetition and a few left‑hand notes to connect back to the first fragment. Finally, I added a descending scale in the left hand to conclude the Variation.

Variation IV

Based on the fragment on folio 25 verso (staves 11–14). No mode change is specified, but the G‑sharp in the penultimate measure of the sketch led me to interpret it in A minor. The theme consists of four measures (which I repeated with open–closed endings) plus two measures for the second part. Because of the scant material, I had to invent almost the entire second part, resolving it with a slightly varied repetition of the second fragment. The left hand is almost entirely missing except for the first and last two measures. The theme is marked “con ottave.”

Variation V

Based on the sketch on folio 26 verso (staves 5–8). It is practically complete. My contribution was limited to repeating the first three measures (suggested by the continuation sign), adding accented quarter notes (also suggested by the manuscript), and adding left‑hand notes mirroring the right. At measure 8 I added repeated notes to connect the two parts.

Variation VI

Sketches appear on folio 26 recto (staves 11–12), folio 25 verso (staves 11–12), and folio 26 recto (staves 5–8). The opening resembles the beginning of the Bagatelle. My additions in the first fragment are limited to the left hand in measure 4 and a different closing for the repetition (measure 7). The second fragment is complete but very fragmented: Beethoven indicates only the demisemiquaver motion, alternating between hands, leaving the other hand blank. I filled in the missing harmony and ended with a descending left‑hand scale and a fermata linking to the third fragment. The third fragment lacks the left hand entirely; I resolved it with a rapid, agitated progression leading to a second suspension and a soft final cadence. In the penultimate measure I added contrary motion to the ascending right‑hand scale. In the last measure I added a cadential left hand (this cadence inspired the final cadence of the Theme).

Variation VII

Begins with the sketch on folio 26 recto (staves 15–16), followed by two measures from folio 25 verso (staves 15–16), and concludes with the fragment on folio 26 verso (staves 9–10). This is the easiest Variation to identify, given the left‑hand sextuplets and the alternation of triplets and quadruplets in the right hand. The left hand follows the indication to repeat the Alberti‑bass pattern found in the first measure. At the fourth measure, third beat, I added a descending A‑major arpeggio, echoing the original on folio 25 verso. This connects to the next sketch, where I again repeated the left‑hand pattern. To conclude, I added an ascending A‑major arpeggio in the left hand, ending on the same note as the right.

Variation VIII

Based on sketches on folio 26 recto (staves 13–14, 15–16) and folio 26 verso (staves 11–12). In the first sketch the left hand begins with real notes, then continues with the indication “ottave.” The second measure is missing (with continuation sign). The fragment is otherwise complete; I added two concluding notes in the right hand at measure 10. The second fragment is also nearly complete; I added a descending A‑major arpeggio in the right hand at measures 17–18. Compositionally, I reused the first four measures of the second fragment and concluded with the closing of the first, in crescendo.

Coda

Based on fragments on folio 26 recto (staves 7–12) and folio 26 verso (staves 11–14). In the first fragment, built on right/left alternation and imitation, I added several parts, drawing on figures from the original. The abrupt interruption at measure 8 suggested a cadential passage: I added a fermata and continued with three slower measures, also with crescendo and final fermata.

The next fragment (folio 26 recto, stave 14) seemed to me insufficiently characteristic for such a piece. I therefore used an unused sketch from folio 26 recto (staves 11–14), whose descending left‑hand scales, taken at an Allegro tempo and with a “deciso” character, seemed far more conclusive.

Unv.12 – Fantasia for Piano (Sonata?) – Formerly Biamonti 213

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Unvollendete 12 Fantasia for Piano. (Sonata?)

(Formerly Biamonti 213)


Unvollendete 12 Fantasia for Piano. (Sonata?)

(Formerly Biamonti 213)

Perhaps shortly before leaving for Vienna or perhaps already in Vienna, Beethoven left this long sketch for piano that prefigures a Sonata with three movements: an Allegro almost complete, an Andante that is already a little less so and a Finale Allegro, very fragmentary.

This is high-level music and, if it had been completed, it could be said that it is undoubtedly the most important thing Beethoven had achieved, in solo piano music, up to that moment.

The question that arises is: why did Beethoven not finish it or resume it in later times, as happened with other music? Obviously, no certain answer can be had, but one cannot fail to notice that, if the whole of the sketch reveals a Beethoven already later, musically speaking, compared to his contemporary works of at least 10 years, the Finale, very fragmentary and unstable from a harmonic point of view, touches the border of atonality, even projecting itself towards his greatest masterpieces of recent years. Perhaps it was for this reason that the draft remained such: too premature for the times.

Professor Giovanni Biamonti, in 1968, was the first to include it in his catalog of Beethoven’s works, dismissing it as a “Piano Piece. (Draft)“[1]. Although with some reservations, Joseph Kerman was the first  to define it as a “Fantasies für Klavier“[2]. After him, Adolf Fecker[3] in 1973, completely reconstructed this draft and, according to Luca Chiantore,  his edition: «(…) it is serious and rigorous, and has fallen into unjust oblivion. (…)».[4] In the early years of the twentieth century, following a greater attention to Beethoven’s fragments, the Dutch composer Albert Willem Holsbergen made a new version that was presented in public by several performers including Massimo Anfossi in Settimo Torinese in 2006 and was recorded, as a world premiere, in July 2005 by the young American pianist Steven Beck for Monument Records while, the English pianist John Kersey, recorded it for Romantic Discoveries Recordings, in the original version, with the fragmentary Finale.

More recently, in December 2011, the Inedita record company  presented the first critical and philological edition of the first two movements and in 2014 our pianist Massimo Anfossi, performed it  at  the Beethoven-haus in Bonn, recording it.

Meanwhile, in 2012 the Dutch musicologist and composer Cornelius Wilhelmus (Cees) Nieuwenhuizen, also completed the Sonata and it is interesting to understand how he worked with the fragmentary third movement: «(…) The ferocity and atmosphere of the third part is similar to the third and final movement of Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Opus 27 no 2 (…). The third movement was the real challenge because the composer left it in a very fragmentary way. There are also parts that are completely elaborated by the composer, for example, the entire Coda. However, I wanted to use all the notes and all in the same place where Beethoven wrote them. So all the themes of the manuscript are used. It’s mainly the left hand that I had to add(…)».[5] On  21 October, pianist Martin Oei, performed this version of the Sonata as a world premiere at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Below are the three movements of the sonata in the Cees Nieuwenhuizen version by Francesco Gussago at the piano. All other known versions will follow.





Biamonti 213 / Unv. 12 is part of the project “Research becomes Art”

A New Life for the Unknown Works of Ludwig van Beethoven: An Artistic Exploration byl pianist maestro Francesco Gussago



On the side is the Version of Cornelius Wilhelmus (Cees) Nieuwenhuizen edited by Francesco Gussago

[1] Giovanni Biamonti: Chronological and thematic catalogue of the works. ILTE publisher

[2] Joseph Kermann: (ed) Ludwig van Beethoven The Kafka Sketchbook

[3] Adolf Fecker: (ed.) Ludwig van Beethoven: Unbekannte Klavierstücke, nach dem Autograph übertragen, ergänzung und für den praktische Nutzung einrichten. Möseler, Wolfenbüttel

[4] Luca Chiantore: Beethoven at the piano, Improvisation, composition and sound research in technical exercises. Il Saggiatore publisher

[5] Translation from the official website of composer Cornelius Wilhelmus (Cees) Nieuwenhuizen


Anhang 03 – Trio in D Major for Piano, Violin, and Cello

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Anhang 3 – Trio in D Major for Piano, Violin, and Cello

World premiere of the Trio: Bridge Trio, Moneglia, August 10, 2005

Anhang 3 – Trio in D Major for Piano, Violin, and Cello

World premiere of the Trio: Bridge Trio, Moneglia, August 10, 2005. Trio in D major for violin, cello, and piano. Location: London, British Museum, Add. Mss. 31.748. Two pages are missing: from bar 63 to bar 96 in the first movement. The trio was attributed to Mozart until 1910 (Köchel, Anhang 52a). In 1926, it was attributed by Théodore Wyzewa and Georges de Saint-Foix to Beethoven, along with four other pieces (Rondo for piano, Anhang 6, and Three pieces for piano four hands, Anhang 8). Estimated date of composition: between 1788 and 1791.

Studied extensively in 2005 by the Beethoven Research Center at , the Trio, in its current edition, has been completed with the 33 missing bars by Albert Willem Holsbergen, Dutch musicologist and expert in philological reconstructions. The first public performance of this new version was held in Moneglia (Genoa) by the Frank Bridge Trio.

First edition: G. de Saint-Foix, in Oeuvres inédites de Beethoven (Publications of the Société française de Musicologie, Volume II), Paris 1926 (E. Droz), pp. 1–27.

Descriptions:

  • Prod’homme (“Jeunesse”): No. 77
  • Hess: No. 41
  • Köchel-Verzeichnis: Anh. 284h (p. 895)
  • Bruers: p. 482 (No. 307)
  • Biamonti: I, pp. 115ff. (No. 81)

Bibliography:

  • Th. Wyzewa and G. Saint-Foix in Guide musical (Brussels, December 25, 1910 and January 1, 1911)
  • J. G. Prod’homme in Temps (Paris), April 22, 1919 (see ZfMw I, p. 567f)
  • G. de Saint-Foix, Mozart et le jeune Beethoven in Rivista musicale italiana XXVII, pp. 85–111 (January 1920; see ZfMw II, p. 384) and his introduction to Oeuvres inédites de Beethoven (Paris 1926, see above)
  • Ad. Sandberger: Über einige neu aufgefundene Jugendkompositionen Beethovens in Beethoven-Almanach der Deutschen Musikbücherei, Regensburg 1927, pp. 235ff (pp. 240–248)

  • Further literature: see Anhang 2

Moneglia is a splendid town located in a charming inlet on the eastern Ligurian Riviera. Its tourist vocation is well represented by a large beach of fine sand, ideal for families, where children can play without any danger.

The town also hosts many cultural centers, foremost among them the “Centro Studi Felice Romani”. Led with wisdom and professional care by Mrs. Albina Marcone, the Center has been the protagonist of many initiatives of absolute value, especially in the musical field. For example, it has promoted a renowned international guitar interpretation competition of works by Niccolò Paganini, as well as highly regarded summer masterclasses.

Also noteworthy is the placement, at the Tower of the Fortress of Villafranca, of documents related to Felice Romani, the great 19th-century librettist who had a deep filial affection for Moneglia.

We can say, without fear of contradiction, that Moneglia is among the most active—if not the most active—towns in Liguria in terms of musical dissemination.

The Premiere

In this fertile climate, on August 10, 2005, a world premiere took place for Italy and the world: The performance of the trio for piano, violin, and cello by Ludwig van Beethoven, completed with the 33 missing bars in the first movement by Albert Willem Holsbergen, a renowned Dutch musicologist and editor of a famous reconstruction of the Macbeth Overture, published by Inedita Records.

This trio brings us back to the youth of the Master from Bonn.

The first ensemble to have the honor of performing this trio was the Frank Bridge Trio, composed of:

  • Mariangela Marcone, piano
  • Roberto Mazzola, violin
  • Giulio Glavina, cello

Founded in 1996, the Frank Bridge Trio immediately attracted interest and received enthusiastic praise. It has been invited to perform for various concert societies and festivals in Italy and abroad.

The musicians, graduates of the Niccolò Paganini Conservatory of Genoa, refined their skills under teachers such as A. Casabona, R. Ricci, E. Porta, G. Gaccetta, F. M. Ormezowsky, M. Damerini, and C. Nemes, and have won or placed in important international competitions.

We will report on this world event with photographs, trailers, and interviews after the concert, when the performers will be exclusively interviewed by us.

A final heartfelt thank-you to Mrs. Albina Marcone, whose selfless and devoted support made such a great event possible in such a delightful place.



Unv.10 – Biamonti 637 – Sketches for a Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano in F minor

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Unv.10 Biamonti 637. Sketches for a Trio for violin, cello and piano in F minor

Unv. 10, formerly Biamonti 637, comprises sketches for the first and final movements of a piano trio for violin, cello, and piano in F minor, dating from 1815. These span pages 86 to 107 of the manuscript (Nottebohm, II, p. 345). The trio has attracted scholarly and practical attention: Albert Willem Holsbergen has created an insightful reconstruction, which can be heard on www.unheardbeethoven.org, and the work has also been studied by the distinguished musicologist William Kinderman, who provides an MP3 excerpt on the University of Illinois website.

The description provided on www.unheardbeethoven.org reads as follows:

The year 1815 saw several large-scale Beethoven works that never reached completion. Among these was the abandoned Piano Concerto No. 6, Hess 15, documented elsewhere on the site. Another is this Piano Trio, whose surviving sketches reveal a work unlike any other by Beethoven. Perhaps the composer abandoned it because it was too unconventional. It begins with a slow introduction in which the piano presents a flowing triplet arpeggio, while the strings respond with a mournful phrase punctuated by sharp, almost painful rests. The piano struggles against the strings’ sorrowful character, and gradually the music takes on a tone of bitter defiance, as a short four-note motif begins to assert itself, driving the music toward a violent Allegro in which this motif emerges as the first theme.

The gradual development of the main theme recalls the opening of the first movement of the Ninth Symphony. Yet while the Symphony evokes the creation of the universe, in this Trio the effect is far more modest, suggesting merely the tentative first steps of our ancestral hominids across the African plains. Interestingly, the tonal relationships play a crucial role in both works: F minor to D-flat major in this Trio, and D minor to B-flat major in the Ninth Symphony. Here, in Biamonti 637, this tonal interplay appears even more pronounced, indicating Beethoven’s engagement with abstract musical ideas that would only later be fully realised in the Ninth.

From the start of the Allegro, the autograph largely consists of melodic sketches, tracing themes and motifs from one instrument to another. The material extends coherently for roughly 130 bars, after which several pencilled sketches, appearing discontinuous, are added.

The original manuscript, Grasnick 29, is held at the Berlin Staatsbibliothek Preussischer Kulturbesitz. Willem Holsbergen has produced a full realisation of a large-scale movement based on this score, incorporating additional sketches from the Scheide Sketchbook, also held by William Scheide. Recordings of Willem’s completion are available in MP3 format, performed both by The Unheard Beethoven and by composer Gerd Prengel. The full score of Holsbergen’s realisation can be downloaded for study, under copyright The Unheard Beethoven, Inc. (BMI). Thanks are due to the SPK and Mr Scheide for providing access to the sketch materials.

Most of the surviving sketches can be found in the “Scheide” notebook and on the pages associated with it. Beethoven initially used this notebook until around May 1816, but he likely returned to it in the summer and early autumn to prepare further sketches, created concurrently with the draft of the first movement score (see photographs, Grasnick 29a). Nicholas Marston considers it plausible that Beethoven suspended work on the piano trio from June to August, favouring the composition of the Piano Sonata Op. 101, and only afterwards produced the additional sketches and surviving drafts for the piano trio. In two entries of Beethoven’s diary (Tagebuch), namely “im trio endigen” and “Beeilung mit dem Trio” (“finishing the trio” and “hurry with the trio”), Marston hypothesises that Beethoven was still working on the piano trio in September 1816 (Marston, Piano Trio, pp. 238–240; Solomon, Tagebuch II, pp. 72f).

On 1 October 1816, Beethoven offered the trio to the English publisher Robert Birchall in London for £50 as a new work (BGA 982), but without success (BGA 996). Birchall was no longer interested, reportedly irritated by the way Beethoven conducted his business affairs (TDR III, p. 547).

The reason why Beethoven abandoned work on the piano trio remains unclear. External factors may have included failed publishing negotiations, illness, or the prolonged dispute over the guardianship of his nephew, but stylistic considerations may also have played a role (Kinderman, Piano Trio, pp. 36–41; Marston, Piano Trio, pp. 266–269).

It is possible that Beethoven was referring to this piano trio when, on 19 May 1818, he offered Ferdinand Ries a new trio for which he intended to seek a publisher in London (BGA 1258).

Provenance: Friedrich August Grasnick, Berlin, acquired in 1896. Facsimile: SBB/microfiche. Facsimile reference 1: Kinderman, Piano Trio, pp. 17f. Additional facsimile: BGA Vol. 4, p. 189. Complete transcription: Marston, Piano Trio. Transcription sheets 1–3: Kinderman, Piano Trio. Description: Bartlitz, catalogue.

Draft score/sketches of the first movement, mm. 130–151: GB-Lbl, Add. Ms. 29997, folio 20. For long stretches, only individual parts are notated, following folio 4v of the previous source.

Format: single folio; two pages of musical text. Paper: horizontal format, double-spaced.

Provenance: Johann Nepomuk Kafka, Vienna, acquired in 1876. Facsimile folio 20r: Marston, Piano Trio, p. 233. Description: Marston, Piano Trio.

Documents concerning the work: BGA 982, 996, 1258.

Bibliography: Kinderman, Klaviertrio; Marston, Klaviertrio; Nottebohm, Beethoveniana II, p. 345.

Unv.09 – Hess 48 – Allegretto in E‑flat major for Piano, Violin, and Cello (Kafka Sketchbook, 1790–1792)

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Unv. 9 (Hess 48) Allegretto, in mi bemolle maggiore, per pianoforte, violino e violoncello

Unv. 9 – Hess 48 – Allegretto in E‑flat major for Piano, Violin, and Cello (Kafka Sketchbook, 1790–1792)

Published by Jack Werner in London (Elkin & Co., 1955) and by Willy Hess in the ninth fascicle of the Supplemente zur Gesamtausgabe (1965). The manuscript is part of the Kafka collection in the British Museum.

We have moved the trio from Hess 48 to Unv. 9, in accordance with the new catalogue of Beethoven’s works, while retaining under Biamonti 8 the fragment of the second movement of this trio.

Origin and Publication: Composed probably between 1790 and 1792 in Bonn. In 1955 Jack Werner published the fragment through Elkin & Co. in London.

The Allegretto, conceived as a minuet with a trio, survives on a single leaf within the miscellany of sketches known as the “Kafka Miscellany.” Beethoven wrote out the minuet section (122 bars) in its entirety, and 13 bars of a piano part for the trio section survive; the notation then breaks off at the end of the page (Biamonti 8).

Joseph Kerman considers the piece to be a movement from a larger work, either unfinished or no longer extant (Kerman/Kafka, vol. 1, p. XV).

The narrowing of the composition date to 1790–1792 is based on papyrological studies by Kerman and Douglas Johnson. Johnson notes, among other things, that sketches for the piano variations WoO 65 can be found on paper of the same type. Beethoven cited these variations in Bonn in 1790/91 (Kerman/Kafka, vol. 2, p. 291; Johnson/Fischhof, vol. 1).

Autograph Score

GB‑Lbl, Add. Mus. 29801 (“Kafka”), page 129.

  • Extent: one leaf; two pages of musical text
  • Paper: horizontal format, 23–24 × 39 cm, double‑spaced
  • Provenance:
    • Arrived at Artaria in Vienna between 1860 and the early 1870s; probably acquired at the 1827 auction
    • Johann Nepomuk Kafka, Vienna
    • Acquired in 1875

Facsimile, description, and transcription: Kerman/Kafka.

First edition of the fragment (1955): Beethoven, Allegretto in E‑flat (hitherto unpublished) for piano, violin, and cello, ed. Jack Werner, London: Elkin & Co. Ltd; New York: Galaxy Music Corporation. Score for piano and two parts.

Bibliography:

  • Johnson/Fischhof, vol. 1, p. 251
  • Kerman/Kafka

Images: The following images reproduce the originals preserved at the British Library, Miscellanea Kafka, folio 129 recto and folio 129 verso.

“Note al Buio” – Suggestions and comparisons for a high‑quality Beethovenian listening experience,

with a slideshow of the recordings cited in the article. Curated by the YouTube channel SecondAVitA.

 

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