Friedrich August Grasnick (1798–1877)

Grasnick is the most underappreciated among the major 19th-century collectors of Beethoven manuscripts. Son of a Berlin businessman, he studied theology for several years in both Berlin and Heidelberg. An autograph letter suggests he also studied with Berlin composer Ludwig Berger—likely informal and amateur lessons. At the time, he was described simply as a “Rentier,” a man living off private income.

His collection of musical manuscripts was acquired by the Royal Library of Berlin in 1879 through a certain Professor Vatkc, possibly Grasnick’s heir or executor. There is no evidence that Grasnick was a musician of any level; rather, he was a passionate collector of composers’ autographs. This is evident from the inventory compiled by the library shortly after acquisition. Although individual items weren’t described in detail, the list of represented composers is extensive.

Unlike Landsberg, Grasnick had no academic interest in pre-19th-century music or theoretical literature. His focus was on Viennese classics, and in this area, his collection was richer and more varied than Landsberg’s—especially regarding Beethoven manuscripts.

The manuscripts are numbered from Grasnick 1 to Grasnick 35, with many lots containing multiple fascicles. Grasnick owned a large number of autograph scores, sketches, and letters. While most pertained to relatively minor works, the collection includes the autographs of Sonata Opus 26 and the second finale of the String Quartet in B-flat major, Opus 130.

The Grasnick collection was catalogued chronologically, with an appendix containing isolated sketch leaves (Grasnick 11 to 15) and two miscellanies:

• Grasnick 1: Sketchbook from 1798–1799
• Grasnick 2: Sketchbook from 1799
• Grasnick 3: Sketchbook from 1808
• Grasnick 4: Sketchbook from 1824
• Grasnick 5: Sketchbook from 1821
• Grasnick 6: Two sketch leaves for WoO 135
• Grasnick 20a: Miscellany of sketches (11 leaves)
• Grasnick 20b: Miscellany of sketches (24 leaves)
• Grasnick 21: Two leaves from the “Sauer” sketchbook
• Grasnick 24: Two autograph leaves
• Grasnick 32: Five leaves of sketches and studies

A full analysis of the entire collection, including unlisted items, is forthcoming.

Provenance and Acquisition

Grasnick likely acquired most of his Beethoven manuscripts—including sketches—in Vienna. Grasnick 2, the second finale of Opus 130, and many letters came from the collection of Aloys Fuchs, part of which Grasnick purchased from Fuchs’s widow in 1853. He had met Fuchs during a visit to Vienna in late 1849, and Fuchs apparently introduced him to other private sources.

Grasnick also did business with Artaria during this period. A manuscript copy of a Handel fugue in Beethoven’s hand (Grasnick 13) bears Artaria’s authentication dated October 29, 1849. He likely acquired the miscellanies Grasnick 20a and 20b at that time, as both were part of the Artaria collection by 1844, when the Fischhof catalogue was compiled.

However, most of Grasnick’s acquisitions came not from Artaria but from the family of Tobias Haslinger—presumably during the same 1849 visit. Some autographs of completed works (including Sonata Opus 26) had previously been traced by Grasnick to Haslinger and were acquired during the famous Nachlass auction in November 1827.