WoO 61 – Allegretto in B minor for Piringer, 18 February 1821, first published in the Deutscher Kunst- und Musikzeitung by A. Robitschek on 15 March 1893, edited by Frimmel; then again by Frimmel (facsimile) and by Hess; more recently by the latter in the ninth fascicle of the Supplemente zur G.A., 1965. Hess 62 – K.H. (WoO) 61.

The original manuscript, once in private hands, is now lost. A small piece, also (27 bars), graceful and well-finished. It consists of two sections followed by a Trio with a simple, melodic character in the major key.

The autograph is dated 18 February 1821. The piece was published posthumously in 1893 in the Wiener Deutsche Kunst- und Musik-Zeitung. Beethoven wrote this piece in the family book of Ferdinand Piringer (1780–1829). Piringer was deputy director at the Hofkammer, a violinist and conductor, and together with Franz Xaver Gebauer founded the Concerts spirituels in Vienna in 1819. The entry in the family register documents Piringer’s first known contact with Beethoven. From 1823 onwards, Piringer’s annotations frequently appeared in Beethoven’s conversation books. On 7 May 1824 he undertook various organisational duties for Beethoven’s Academy, including recruiting musicians from the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (of which he was also a member) to strengthen the orchestra. The first performance of the piece is unknown.

The manuscript is in a private collection. As it cannot be traced, it is considered lost. Date: “18 February 1821”. As mentioned, the piece is contained in Ferdinand Piringer’s family book, which includes a total of 91 compositions and musical quotations, mostly of several pages.

Heading: “Allegretto by Ludwig van Beethoven”, alongside “18 February 1821”. Length: 3 pages. Paper: vertical format, ten lines. Provenance: Ferdinand Piringer, Vienna – Victor von Marquet, Vienna – Stargardt, Marburg (catalogue 641, 9/10/3/1988, lot 987). Fortunately, we have a facsimile of the first page: Frimmel / Beethoven p. 62 (see photographs). Description: Stargardt catalogue 641, p. 325.