WoO 98 – Chorus and soprano solo: “Wo sich die Pulse, jugendlich jagen”, September 1822, first published in the Supplement to the GA, 1888. GA no. 266 (series 25/3) – B. 257 – KH (WoO) 98 – T. 235.

The original manuscript is held in the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek in Berlin. Orchestra: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings. The stage direction reads: “The Dance and the Graces appear, dancing.” During the mimed action, the chorus “Wo sich die Pulse jugendlich jagen schwebt in Tanze das Leben dahin” unfolds, set to light and appropriate music. An Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso, in which the chorus (sopranos, altos, tenors, basses) alternates with a soprano solo, is followed by an Andante arioso e cantabile (3/4, E-flat major): “Paart sich im Tanze die Anmuth im Blicke”, of a sweeter melodic character, introduced, alternated, and accompanied by brief passages for the violin. This is followed by a Vivace (3/4, G major): “Lasset im Tanze glühendes Leben …”. Solo soprano and chorus (few voices, then full ensemble) alternate in the lightness of a skipping motif, which
comes to a halt with a brief return of the initial Allegro ma non troppo. This leads into the Presto (2/4, B-flat major), a kind of stretto, sung by the full chorus in a more tightly driven rhythm. Finally, the ensemble forms a tableau, while the orchestra alone continues to the conclusion.

[After Giovanni Biamonti, Chronological and Thematic Catalogue of Beethoven’s Works, including unpublished works and unused sketches, Turin, ILTE, 1968].

Official title: WoO 98 Wo sich die Pulse jugendlich jagen. Dance with chorus (B-flat major) for the festival play Die Weihe des Hauses by Carl Meisl, for soprano, chorus, and orchestra. Dedication: — NGA IX/8 AGA 266 = Series 25/3
Composition and publication: The chorus was composed at the end of September 1822. The first edition of the score was published posthumously in 1888 as part of the AGA by Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig. For details concerning the commission and creation of this work, see op. 124. In October/November 1822 Beethoven unsuccessfully attempted to publish the chorus with the Viennese publishers Steiner or Diabelli, through the mediation of his brother Johann (BGA 1505, 1505a, 1507).
Text: Carl Meisl (1775–1853), Die Weihe des Hauses, occasional play in one act, in: Taschenbuch vom K. K. Theater in der Leopoldstadt, 12th year, Vienna 1825, volume 12. First performance: 3 October 1822 at the Josephstädter Theatre in Vienna, with repeat performances from 4 to 6 October of the same year. Beethoven himself conducted the first performance, assisted by Franz Joseph Gläser (1798–1861). Unlike the Overture op. 124, the chorus was not performed again during Beethoven’s lifetime. In November 1823, Carl Wilhelm Henning and Heinrich Eduard Bethmann requested the music for Die Weihe des Hauses from Beethoven for the inauguration of the Königstadt Theatre in Berlin. At the opening concert of the theatre, contrary to the original intentions, only an overture (probably op. 124) was performed, not the complete incidental music, including this chorus. WoO 98 was later staged on 23 March 1873: Johannes Brahms conducted the chorus as part of the 3rd Concert of the Society in Vienna. Brahms used the surviving copy, on which he made autograph corrections.

The sketches will be discussed in a separate article prepared for the Centro Ricerche Musicali Beethoveniane www.lvbeethoven.org