WoO 99 – Italian A Cappella Songs: “Ah rammenta”
The manuscript is located in Stockholm in the Nydahl Collection (MMS 278) and consists of a single long-format leaf with 16 staves per page. On the first page we find, on staves 1–8, the sketches of the song, while the rest of the folios are blank. The verso of the leaf is also blank, although on the right side we find a faded pencil writing that is difficult to decipher; at the top of the verso, on the upper right margin, we find the number 14, which would seem to indicate that this leaf must have been part of a sketchbook with at least 14 leaves. Neither Biamonti nor Hess include this song in their catalogues. The text, like all those proposed to Beethoven by Salieri, is by Pietro Metastasio and is taken from Cantata XIV Il Ritorno. The sketch of the song, which Beethoven modified into O rammenta, is for solo Soprano with some indications for the other voices inserted within the Soprano line; such indications depart greatly from the homorhythmic style typical of the other realizations and, in some points, almost seem to deviate toward a “fugato” style (see following images).
Naturally, since the song was not fully developed, there are no corrections by Salieri, nor do we find the usual slurs that join adjacent vowels (in the second bar, however, on the words “bella Irene”, the vowels “a–I” are sung on the same note).
Manuscript staves 5–7
The text is taken from Cantata XIV Il Ritorno by Metastasio.
O rammenta, o bella Irene,
Che giurasti a me costanza;
Ah ritorna, amato bene,
Ah ritorna al primo amor.
Qual conforto, oh Dio, m’avanza?
Chi sarà la mia speranza?
Per chi viver più degg’io,
Se più mio non è quel cor?
WoO 99 Number 6 Ah rammenta is part of the project “Research Becomes Art”
– A New Life for the Unknown Works of Ludwig van Beethoven: An Artistic Exploration by Arieh Max Sacke (Tenor I), Benjamin Gabbay (Tenor II), and Evan Tanovich (Bass).
