WoO 99 No. 13 – “Quella cetra ah pur sei”: Beethoven’s Studies, Trio and Two Quartets
For this song we have three different versions, which can be found in manuscript A69 of the Friends of Music in Vienna, folios 1 verso and 2 recto–verso; in these three pages we find Beethoven’s study for the soprano melodies. In the Artaria 166 volume, pages 39–41 and 13–14, preserved in Berlin at the State Library, we instead find the harmonisations for Trio (1) and Quartet (2). Although the studies are very messy, it does not seem that there are corrections by Salieri.
In the text we again find the slurs placed above contiguous vowels, as a reminder that these must be sung on a single note (sinalefe).
The first harmonised Trio, which—following the Beethovenhaus designation—we have called “a”, is found on page 39 of the Berlin manuscript with the classic Beethoven sign “Vi- de”, which refers for the ending to page 42; in between, pages 40–41, we find instead the first Quartet. These pages constitute Section VII of the Artaria 166 manuscript, which consists of a single bifolio. Of this series of songs, only the Quartet in G major was copied into Manuscript Artaria 166b with piano accompaniment by Benedict Randartinger.
WoO 99 n. 13a – Trio (first version)
It is found on pages 39 and 42 of Artaria 166 and has been catalogued by the Beethovenhaus as version A. Written in A major, it is a trio for Soprano, Tenor and Bass. The soprano melody follows, in some bars—especially in the central section—the one found in the preparatory version of manuscript A69. The accentuation of the text is not respected. As in the previous songs, here too we find the slur over contiguous vowels of different words (“sinalefe”). Beethoven probably wrote this exercise at the same time as the Quartet, or he wrote the Trio using the bifolio opened at pages 1 and 4; in fact, at the bottom of the page we find the classic Beethoven reference “Vi=” which leads to the beginning of page 42 (“=de”), where the five concluding bars are found. We do not find corrections by Salieri, which suggests that this song was not presented to him. Note the exchange of text made by Beethoven in the opening words “tu” and “pur”.
Artaria 166 a pagina 39 rigo 4
WoO 99 n. 13b – Quartet (version in F major): This exercise has been catalogued at the Beethovenhaus as version B. The melody takes up some bars from the A69 study, but several others were changed, and traces of them are found in the deleted version. As in the previous songs, in the Quartet on pages 40–41 of Artaria 166 we again find the slurs placed above adjacent vowels belonging to different words (“sinalefe”), as a reminder that these must be sung on a single note; the accentuation is respected.
The melody follows, at least up to the middle of the piece, the one found in manuscript A69. In the upbeat of bar 1 in the Soprano, the second note cannot be a G, as it might seem from the manuscript, but must necessarily be an F, as the tonic harmony note. In bar 7 in the Soprano part, Julia Ronge writes an A natural; in fact Beethoven writes B natural. In the penultimate bar, Willy Hess, in his transcription found in Volume I of the Supplemente zur Gesamtausgabe, writes for the Tenor the sequence of semiquavers “D–B♭–A–F–G–B♭”, whereas the notes found in the Beethoven manuscript should be “B♭–G–A–F–G–B♭”. 
(Artaria 166 manuscript, page 41, stave 3) and Willy Hess version.
No corrections by Salieri are found; probably this exercise too was not presented to Salieri.
WoO 99 n.13c – Quartet (version in G major) This Song is more mature than the other two; it would seem to have been composed at a later period, as if Salieri had reassigned the text to his pupil in a final phase of their lessons. In fact, this version in G major was written not contiguous to the other two, but on a separate leaf that we find in the manuscript on pages 13–14, which we have identified as the complete Section 3.
The absence of corrections by Salieri may also indicate that this was reviewed by the Maestro but that he found no errors of any kind. As by now customary, here too we find the slurs placed above adjacent vowels (sinalefe), except in places where Beethoven deliberately separates the words.
In bar 7 in the Tenor part, the sharp on the C is implied. The same applies in bar 14 in the Bass part. In bar 8 the penultimate quaver may be controversial, since in the manuscript it is not clear whether it is a G or an F. Julia Ronge leans toward a G, while Willy Hess leans toward an F; I, based on the harmony, lean toward the F as Hess writes. Bar 8 – Manuscript version Julia Ronge version W. Hess version. In the first half of bar 15, in the Bass part, Julia Ronge writes two F crotchets; we instead agree with Willy Hess’s version, which indicates the G–F crotchet motion. Bar 15
WoO 99 n.13b – Quartet (version in G major) This Song is more mature than the other two; it would seem to have been composed at a later period, as if Salieri had reassigned the text to his pupil in a final phase of their lessons. In fact, this version in G major was written not contiguous to the other two, but on a separate leaf that we find in the manuscript on pages 13–14, which we have identified as the complete Section 3.
The absence of corrections by Salieri could also indicate that this was examined by the Maestro but that he did not find any errors. As has by now become customary, here too we find the slurs placed above adjacent vowels (sinalefe), except in places where Beethoven deliberately separates the words.
In bar 7 in the Tenor part, the sharp on the C is implied. The same applies in bar 14 in the Bass part. In bar 8 the penultimate quaver may be controversial, since in the manuscript it is not clear whether it is a G or an F. Julia Ronge leans toward a G, while Willy Hess toward an F; I, based on the harmony, lean toward the F as Hess writes.
Bar 8 – Manuscript version
J. Ronge
W. Hess
In the first half of bar 15, in the Bass part, Julia Ronge writes two F crotchets; we instead agree with Willy Hess’s version, which indicates the G–F crotchet motion.
J. Ronge
Manuscript
Willy Hess
In bar 17 Julia Ronge indicates, in the first half of the bar and in all parts, the figuration crotchet–quaver; the correct version is instead two crotchets.
Bar 17 – J. Ronge version
Bar 17 – manuscript version