WoO 113 – Klage: Dein Silber schien – Circa 1790. First published in the G.A. 1888. G.A. n.283 (series 2520) – Boett. I-9 – Bruers 270 – KH (WoO) 113 – P.25 – Sch. page 216-18 – Thayer 275.

Official title: WoO 113 Klage Lied (E-dur) nach einem Gedicht von Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty für Singstimme und Klavier Widmung: – NGA XII/1 Nr. 70-71 AGA 283 = Series 25/20

There is no complete original manuscript of this work. In the archives of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna, there are some very detailed sketches, which – together with a copy made by Nottebohm – were used to prepare the G.A. edition edited by Mandyczewsky. The first sketch also contains a three-bar note referring to the first chorus of the Cantata on the Death of Joseph II and another, more extensive one for the First Movement of the Piano Sonata in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1. The poetic text is by Ludwig Hölty. The music is divided into two parts: the first, corresponding to the lines that recall the serene peace of the moon, is a Lento e dolce in E major in tempo 2/4 (the dragged and tied notes together as much as possible, as the author himself noted); The second (Molto lento e triste, in E minor, alla breve, you notice brief moments where the music recalls the keys of C major or A minor) has an agitated and dark physiognomy, corresponding to the poet’s sad fears. The text:

Dein Silber schien
Durch Eichengrün,
Das Kühlung gab,
Auf mich herab,
O Mond, und lachte Ruh’
Mir frohem Knaben zu.

Wenn jetzt dein Licht
Durch’s Fenster bricht,
Lacht’s keine Ruh’
Mir Jüngling zu,
Sieht’s meine Wange blaß,
Mein Auge tränennaß.

Bald, lieber Freund,
Ach bald bescheint
Dein Silberschein
Den Leichenstein,
Der meine Asche birgt,
Des Jünglings Asche birgt!

Origin and publication: The two known versions were created in Bonn in 1790. The first edition of the second version was published posthumously in 1888 as part of the AGA by Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig. Sketches from 1793 indicate Beethoven continued revising the song later, possibly during his lessons with Joseph Haydn.

Text: Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty (1748-1776), first published in an arrangement by Johann Heinrich Voß with an adaptation by Johann Friedrich Reichardt in the “Poetische Blumenlese für das Jahres 1779”. The poem was edited a second time by Voß in 1783 to correspond with the first edition of Hölty’s poems (Gedichte von Lude-wig Heinrich Christoph Hölty, Besorgt durch seine Freunde Friedrich Leopold Grafen zu Stolberg und Johann Heinrich Voß, Hamburg).

Beethoven probably first learned about the text of the first version of the poem in 1782, through Boßler’s “Blumenlese für Klavierliebhaber” (full text in “Lieder zu die Musik Blumenlese auf das Jahres 1782”, 2nd edition Speyer 1782, p. 63 – The Centro Ricerche Musicali has devoted in-depth research to the “Blumenlese für Klavierliebhaber”). However, the song follows the second version from 1783 (Lühning/NGA XII/1 KB p. 79). First performance unknown. sketches: A-Wgm, A 31, one sheet (SV 260). Dating: 1793 (Johnson/Fischhof vol. 1 p. 99). 1st version, score: A-Wgm, A 9. Dating: early 1790 (the sketches for the cantata WoO 87 on folio 2versus were written between February 28 and March 17, 1790; Johnson/Fischhof vol. 1 p. 245f). Model for the AGA.

Title: Folio 1 recto by Leopold Sonnleithner “Klage. Von Hölty. / Musik von Beethoven.”. On the left staff are triads and seventh chords in Beethoven’s hand and the inscription “der harte weiche und verminderte Dreyklang, / der dissonirende wesentliche 7timen / accord, der viererley Zusammen= / sezungen fähig ist.” 2 folios; 4 pages of score 1 recto – 2 versus. Paper: landscape format, 16.5 x 21 cm, 12 lines.

Provenance: Unidentified in the Catalogue of the Auction of the “Beethoven Estate” (1827) – Verlagsarchiv Artaria, Vienna. Possibly sold together with WoO 96 No. 2, WoO 144 or Op. 100, and WoO 148 (Johnson/Artaria p. 220). Descriptions: Lühning/NGA XII/1 KB P. 79. — Vienna/Autographe. 2nd version, without text, score: A-Wgm, A 66. Dating: 1790 (Lühning/NGA XII/1 KB p. 80). Model for AGA.

Title: Untitled. 2 sheets; 4 pages of musical text, folio l1 recto 2 versus Folio 1 recto sketch for a four-part song, Folio 1 versu 2 rectos WoO 113, In folio 2 versu unidentified piano sketches and a melody sketch for WoO 115. Paper: horizontal format, 24 x 31 cm, 16 lines. Provenance: Joseph Dessauer (gift 1870). Descriptions: Lühning/NGA XII/1 KB p.79f. – Vienna/Autographs. A copy by Gustav Nottebohm (AGA revision report series 25 p. V) served as a further model for the AGA. First edition (2nd version) in the AGA. Bibliography : Lühning/NGA XII/1 KB p.79f. Thayer/1865 no. 275 (p. 167).