Bonn and works attributed to Beethoven
Further to some very helpful correspondence on Beethoven in his youth at Bonn with Dr Herttrecht of tbe Beethovenhaus archives, separate correspondence on the subject of the Bonn music archives with his predecessor, Dr S. Brandenburg, and taking in to account information received today by email from Mr Giorgio Taboga in Italy and his various musical colleagues, I think it fair to share here the results of a fair and open examination of issues related to the true composer of various works today generally attributed to the young Beethoven while he was at Bonn.
In response to a question I asked of Dr Herttrecht as to whether Beethoven was the composer of the two cantatas generally credited to him, his reply was that he firmly believes (as do others) that they are rightly credited to the young Beethoven and he cites what he believes is supporting evidence including documents of the local literary society in Bonn written at this time, whose Minutes still survive proving Beethoven's relationship with them and which, he says, strongly indicate that he, Beethoven, really was the true composer of these two Cantatas. (I found Dr Herttrecht to be most helpful, open and patient in dealing with a whole range of related points in his reply).
In response to a question asked separately to Dr S Brandenburg of what verifiable date the Bonn music archives arrived at Modena, Italy, (which Dr Brandenburg in 1987 had suggested in the Beethoven yearbook of that date was around 1836) his reply was that he had not worked on this subject for many years. No verification/confirmation was given to his suggested date. He suggested that these issues could perhaps be best dealt with by asking other researchers and libraries.
I pointed out to Dr Brandenburg in my reply that the Bonn Chapel was closed between 1794 and 1814, and that therefore the Bonn music archives should surely have been returned to Bonn Chapel (whose property they were). And I again pointed out that it is vital to know why these hugely important manuscripts were not returned to Bonn in that year of 1814. Where were these archives between that date and 1836 ? And why were they still there ? Dr Brandenburg was unable to assist further.
I have also today received a letter from my colleague Giorgio Taboga in Italy which provides further contrary evidence against the traditional attribution to Beethoven of these above two mentioned cantatas.
Contrary to popular belief (including the views of the Beethovenhaus at Bonn) there is in fact no proof that the Literary Society of Bonn (the Lesegesellschaft) twice commissioned Beethoven to compose these cantatas. Though the Minutes of the Lesegesellshaft have certainly survived, as the Beethovenhaus says they do NOT show evidence of any such commission being given to Beethoven by them for the composition of two cantatas.
The two cantatas for the death of Emperor Joseph 2nd and for the accession of Emperor Leopold 2nd were simply NOT commissioned by the literary society of Bonn, despite Beethoven being recorded as having been assisted financially during the time when they were made.
Also, these same cantata manuscripts today attributed to the young Beethoven are said by Bonn to have been 'lost' until 1884. No reply has yet been received to my question as to the location of these manuscripts during those decades. Nor has their finder been identified or the place where they, in 1884, were found.
(G. Taboga was in fact the first researcher in modern times to contest Beethoven's paternity on these two cantatas. He did so suggesting Beethoven had actually helped Kaoellemeister Luchesi to write these same cantatas. Taboga also showed that the Elector Max Franz, having at his ready disposal the best composer of sacred music in the Rhineland with his own Kapellmeister Andrea Luchesi would not logically have used in his place the 19 year old youth Beethoven to have composed them (such things being part of the official and normal duty of the Kapellmeister) and nor would he have sought a cheaper source for writing these two great official cantatas for two Emperors.
Beethoven never once claimed to have written these two Cantatas (which is itself surely of significance).
In the 'Beethoven Companion' is found the following. "On the music found in these two cantatas, wrtten in Bonn, the final chorus of the Cantata to Leopold II and the Soprano Aria with chorus 'Da stiegen die Meschen' are immediately impressive and surprisingly mature" ('The Beethoven Companion' -London Boston)
The Bonn music publisher Simrock (a contemporary of these events) wrote that the Cantata for the accession of Leopold was rehearsed in the Bonn Chapel but was not actually performed there. (Kapellmeister Luchesi was, of course, the man with authority in regard to use of the orchestra at Bonn Chapel). It is therefore a virtual certainty that this very cantata today attributed to Beethoven was actually commissioned from Kapellmeister Luchesi by the Elector Max Franz and is one and the same work as that which was performed at the accession of the Emperor in Frankfurt am Main on 9th October 1790 and therefore not a cantata commonly said to have been 'maybe by Zumsteeg'. In a work by Joseph Heinz Heibl ('Mozart - Chronicle of a Life', 1991, p.116 is also found the following -
'October 9th 1790. Leopold 2nd's coronation in the cathedral at Frankfurt - where probably was performed the cantata 'Auf die Erhebung Leopolds zum deutshen Kayser of Zmsteeg'
That cantata title is the same in German as that of WoO88.
In 1783 Neefe wrote to 'Cramer's Magazine' informing readers that among Luchesi's productions at that time in Bonn were '4 quartets with piano' (3 of which have since wrongly been attributed to Beethoven in WoO36), and a fourth having falsely been attributed to Mozart, known today as KV478. In fact, the only evidence supportive of WoO36 being works by Beethoven (mentioned in Holschneider) is their supposed presence in Beethoven's Nachlass. But Kinsky-Halm has shown that even this attribution is an error. N.166 of the Beethoven Nachlass is actually only ONE quartet in 3 parts and NOT three quartets, a version of the quintet Op.4 that appeared as Op.75 or Op.16, these all deriving from the famous 'Settimino'. Also, according to Otto Muelbrecht (in his 'Beethoven and his Works'), printed Lipsia, 1866, p.113 the 3 quartets must according to him have been composed in 1796 since only by that date was Beethoven regarded as being able to produce works of this quality. It is clear therefore that these works today attributed so readily to Beethoven were not, in fact, by Beethoven.
In addition, both Reis and Holschneider refused to accept that Beethoven was the author of WoO36. In conclusion, we can say only that WoO36, WoO37 and Hess 13) are NOT autographs by the young Beethoven but were in fact written by the same copyist known to have made corrections on WoO4. A written attribution that can be found to Beethoven on the manuscript of WoO37 has been scored out and then wrongly repeated.
Regards
Robert
[This message has been edited by robert newman (edited 01-04-2006).]
[This message has been edited by robert newman (edited 01-04-2006).]
In response to a question I asked of Dr Herttrecht as to whether Beethoven was the composer of the two cantatas generally credited to him, his reply was that he firmly believes (as do others) that they are rightly credited to the young Beethoven and he cites what he believes is supporting evidence including documents of the local literary society in Bonn written at this time, whose Minutes still survive proving Beethoven's relationship with them and which, he says, strongly indicate that he, Beethoven, really was the true composer of these two Cantatas. (I found Dr Herttrecht to be most helpful, open and patient in dealing with a whole range of related points in his reply).
In response to a question asked separately to Dr S Brandenburg of what verifiable date the Bonn music archives arrived at Modena, Italy, (which Dr Brandenburg in 1987 had suggested in the Beethoven yearbook of that date was around 1836) his reply was that he had not worked on this subject for many years. No verification/confirmation was given to his suggested date. He suggested that these issues could perhaps be best dealt with by asking other researchers and libraries.
I pointed out to Dr Brandenburg in my reply that the Bonn Chapel was closed between 1794 and 1814, and that therefore the Bonn music archives should surely have been returned to Bonn Chapel (whose property they were). And I again pointed out that it is vital to know why these hugely important manuscripts were not returned to Bonn in that year of 1814. Where were these archives between that date and 1836 ? And why were they still there ? Dr Brandenburg was unable to assist further.
I have also today received a letter from my colleague Giorgio Taboga in Italy which provides further contrary evidence against the traditional attribution to Beethoven of these above two mentioned cantatas.
Contrary to popular belief (including the views of the Beethovenhaus at Bonn) there is in fact no proof that the Literary Society of Bonn (the Lesegesellschaft) twice commissioned Beethoven to compose these cantatas. Though the Minutes of the Lesegesellshaft have certainly survived, as the Beethovenhaus says they do NOT show evidence of any such commission being given to Beethoven by them for the composition of two cantatas.
The two cantatas for the death of Emperor Joseph 2nd and for the accession of Emperor Leopold 2nd were simply NOT commissioned by the literary society of Bonn, despite Beethoven being recorded as having been assisted financially during the time when they were made.
Also, these same cantata manuscripts today attributed to the young Beethoven are said by Bonn to have been 'lost' until 1884. No reply has yet been received to my question as to the location of these manuscripts during those decades. Nor has their finder been identified or the place where they, in 1884, were found.
(G. Taboga was in fact the first researcher in modern times to contest Beethoven's paternity on these two cantatas. He did so suggesting Beethoven had actually helped Kaoellemeister Luchesi to write these same cantatas. Taboga also showed that the Elector Max Franz, having at his ready disposal the best composer of sacred music in the Rhineland with his own Kapellmeister Andrea Luchesi would not logically have used in his place the 19 year old youth Beethoven to have composed them (such things being part of the official and normal duty of the Kapellmeister) and nor would he have sought a cheaper source for writing these two great official cantatas for two Emperors.
Beethoven never once claimed to have written these two Cantatas (which is itself surely of significance).
In the 'Beethoven Companion' is found the following. "On the music found in these two cantatas, wrtten in Bonn, the final chorus of the Cantata to Leopold II and the Soprano Aria with chorus 'Da stiegen die Meschen' are immediately impressive and surprisingly mature" ('The Beethoven Companion' -London Boston)
The Bonn music publisher Simrock (a contemporary of these events) wrote that the Cantata for the accession of Leopold was rehearsed in the Bonn Chapel but was not actually performed there. (Kapellmeister Luchesi was, of course, the man with authority in regard to use of the orchestra at Bonn Chapel). It is therefore a virtual certainty that this very cantata today attributed to Beethoven was actually commissioned from Kapellmeister Luchesi by the Elector Max Franz and is one and the same work as that which was performed at the accession of the Emperor in Frankfurt am Main on 9th October 1790 and therefore not a cantata commonly said to have been 'maybe by Zumsteeg'. In a work by Joseph Heinz Heibl ('Mozart - Chronicle of a Life', 1991, p.116 is also found the following -
'October 9th 1790. Leopold 2nd's coronation in the cathedral at Frankfurt - where probably was performed the cantata 'Auf die Erhebung Leopolds zum deutshen Kayser of Zmsteeg'
That cantata title is the same in German as that of WoO88.
In 1783 Neefe wrote to 'Cramer's Magazine' informing readers that among Luchesi's productions at that time in Bonn were '4 quartets with piano' (3 of which have since wrongly been attributed to Beethoven in WoO36), and a fourth having falsely been attributed to Mozart, known today as KV478. In fact, the only evidence supportive of WoO36 being works by Beethoven (mentioned in Holschneider) is their supposed presence in Beethoven's Nachlass. But Kinsky-Halm has shown that even this attribution is an error. N.166 of the Beethoven Nachlass is actually only ONE quartet in 3 parts and NOT three quartets, a version of the quintet Op.4 that appeared as Op.75 or Op.16, these all deriving from the famous 'Settimino'. Also, according to Otto Muelbrecht (in his 'Beethoven and his Works'), printed Lipsia, 1866, p.113 the 3 quartets must according to him have been composed in 1796 since only by that date was Beethoven regarded as being able to produce works of this quality. It is clear therefore that these works today attributed so readily to Beethoven were not, in fact, by Beethoven.
In addition, both Reis and Holschneider refused to accept that Beethoven was the author of WoO36. In conclusion, we can say only that WoO36, WoO37 and Hess 13) are NOT autographs by the young Beethoven but were in fact written by the same copyist known to have made corrections on WoO4. A written attribution that can be found to Beethoven on the manuscript of WoO37 has been scored out and then wrongly repeated.
Regards
Robert
[This message has been edited by robert newman (edited 01-04-2006).]
[This message has been edited by robert newman (edited 01-04-2006).]
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