Ludwig van Beethoven, Skizzen zu Fidelio op. 72, 3. Fassung 1814, Autograph

Folded to fit in a coat pocket

In 1814 Beethoven more or less rewrote both of the large ensemble numbers at the ends of the acts in his opera Fidelio. A large number of sketches and drafts for them have survived. The leaves shown here were originally folded twice. This was probably due to the fact that Beethoven carried them around in his coat pocket, so that he could continue to make notes (as he often did) outside of his lodgings. Thus they contain all manner of notes: an address, short reminders of everyday tasks but mainly musical thoughts, as a rule jotted down hurriedly and sometimes almost impossible to decipher. (Lühning, 1997)