Ludwig van Beethoven, "Neue Liebe, neues Leben", Gesang für Singstimme und Klavier op. 75, Nr. 2, Autograph

New edition, new piece

Beethoven set Goethe's poem "Neue Liebe, neues Leben" to music in two different versions, the first one around 1798/99 (WoO 127). This version was published by Nikolaus Simrock in Bonn in 1808, together with two others as "III Deutsche Lieder" ("III German Lieder"). The publication was probably undertaken without Beethoven's assistance and certainly also without his approval (it is still unclear how Simrock managed to get hold of the manuscript). This edition probably caused Beethoven to decide to correct the lied and publish it himself - to produce an authorized version so to speak. HCB Mh 34 is the result of this "correction". The clarity and neatness make it clear that this is a copy of a piece which already existed. At the same time certain corrections and erasures point to the fact that Beethoven had not merely made a new copy of an older composition but that he had carefully revised it. Even on the first page in bars 2 and 4 you can see how Beethoven tried out several possibilities in the piano part, which is why he had to use an eraser: the erasures are quite clearly visible and even meant that he had to re-draw the staves. However, Beethoven made most of the changes to the earlier version directly when writing. Only his search for the final ending on the last pages with its many crossings out and sketches does not reflect the superior impression made by the other pages. The lied was published in 1809 as no. 2 in the "Sechs Gesänge" op. 75. (J.R.)

Facsimile edition published by Beethoven-Haus