Ludwig van Beethoven, Skizzenblatt zum Streichquartett op. 127 sowie zur Sinfonie Nr. 9 op. 125, Partiturskizze, Autograph

Extensive sketching

Beethoven's way of composing is mostly characterized by his intensive sketching. His whole life long he recorded everything - from the first idea to the fully notated draft. This alone does not, however, set him apart from other composers or artists (even painters and writers work with sketches and drafts). What makes Beethoven so special in this respect is that he preserved even the smallest musical snippet and his working papers all his life, also taking them with him whenever he moved. This affords scholars a great opportunity, as the many surviving sketches provide a relatively clear insight into his working methods and the genesis of his works.

The leaf shown here mainly contains sketches for the second movement of the String Quartet op. 127. Even the layperson will see that the composition is already at quite an advanced stage. Unlike sketches made at the beginning of a project, which are mainly very short and generally do not yet hang together, in this case, Beethoven has written down extensive passages. He has also noted down the four instruments of the quartet in the score - a "new" method when making sketches, which he only began to use systematically in the year before his death, beginning with this String Quartet op. 127.

In the uppermost stave on the first page, Beethoven made a note of a theme from the Ninth Symphony. He probably first used the paper for the "Ninth" or intended to do so at least in the uppermost line. He later decided against this and used the leaf for notes for the string quartet. This was also not unusual.

Although Beethoven generally used bound sketchbooks from 1798 onwards, he still sometimes turned to single leaves or sheets. The leaf shown here seems to be one such single leaf. There is nothing to intimate that this leaf once belonged to a sketchbook. (J.R.)