Ludwig van Beethoven, Skizzenblatt zur Klaviersonate op. 106, Autograph

Sketches for the "Hammerklavier" Sonata

As both the autograph score and the engraver's model for the "Große Sonate für das Hammerklavier" op. 106 have disappeared, the only surviving handwritten sources for the sonata are sketches. Within these sketches, the ones Beethoven made for the fourth movement definitely predominate. The surviving sketch material does not only consist of sketchbooks, but also of single leaves and sheets. For a long time the leaf shown here was in a private collection and only came into the possession of the Beethoven-Haus in 1992. It contains sketches for op. 106, which are mainly for the third movement. (J.R.)