Johann Philipp Kirnberger, Die Kunst des reinen Satzes in der Musik, Auszüge, Partitur, Autograph Beethovens

Beethoven studies the theory of music

Johann Philipp Kirnberger (1721-1783) was one of the greatest German music theorists of his time, alongside C. P. E. Bach, F. W. Marpurg and J. J. Quantz. His work "Die Kunst des reinen Satzes in der Musik, aus sicheren Grundsätzen hergeleitet und mit deutlichen Beyspielen erläutert" was a standard work on composition in the eighteenth century. Beethoven obviously read Kirnberger's work - the autograph score shown here is a copy he made of two examples from the book.

Leaves 1r and 4v (the two outer pages) contain the score of a four-part canon. On leaf 1v Beethoven copied the choral "Du, dessen Augen flossen" in a four-part version by Anna Amalie von Preußen, the sister of Frederick the Great (who was a well-known music-lover and maintained a "court of the muses", where Kirnberger was also employed). (J.R.)