Ludwig van Beethoven, Skizzenblatt zum Klavierkonzert Nr. 1 op. 15 und zum Streichquintett op. 4, Autograph

Prepared in advance or improvised?

"Only on the afternoon of the second day before the performance of his first concerto (C major) did he write the rondo while suffering rather bad colic pains, which he had quite often. I tried to ease his pain, as far as I was able. Four copyists sat in the anteroom, and he gave each finished leaf to them." Thus wrote Beethoven's friend Franz Gerhard Wegeler in 1838 in his "Biographischen Notizen über Ludwig van Beethoven" about the genesis of the final movement of the First Piano Concerto op. 15. It is known that Beethoven played from practically empty sheets several times (they only contained a few cue notes), as he had not been able to finish writing down the music in time. Yet Beethoven certainly did not compose the rondo of the C-Major concerto in the hasty manner which Wegeler's story would have us believe. On the reverse of the sketch leaf shown here he sketched out most of the movement. Of course there are no traces of orchestral parts. The disposition, course and structure of the rondo are, however, clear in principle. Beethoven had therefore already spent some time preparing the movement when he finally began to write it down in preparation for his concert on 29 March 1795 (despite his ailments). (J.R.)