Ludwig van Beethoven, Konzert für Oboe und Orchester, WoO 206, Incipits, Abschrift

The remains of the oboe concerto

Beethoven's oboe concerto has disappeared. All that remains is one single leaf: a few bars of incipits for each movement. The writing is in brown ink and in the publisher Anton Diabelli's handwriting. The Beethoven scholar and biographer Thayer writes in his catalogue of 1865: "A concerto for oboe and orchestra is said to have previously been in the possession of the company Diabelli u. Co." It did not remain there long. The additions and corrections in red ink on this leaf were made by the collector of autograph scores Aloys Fuchs. In the mid-nineteenth century Fuchs owned many autograph scores by Beethoven and sold them to interested parties all over the world. Had Fuchs seen or owned the autograph score for the oboe concerto? Who knows, maybe it will turn up one of these days ... (J.R.)