Ludwig van Beethoven, Skizzenblätter zur Streichquartettfuge op. 133, Partiturskizze, Autograph

Of sketches and half-timbered houses

On the leaves shown here, Beethoven made sketches for the formal structure of the String Quartet Fugue op. 133. He had originally planned it as the final movement of the Quartet op. 130 but later removed it and replaced it with a new one. As a finale the movement was too complex for many of his contemporaries.

As with all of his late string quartets, Beethoven also made score sketches. As can be seen in the score, these drafts are not, however, very advanced. The composer is already past the stage of finding ideas as he is able to lay out the framework of the movement. But he is not very far with this "structural" work. The work on a musical composition may be compared to building a half-timbered house: first of all the material is collected - wood, mortar and stone for the walls. In music these are the musical ideas - themes, melody, single turns of phrase. Then the wooden frame of the house is built, first of all the foundations then the supporting beams. Beethoven is still at the beginning of this stage in these sketch leaves. On many pages he only just makes a note of the basic lines, often not more than two parts. Finally with a half-timbered house the empty spaces between the beams are filled and plastered. Beethoven is still a long way from this step on these leaves. (J.R.)