Ascribed to the wrong person
Nikolaus Paul Zmeskall von Domanovecz and Lestine (1759-1833), an official in the imperial Hungarian Chancellery in Vienna and a founding member of the "Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde" in Vienna, was one of the first and closest friends Beethoven made in Vienna. In 1816 Beethoven dedicated his String Quartet op. 95 to him. The original edition of this quartet appeared, as was usual at the time, in separate parts. The manuscript shown here is a copy of the parts in score form. The title, which contains the name Zmeskall, as well as the handwriting have led people to ascribe the copy to Beethoven's friend. But it was probably not done by Zmeskall but by Ferdinand Piringer, who founded the "Concerts spirituels" in Vienna in 1819 together with Franz Xaver Gebauer. Piringer had scored several quartets and is therefore also a candidate for this manuscript. (J.R.)
