Ludwig van Beethoven, "Der Wachtelschlag", Lied für Singstimme und Klavier WoO 129, Autograph

Box-office hit

In the eighteenth century many different versions of the poem "Der Wachtelschlag" ("The Call of the Quail") were in circulation. Beethoven set it to music in 1803, a fact he made a note of in the top right-hand corner of the first page of the manuscript score. In the second half of September 1803 (between 15 and 27 September) the composer tried to sell the lied to Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig: "I am offering you the following works for 300 gulden: [...] 2) A quail song, the text of which you may know. It consists of three verses, but my setting is entirely durchkomponiert [through-composed]." (from the translation by Emily Anderson, 1961).

Perhaps the Leipzig publishers delayed too long or were simply not interested. Whatever the reason, the lied was published in 1804 by the Viennese Kunst- und Industrie-Comptoir. In the publishers' advertisement from 10 March 1804, it was placed alongside opus numbers 36, 45 and WoO 78. Beethoven had offered op. 45 and WoO 78 to Breitkopf & Härtel in the same letter. The lied seems to have been a success for the publishers: up until 1807 it reappeared in the publishers' advertisements, and numerous other publishers produced reprints (a lack of copyright laws made this possible).

On the first page of the autograph score the composer made a dedication "für den Grafen Browne" ("for Count Browne"), which was not, however, included in the original version. Beethoven had already dedicated opus numbers 9, 22 and 48 as well as WoO 46 to Count Johann Georg von Browne-Camus (1767-1827). In the printed dedication of the String Trios op. 9 he referred to him as the "first patron of his muse". (J.R.)