Ludwig van Beethoven, Skizzenblatt zur Sinfonie Nr. 8 op. 93, 1. Satz, Autograph

A previous owner's mistake

It is not unusual to find dedications and entries by later owners on Beethoven autographs, as is the case with the autograph sketch leaf shown here. In the nineteenth century business dealings with autographs in any form as well as collecting and giving them away was very popular. When one was passed on, its origin and a guarantee of authenticity was often noted in the margins. If a single leaf was removed from a larger collection - a practice which nowadays seems barbaric, but which was quite usual at the time -, a note was often made concerning its origin. On the reverse of this leaf you can see one such note: "Aus Beethoven's letztem Skizzenbuche" ("From Beethoven's last sketchbook"). The unknown writer was, however, mistaken. The watermarks, stitch holes and content of the sketch leaf - it solely contains sketches for the Eighth Symphony - prove without a doubt that it was torn from the Petter Sketchbook. (J.R.)