Revision of a cut
Beethoven greatly revised the trio "Euch werde Lohn in bessern Welten" ("May you be rewarded in a better world") from the opera Fidelio op. 72 several times. The manuscript shown here is of the 1805 version and was done by a copyist. Beethoven inserted corrections for the 1814 version using a red crayon. For the performance in 1806 the composer had already shortened the trio by a fifth, although he reversed most of this for the 1814 version. This means that "Euch werde Lohn" is the only number in the opera in which Beethoven restored extensive cuts when reworking and revising of the opera, returning to the version of 1805. This is also probably the reason why he used the copy shown here, part of the material for the first performance in 1805, and not as was usually the case the version from 1806. The reversal of the cuts can be seen especially well at the reprise, when Florestan once again takes up his song of thanks. Five leaves have been removed after leaf 19. Even on leaf 19v (image 38) there are massive cuts in red crayon. In addition Beethoven has also written the word "Aus" (out) diagonally across the score. He now restores this cut: he writes the word "bleibt" (remains) above and below, in the left margin diagonally the word "gilt" (valid), and also erases the word "aus" (he is not entirely successful, the outlines can still be made out). The deleted bars are replaced by the three new leaves 20 to 22 with a revised and somewhat shortened version. As the pages which he had removed had already been destroyed, he used the copy HCB Mh 48 (also in the Beethoven-Haus) as the model. (J.R.)
