Ludwig van Beethoven, Skizzenblätter zur Klaviersonate op. 106, Autograph

Characteristic of Beethoven's working methods

The bifolium makes one think that Beethoven had worked on it in a very concentrated manner. The sketches have been written in longer passages, which shows that they were made at a later stage in the compositional process (at the beginning the sketches are always much shorter and contain thoughts and fragments of musical ideas). In his eagerness Beethoven has smeared the ink - maybe because the quill was leaky or because he moved his hand over the wet ink too soon. Beethoven's thoughts on his own work can also be seen in this bifolium. On leaf 2r he classifies a passage as "Bestes Ende" (best ending). On the first page he has made notes for a fugue, in which he also writes down thoughts for the entry of the parts involved, "4te St:[imme] oder wieder erste St:" (4th part or first part again). And as is the case with many sketch leaves there are also parts which do not have anything to do with the work at hand. Thus on the last page, Beethoven has made notes on different positions of seventh chords, which he also numbered. The title on the first page is unfortunately so badly written that not even experts can decipher it. At the top Beethoven wrote, "Ich muß fliehen vor den" (I must escape from the), the rest is illegible. From whom? There are so many theories that they would fill a new novel about Beethoven … (J.R.)