Ludwig van Beethoven, Trio in einem Satze für Klavier, Violine und Violoncello (B-Dur) WoO 39, Partitur, Autograph

Present for a little girl

A first glance at this autograph score shows that it does not look like most of Beethoven's other autograph scores.

The Piano Trio in One Movement WoO 39 has been written in a particularly careful and neat manner, and it contains almost no corrections. Beethoven has provided fingerings throughout the piano part. Why? The answer lies on the top of the first page: "Vien am 26ten Juni. 1812. für meine kleine Freundin Maxe Brentano zu ihrer Aufmunterung im Klawierspielen. - lvBthwn." ("Vienna, 26 June 1812. for my little friend Maxe Brentano to encourage her with her piano-playing. -lvBthwn."). Maximiliane Brentano was ten years old in 1812. She was the daughter of Franz and Antonie Brentano, who were close friends of Beethoven's (Franz was the half-brother of Clemens and Bettina Brentano). Beethoven's desire to "encourage her with her piano-playing" seems to have been successful, as he dedicated another work to her nine years later: op. 109, one of his late piano sonatas. (J.R.)