Beethoven s 32 Piano Sonatas

Transcription

1

2 Beethoven s 32 Piano Sonatas

3

4 Beethoven s 32 Piano Sonatas A Handbook for Performers STEWART GORDON 1

5 1 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America. Oxford University Press 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Gordon, Stewart, 1930 author. Title: Beethoven s 32 piano sonatas : a handbook for performers / by Stewart Gordon. Other titles: Beethoven s 32 piano sonatas Description: New York : Oxford University Press, Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN ISBN (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Beethoven, Ludwig van, Sonatas, piano. Piano music Interpretation (Phrasing, dynamics, etc.) Performance practice (Music) Sonatas (Piano) Analysis, appreciation. Classification: LCC ML410.B42 G DDC 786.2/ dc23 LC record available at Paperback printed by WebCom, Inc., Canada Hardback printed by Bridgeport National Bindery, Inc., United States of America

6 CONTENTS Preface vii Measure Numbering Abbreviations xi ix PART I CONSIDERATIONS 1. Sources 3 2. Beethoven and the Piano Performance Practices Beethoven s Expressive Legacy The Windmills of Beethoven s Mind 79 PART II THE SONATAS The Opus 2 Set 95 Opus The Opus 10 Set 119 Opus 13 ( Pathétique ) 133 The Opus 14 Set 139 Opus Opus v

7 vi Contents The Opus 27 Set: Sonatas Like a Fantasy; no. 2 ( Moonlight ) 155 Opus 28 ( Pastoral ) 165 The Opus 31 Set: no. 2 ( Tempest ); no. 3 ( Hunt ) 171 The Opus 49 Set: Two Easy Sonatas 185 Opus 53 ( Waldstein ) 189 Opus Opus 57 ( Appassionata ) 201 Opus Opus 79 ( alla tedesca ) 215 Opus 81a ( Lebewohl ) 219 Opus Opus Opus 106 ( Hammerklavier ) 239 Opus Opus Opus Selected Bibliography 267 Index 269

8 PREFACE The genesis of this book on the piano sonatas of Beethoven explains its concept to a great extent. After the appearance of my edition of the sonatas, my professional friend and editor at that time, Maribeth Anderson Payne, challenged me to write a companion book to the edition. I expressed hesitation, citing the many books on the sonatas that had been written by distinguished musicians, some very recently. My friend responded that she assumed much of my research was not able to be included in the edition itself and that my perspectives might be different from those of other authors. The exchange inspired me to undertake the challenge of writing this book and influenced its concept. As a professional pianist, I have played and taught these works for many years. I have ideas as to how they should sound, these mostly derived from my views of the composer s intentions. Even so, I recognize that similarly motivated musicians arrive at different interpretations of the music. This recognition caused me to eschew writing a book that was a collection of my ideas about playing these works according to my convictions. Rather, I conceived a volume that would be valuable to performers, but one that simply collected information and made observations about the sonatas. Thus the first section of the book addresses sources, period pianos, performance practices, and characteristics of Beethoven s piano writing. I could not resist including speculations as to how the composer might have thought about various keys and key relationships, as well as subliminal or conscious connections between movements of the sonatas and between different sonatas. The second section of the book considers each sonata, providing selected historical information, distinguishing features, and a descriptive analysis. The book is, thus, intended to be a source of information about each of these sonatas, organized in an easily accessible format. My hope is that performers who undertake learning one of these sonatas will consult the book and that doing so will provide insights into the work under consideration, the challenges to be faced, and vii

9 viii Preface the decisions to be made. Perhaps it will even generate a measure of inspiration for the fusion that often takes place between this great music and the performers who undertake to re- create it. I offer my appreciation to Maribeth Anderson Payne for urging me to write this book. I also express gratitude to my students at the Thornton School of Music of the University of Southern California. I am constantly inspired and sustained by their talent and vitality. I may be their professor, but I am sure I learn more from them than I teach them. On a personal level, I want to thank my life partner John Christopher Rennolds for putting up with the professor who spent so much time off in a corner writing a book about the Beethoven piano sonatas. Stewart Gordon Claremont, California March 2016

10 MEASURE NUMBERING Publications use two procedures for numbering measures in piano scores. The more frequently encountered does not accord second ending measures a separate number or numbers. The less frequently encountered system accords measure numbers to first and second endings. This difference results in discrepancies in measure numbers for all measures that occur after a repeat that is attended by first- and second- ending measures. The text of this volume has indicated measure numbers for both systems, the first set of numbers for the system that does not count second endings as separate measures, the second set of numbers in parentheses for the system that counts second- ending measures. ix

11

12 ABBREVIATIONS AND CZY Anderson, Emily, trans. and ed. The Letters of Beethoven. 3 vols. London: Macmillan, Czerny, Carl. On the Proper Performance of All Beethoven s Works for the Piano, ed. Paul Badura- Skoda. Vienna: Universal Edition, This is a reprint of Part Four of Czerny s 1839 Complete Theoretical and Practical Pianoforte School, Op xi

13

14 Beethoven s 32 Piano Sonatas

15

16 PART I CONSIDERATIONS

17

18 1 Sources Sources for the Beethoven piano sonatas are autographs, other manuscripts, first and early editions, and sketchbooks. These sources are supplemented to some extent by written accounts by the composer s contemporaries. The music sources differ in a surprisingly large number of details, including notes, rhythms, marks of articulation and expression, pedal indications, and repeat signs. For much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries these discrepancies were resolved by editors, and their choices were shown on the printed page, often without reference to alternatives. From the mid- twentieth century the concept of trying to re- create music as the composer heard it became increasingly powerful. The rise of musicology as a discipline underscored the concept of being faithful to the composer intentions. Moreover, technology made research into the past more accessible. As a result, editors began to include more detail with regard to discrepancies and possible alternatives, and performers became more involved in making decisions that reflected their personal convictions as to the intent of the composer. Many of today s performers wish to study the source material of the sonatas, examine each discrepancy on a case- by- case basis, and assess which version seems most valid, taking into account both musical impact and historic origin. The autographs, other manuscripts, and first and early editions provide the most detailed information. Sketchbooks often offer valuable information about the evolution of the composer s ideas. Written descriptions are usually more general. They are surely influenced by the tastes of their authors, but they often provide insights into the composer s personality and the cultural milieu of his time. Autographs and Manuscripts Autographs are defined as manuscripts deemed to be in the composer s handwriting. Thirteen autographs for the piano sonatas are extant, two of them incomplete, the op. 27, no. 2, missing first and last pages, and the op. 81a missing the second and third movements. Some autographs have histories of ownership that can be traced. All are in various library or museum collections. Photocopies of them have been 3

19 4 Considerations published periodically over the past century. Recent photocopy publications are easily available, whereas earlier ones are rare and more difficult to find. It would seem logical to regard the autographs as the final authority where discrepancies exist. If these documents are in the composer s own hand, why would they not be the supreme source? This notion needs to be tendered with caution. In the throes of creating his music, Beethoven wrote it down as he heard it inwardly, resulting in pages that exhibit both haste generated by the heat of inspiration and frequent revision. Such autographs contain notes, phrases, and sections that are scratched out and rewritten, shorthand symbols for repeated passages, notes crushed together, handwritten staves at the ends of lines, and the use of letters to indicate pitches in cluttered places. Moreover, articulation is often unclear, showing hastily scribbled phrase or slur lines and dots or wedges with different thicknesses and shapes. Indeed, Beethoven s autographs have a reputation for being extremely messy. Autographs of this type have been given the term Urschrift. At some point, the composer prepared a second autograph for the publisher, one that was cleaner and easier to read. Such an autograph has been given the term Reinschrift. Most of the latter have been lost, for publishers did not preserve them after the engraving was completed. A few believed to be Reinschriften were found among Beethoven s effects, probably prepared in order to correct errors in published material but never sent. It is easy to imagine that in preparing a Reinschrift, the composer might have corrected errors or made small changes as he went along, but he might not have gone back and changed the Urschrift. If such were the case, the published version could represent the composer s intention more accurately than the earlier autograph. There are many examples wherein the first edition differs from the autograph. To cite one of the best known, measure 105 (107) of the first movement of the op. 53 shows an F in the autograph but an F (without the flat) in the first edition, the difference implying different harmonic progressions. Significant discrepancies of this type are noted for each sonata in the section of this book devoted to individual works. Sketches Beethoven constantly sketched musical ideas in bound books and notebooks and on loose leaves of paper. This practice preserved ideas and stimulated creativity. Many sketches were revised and found their way into formal compositions. Others were never used. He must have valued these sketches, for he did not discard them, even moving them with his personal effects when he changed residences. After the composer s death some of this material was lost, but much of it, although scattered, was preserved

20 Sources 5 Scholars study sketches in order to gain knowledge of the composer s creative process. In the 1970s a much- needed overview of the Beethoven sketches was undertaken by Douglas Johnson, Alan Tyson, and Robert Winter. Their project culminated ten years later in the publication of a volume summarizing the history, reconstruction, and inventory of the sketches. Sketches exist for almost all of the piano sonatas. However, most pianists do not take time to examine them when preparing performances of the sonatas, presumably because they do not represent Beethoven s final product. Even so, sketches sometimes clarify contradictions between the manuscripts and early editions, and studying the evolution of the music offers insights into the composer s creative process. First and Early Editions Beethoven submitted his piano sonatas to a variety of publishers. Early in his career he concluded negotiations for each sonata with a single publisher. Starting about 1807 he began negotiating with multiple publishers, mainly those in Vienna, Berlin, Bonn, Paris, and London. This practice was possible because marketing and distribution were limited to smaller areas and international copyright regulation was nonexistent. That publishers preferred exclusive publication rights is suggested by Beethoven s letter to Breitkopf & Härtel dated August 31, 1810: I have by no means made arrangements with Paris or France for all these works A copy on the Continent is absolutely out of the question; and I think it highly improbable that these works have now arrived in London In short, I am convinced that by September not a single note of the works I sent you will have yet been published. 1 Despite possible objections by publishers, Beethoven continued to seek multiple releases, in part because of financial problems generated by the erosion of support from the nobility owing to political conditions, and in part because of expenses incurred when the composer began to assume responsibility for his nephew Carl. Indeed, Beethoven was apparently willing to adopt considerable flexibility so as to get works published at this point in his career. In a letter to his friend Ferdinand Ries ( ) dated March 20, 1819, the composer stated that his income had vanished, in part because the Archduke Rudolf ( ) was in bad financial straits. Then he instructed Ries to negotiate the publication of the op. 106: Should the sonata not be suitable for London, I could send another one; or you could omit the largo and begin straight away with the fugue which is the last movement; or you could use the first movement and then the Adagio, and then for the third movement 1 AND I:283 4.

21 6 Considerations the Scherzo and omit entirely no. 4 and the Largo and Allegro risoluto. Or you could take just the first movement and the Scherzo and let them form the whole sonata. I leave it to you to do as you think best. 2 Starting with the op. 79 Beethoven forged concurrent agreements with more than one publisher. In some cases dates of publication announcements are so close together that it is difficult to decide which edition should be deemed the first. At one point, the publisher Adolf Martin Schlesinger ( ) released separately engraved sonatas in both Berlin and Paris. In all of these cases discrepancies exist between publications. Moreover, there is evidence that early or first editions contained engraving errors. Two examples may be cited. The Swiss publisher Hans Georg Nägeli ( ) published the first two of the op. 31 set of sonatas without having sent copy back to Beethoven for proofreading. When Beethoven saw the publication he was extremely upset, because he found many errors and, in one instance, added measures. He immediately directed his brother to prepare a list of errors and send it, along with the sonatas, to the Viennese publisher Giovanni Cappi ( ), who published a corrected edition a few months later. In the second instance, Beethoven wrote to Schlesinger on August 31, 1822, referring to the publication of the op. 110: In the sonata there have been found some mistakes of which you are being informed so that they may be corrected For it is unpleasant for me if my works come out so full of mistakes. 3 First editions are readily available in reprints at the present time, the complete set having been edited by Brian Jeffrey. These reproductions provide visual evidence of the many challenges performers face in trying to determine the exact intent of the composer. The more popular sonatas were published by different publishers a few years apart, for limited marketing capabilities made it desirable to issue multiple publications. The op. 13 ( Pathétique ) for example, was published seventeen times in Beethoven s lifetime. These publications often show discrepancies. In most cases, it is impossible to determine how involved the composer was in either proofreading or correcting mistakes. Discrepancies between available autographs and first editions for each sonata are recorded in the relevant chapter in part II of this book. Later Editions Probably no body of piano music has been given as much editorial attention as the Beethoven sonatas. Within a few years after these works were created, they were 2 AND II: AND II:965.

22 Sources 7 edited by other musicians and reissued. These publications reflect the editorial fashion of their time. Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the editor acted as a revisionist and interpreter, one who corrected alleged mistakes in earlier sources but also added interpretive markings and performance aids such as fingering. Many of these editions do not distinguish between the composer s indications and editorial additions. This group is represented by editions of Carl Czerny (1842 and 1850), Ignaz Moscheles (1858), Louis Köhler (c.1865 with fingering added later by Adolf Rudhardt), Hans von Bülow and Sigmund Lebert (1894), Carl Reinecke (1895), Eugen d Albert (1902), and Frederic Lamond (1923). Several of these editions are currently available, notably those of Köhler/ Rudhardt, Bülow/ Lebert, and d Albert. By the turn of the twentieth century, many editions began to focus on conveying the original text. These so- called urtext editions used early sources as a point of departure and attempted to shore up inconsistencies, eschewing all extra editorial markings including fingering. The urtexts reflected the rise of musicology and the performance goal of attempting to re- create the music strictly in accordance with the composer s intentions. These editions were well intentioned, but they seldom documented discrepancies in early sources. Rather, editors resolved discrepancies according to personal convictions and presented their choices as gospel. Still available is the early urtext edition of Karl Krebs (1898). Some early twentieth- century editors tried to incorporate both approaches, attempting to document the composer s intentions but also adding indications designed to help the performer in varying degrees. This group includes editions often used by today s performers, each edition having garnered both admirers and critics. The edition of Alfredo Casella (1920) offers authoritative opinions and substantial interpretive advice, including pedaling. That of Heinrich Schenker (1923) has a sterling reputation among performers, deserved for the most part despite Schenker s occasional alteration of small details in the sources, such as placement of dynamics and articulation. The edition of Harold Craxton with analytical and interpretive notes by Donald Francis Tovey (1931) refers often to interpretive ideas from earlier editors and, although scholarly in intent, is openly revisionist. Perhaps the most controversial of this group of editions is that of Artur Schnabel (1935). Schnabel s performances of the sonatas earned him the reputation of being a superb Beethoven interpreter, and his musical ideas about the sonatas are incorporated into his edition. Beethoven s text is set in large type and Schnabel s in small. Copious footnotes further elucidate Schnabel s ideas. Moreover, metronome markings in the text suggest tempo fluctuations, often within a single movement. Despite Schnabel s reputation as a Beethoven performer, musicians do not agree on the merit of his edition, some regarding it highly and others finding it cluttered to the point of obscuring the original text. In addition, some musicians do not agree with the metronome markings, in particular, the changes within movements.

23 8 Considerations Toward the middle of the twentieth century, so- called critical editions began to appear. They elucidate discrepancies or possible errors in early sources, thus permitting the performer to make decisions as to authenticity. Even so, editors do not always agree as to which of the early versions is preferable. These editions usually limit performance assistance to fingering, sometimes provided by a second editor, and ornament realization, although editors often differ as to which realization is best. Prominent are critical editions of Carl Adolf Martienssen (1948), B[erte] A[ntonie] Wallner (1952, revised in 1980), Claudio Arrau (1978), Kendall Taylor (1989), Dominique Geoffrey (through the op. 28 only, 1992), Peter Hauschild (2001), Barry Cooper (2008), and Stewart Gordon (2010). Written Sources Possibly the most revealing written source is the body of letters the composer wrote. His letters range from those of a highly personal nature, such as the famous love letter to the Immortal Beloved and the so- called Heilegenstadt Testament, to business and social letters, as well as short notes dealing with mundane daily activities. Many collections of selected letters have appeared. Emily Anderson ( ) undertook collecting and translating the complete letters (1961), and her work is referenced in much subsequent writing about the composer. More recent research uncovered almost one hundred letters not included in Anderson and questioned the accuracy of some of her translation. Recent publications that supplement and correct Anderson s work have been prepared by Sieghard Brandenburg (1996) and Theodore Albrecht (1996). Carl Czerny ( ), who studied with Beethoven as a boy and remained a friend and admirer, left us glimpses of the composer in his memoirs (1842). Czerny also offered performance advice for piano works in the fourth part of his Complete Theoretical and Practical Piano Forte School, op This information has been assembled and edited by Paul Badura- Skoda (1970). Other descriptions exist by those who knew or observed the composer. In his day Beethoven was both famous and controversial. Early in his career, he was brash and talented enough to have inspired commentary from both friends and critics. Among these were lifelong friends Franz Gerhard Wegeler ( ) and Ferdinand Ries, who collaborated to produce the first volume devoted to the composer (1838), a work based on the personal recollections of the two men almost a decade after the composer s death but considered reasonably reliable. In later years Beethoven was well- known enough to be regarded as a celebrity whom many musicians visited when travelling nearby. There are many short descriptions of these visits. Among those who wrote such vignettes are Friedrich Wieck, Clara Schumann s father, who visited around 1826; Louis Schlösser, court conductor at Darmstadt, who visited in 1822; composer Carl Friedrich Zelter, who

24 Sources 9 wrote to Goethe of a visit around 1819; and Cipriani Porter, a London musician who had lessons with Beethoven in Anton Schindler ( ), a Moravian violinist, became Beethoven s personal helper around 1822, providing needed assistance to the near- deaf composer. Although their relationship was sometimes turbulent, Schindler represented himself as a champion of the composer s legacy. In 1840 Schindler wrote a biography of Beethoven, expanding and revising it in Almost immediately, close friends of the composer regarded Schindler s work as erroneous. Moreover, later research (1977) revealed not only that Schindler was inaccurate but also that he had destroyed and altered many of Beethoven s conversation books, thereby calling into question all of his reporting unless verified by other sources. The earliest major Beethoven research was begun in the 1850s by Alexander Wheelock Thayer ( ), who graduated from Harvard University in law and gained research skill as an assistant librarian there. Thayer, an ardent music lover, was disturbed by the inaccuracies of Schindler s work and the light- weight reminiscences of the Wegeler/ Ries collaboration. Determined to produce a significant scholarly work about Beethoven, Thayer invested his own money and many years of his life in researching and producing a new biography. Although he wrote in English, he wanted the work to be published in German, a language he considered more scholarly. He entrusted translation to a musicologist friend, Hermann Deiters ( ). The first three volumes, covering Beethoven s life up to 1816, were published in German in 1866, 1872, and Volumes four and five appeared in , having been finished by musicologist Hugo Riemann ( ) after Deiters death. The complete work in English finally appeared in 1921, having been compiled by Henry Edward Krehbiel ( ) from Thayer s manuscript and notes, as well as the German edition. Although many biographies and studies of Beethoven have appeared since, Thayer s work is still considered a definitive research source. It was revised and edited by Elliot Forbes in Later explorations include analysis of his musical style and creative process, as well as the processes through which his image in Western culture has evolved. Throughout the decades, Beethoven has continued to be regarded as powerfully creative, innovative, and enigmatic, a figure who invites interpretation, speculation, and reconstruction. The bibliography at the end of this book could not possibly begin to list the written works about Beethoven. It does, however, offer a listing of selected biographies, sources, and studies of the piano sonatas, as well as frequently encountered editions of them.

25

26 2 Beethoven and the Piano Development of the Piano Beethoven wrote most of his piano music decades before today s piano reached its current form. During the composer s life the physical characteristics of the piano were not standardized. Piano makers were constantly changing the instrument, often trying out various ideas, many of which were later abandoned. Moreover, they often built customized models for royalty or those of celebrity status. Beethoven had instruments from several piano makers in his home at various points in his life. These exhibited to some extent the characteristics evident in the modern piano, yet some changes influenced the composer s writing immediately. For example, the five- octave range he had at his disposal early in his career increased by increments. Also, the piano became stronger and more sonorous, and its action more reliable. By the end of the composer s life, the instrument was on its way to being the one we know today, but aside from the changes he made use of, other important alterations took place after most of the sonatas had been written. A few were even made after the composer s death in The dates of the thirty- two sonatas range from 1796 to Changes to the piano are dated as follows: 1821 Sébastian Érard ( ) patented double escapement, the mechanical arrangement that facilitated rapid key repetition and prevented jamming or blocking Alpheus Babcock ( ) designed and cast the first iron frame, making possible the use of steel wire with greater string tension, thereby increasing sonority. Other builders had experimented earlier with heavier cases and metal braces, notably Érard (as early as 1777) and John Broadwood ( ), whose celebrated iron piano appeared about James Stewart (? after 1860) invented the method of stringing used today, that of winding the string around the hitch pin without a loop. His work stabilized tuning. 11

27 12 Considerations 1828 Jean Henri Pape ( ) patented the process for cross- stringing, making possible the use of longer, more powerful bass strings. This work resulted in the wing shape of today s grand piano Babcock took out a patent for felt hammers in the United States. Pape followed in Europe in Earlier experiments with felt, rather than leather, date from This list reflects that changes took place wherever piano builders were working, often in widely separated geographical locations. Communication between builders tended to be slow and sporadic, so changes in one country, when deemed efficacious, were adopted gradually in other areas. Also, a given set of characteristics was often common in a specific region. The best- documented of these differences are those that attended pianos made in Germany or Austria and those made in England. Two of the better- known descriptions of the differences between these two schools of piano builders were written by Johann Nepomuk Hummel ( ) and Friedrich Kalkbrenner ( ) in method books published respectively in 1829 and Both described the German- Austrian pianos as having a light action and a clear sound, permitting rapid execution and subtle nuance. Both wrote that the English piano had a heavier action and a full sound, permitting a larger style and a more singing tone. The English piano action was deemed deeper and slower to respond. These subjective descriptions are supported by typical specifications: German- Austrian Pianos Two strings per note Flat, thinner sounding boards Lighter, thinner hammers Heavier, more reliable dampers Knee pedals English Pianos Three strings per note, 50% more diameter Convex, thicker sounding boards Heavier, thicker hammers Lighter dampers Foot pedals Pianos Beethoven Knew or Used It is not possible to determine whether Beethoven owned some of the pianos he used, for piano builders often lent pianos to famous musicians in order to obtain endorsements. Similarly, we don t know the extent to which Beethoven played many of the pianos associated with his name or, in some cases, his reaction to the instruments. The following paragraphs offer information about the piano builders documented as having played a role in Beethoven s creative life.

28 Beethoven and the Piano 13 Stein (Streicher) Andreas Stein s ( ) workshop was in Augsburg, Germany. After Stein s death, the business was taken over by his son Mattäus and daughter Nanette. In 1794 Nanette married Andreas Streicher ( ), who had worked in the shop in Augsburg. All three moved to Vienna, where they built Stein pianos. Mattäus started his own business in 1802, and the Streichers built Stein pianos until about 1810, when they changed the name of their pianos to Streicher. Stein/ Streicher pianos represented the German- Austrian tradition. Beethoven befriended the Streichers in the early 1800s. Nanette often advised the composer on managing his household. Thus, many letters from Beethoven to Nanette deal with mundane household matters. Even so, Beethoven s knowledge of Stein s work and his long personal association with the Streichers suggest that the Stein/ Streicher was the most significant piano in the composer s early professional life. In 1787 Beethoven had visited Augsburg and presumably the Stein workshop. Almost a decade later, on November 9, 1796, the composer wrote to Andreas Streicher thanking him for a piano and commenting that the instrument was too good, leaving him little opportunity to exhibit his acquired skills of tone production. Some years later, on May 6, 1810, Beethoven told Andreas Streicher in a letter that his piano was worn out and needed to be replaced. In July of the same year, Beethoven wrote to Streicher of his pleasure in visiting the builder s shop and selecting a piano, probably for purchase by Baron Georg Schall Von Falenhorst ( ). In November the composer wrote to Streicher again, complaining that he still had not received another piano (presumably to replace the one mentioned in the letter of May 6). On July 7, 1817, Beethoven wrote to Nanette Streicher, Now I have a great favor to ask of Streicher. Request him on my behalf to be so kind as to adjust one of your pianos for me to suit my impaired hearing. It should be as loud as possible. That is absolutely necessary. I have long been intending to buy one of your pianos, but at the moment that would be very difficult for me. Perhaps, however, it will be possible for me to do so later on. But until then I should like to borrow one of yours. Of course I don t want to do so without paying for it. I am prepared to pay you in advance what you usually receive for one, i.e. for six months in assimilated coinage. Perhaps you are not aware that, although I have not always used one of your pianos, since 1809 I have always had a special preference for them. Only Streicher would be able to send me the kind of piano I require. 1 Most Viennese pianos that served Beethoven during the period when he wrote the early sonatas had five octaves, from F to f. Up to the op. 53 there is but one example wherein the composer exceeded this range (op. 14, no. 1, 1, measure 41, where octaves in the right hand go up to F ). Information concerning the ranges of 1 AND II:686.

29 14 Considerations Beethoven s pianos is far from complete. As noted earlier, the piano was undergoing constant change, and piano builders often customized instruments. Even so, the composer had to deal with the five- octave keyboard range in many of the sonatas, particularly in earlier works. When he ran out of notes, he either had to reposition the existing line, jumping back into the five- octave compass, or rewrite the passage, inventing alternate patterns that did not exceed that compass. These adjustments are often noted in the chapters dealing with each sonata. However, the following partial list gives an idea of how frequently the composer was forced to deal with the range limits of his keyboard, as well as how he solved each case. Beethoven often used the outer limits of the keyboard he had at his disposal. Thus one senses that he was well aware that sonorities at extreme ranges elicited an emotional response. Opus Movement Measures (to compare) Beethoven s solution , 44, 46 with 135, 137, 139 (138, 140, 142) Adjust earlier passage 10, no no upper note on octave None (many editors add) with Adjust later passage 10, no , 22, 271, 272 no upper or lower notes on octaves 104 with 285 None (many editors add) Adjust earlier passage with (262 64) Adjust later passage 14, no contains an octave passage that moves to an octave the upper note of which is f. The note did not exist on most pianos of the day. This is the only instance in the piano sonatas before the op. 53 in which Beethoven exceeds the usual keyboard range. 14, no with ( ) no lower note on downbeat octaves 43 with 170 Many editors add Adjust later passage Adjust earlier passage

30 Beethoven and the Piano 15 27, no with 130 (131) Adjust earlier passage 31, no with (193 96) Adjust later passage Editors and performers have reacted to these solutions in different ways. Some believe that the composer s adjustments to the range of his keyboard were an integral part of his creative process and should not be altered. This argument was first put forward by Carl Czerny and Anton Schindler, both of whom studied with Beethoven. The composer himself wrote that only he was qualified to transcribe his piano sonatas for other instruments, a point of view some extend to include alterations such as these. 2 Those who advocate alteration assume Beethoven would have written the music with the changes they make had the compass of the keyboard been larger. Such an assumption may be challenged by pointing out that changing details in repeated material may not have been entirely due to range limitations, for the composer frequently made such small alterations. Other advocates for alteration contend that making such changes for today s extended keyboard is logical and serves the composer s aesthetics, emphasizing that his existing keyboard writing is both visionary and often orchestral in concept. Contemporary critical editions tend to be conservative in this regard, often noting keyboard limitations but not recommending changes. Nineteenth- century editors tended to be more liberal, sometimes going so far as to make changes without comment. Moreover, editors exhibit different degrees of flexibility in different cases. For example, in the first movement of the op. 10, no. 3, many editors and performers feel comfortable making octaves of the single notes on the downbeats of measures 15 and 22, for the likelihood is strong that the composer would have continued in octaves were the notes on the keyboard available. However, even those who would create these octaves are less confident about changing measure 104 in the exposition to match measure 285 in the recapitulation, for in this case, more extensive rewriting is involved. Other Pianos The names of several other Viennese piano makers are associated with Beethoven s early career to a lesser extent. Carl Czerny reported that when he auditioned for Beethoven in 1801 as a boy of ten, the composer had a Walter piano in his 2 AND I:74 75.

31 16 Considerations home, Czerny describing it as the best one made then. 3 Anton [Gabriel] Walter ( ) produced pianos in what were considered large numbers at that time, claiming in about 1790 that he had already produced 350 pianos, some of which he exported. Another reference to a Walter piano is in a letter Beethoven wrote to Nikolaus Zmeskall von Domanovecz ( ), an official in the Hungarian Chancellery, who was an amateur musician and a close personal friend for many years. The letter (dated November 1802 by Zmeskall) shows the composer s ambivalent feelings about Walter s pianos, as well as his intense interest in the details of the piano building. Well, my dear Zmeskall, you may give Walter, if you like, a strong dose of my affair. For, in the first place, he deserves it in any case; and, what is more, since the time when people began to think that relations with Walter were strained, the whole tribe of pianoforte manufacturers have been swarming around me in their anxiety to serve me and all for nothing. Each of them wants to make me a pianoforte exactly as I should like it. So you may give Walter to understand that, although I can have pianofortes for nothing from all the others, I will pay him 30 ducats, but not more than 30 ducats, and on condition that the wood is mahogany. Furthermore, I insist that it shall have the tension with one string If he won t agree to these conditions, then make it quite plain to him that I shall choose one of the others to whom I will give my order. 4 In the closing lines of the letter, Beethoven made reference to another Viennese piano maker, for he thought he would be expected to play on a piano made by Matthias Jakesch (1783 c.1828) at a social event. One suspects sarcasm in the comment [I] shall then have the pleasure of seeing myself compelled to display my art on Jakesch s piano. 5 Beethoven recommended two Viennese piano makers to the Leipzig publisher Breitkopf & Härtel in a short note dated November 23, 1803, apparently responding to an inquiry. The composer, probably referring to Viennese piano maker Johann Bohak ( ), deemed Herr Pohack s work sound and Herr Moser s reliable, with the hope that in time he will make instruments equal, or even superior to those of the leading manufacturers. 6 Beethoven s correspondence also mentioned Schanz pianos, instruments made by brothers Wenzel (d.1790) and Johann ( ), as having been prominent in Vienna. In the spring of 1810 the composer mentioned the Schanz piano in a 3 CZY, 4. 4 AND I:82. Emphasis added. 5 AND I: AND I:101.

32 Beethoven and the Piano 17 short letter to Baron Ignaz von Gleichenstein ( ), a close friend during this period. Apparently, Frau M[alfatti], the mother of sisters Therese and Anna, had asked Beethoven for help in choosing a piano, and she had decided it was to be a Schanz. Beethoven referred to his habit of refusing commissions for recommending pianos but stated that he might accept one in this case. A Schanz piano is also mentioned in Beethoven s letter of March 15, 1815, to Joseph von Varena ( ), an admirer who lived in Graz and had solicited unpublished scores by the composer for charity concerts in that city. In selecting a piano for Varena, Beethoven stated that the chosen Schanz had six octaves and named its price, comparing its cost to a piano made by Seiffert. The sale was apparently consummated, for on July 23, the composer wrote to Varena that he should receive his Schanz piano in twelve days, stating at the end of the note, I too possess one of his. 7 Two pianos are reported to have been in Beethoven s possession by Theodor von Frimmel ( ), an Austrian physician who devoted a substantial portion of his life to Beethoven research and whose documents are presently at the Beethoven- Haus in Bonn. Frimmel stated that an instrument made by S. A. Vogel of Pest, Hungary, was acquired by Beethoven in 1814 and sold the same year to a piano maker by the name of Feiler. He also reported that a young student named Hirsch tentatively remembered a Kirschbaum piano in Beethoven s home in 1817; this piano bore a name that, if remembered correctly, seems to have dropped into oblivion. Érard In 1803 Beethoven received a piano as a gift from the French piano maker Sébastian Érard ( ). The Érard brothers, Sébastian and Jean- Baptiste (d.1826), made small five- octave pianos until the late 1790s. Then they began to build larger pianos influenced by English models. The firm s records show that on the eighteenth of Thermidor in Year XI of the Republic (August 6, 1803), the gift of a piano was made to Beethoven. It is not certain when the Érard actually arrived, but it is possible that its extended range influenced the range of sketches for the op. 53, which date from November and December The piano had a mahogany case that was braced by four small pieces of iron. It sat on three legs, its stringing was tri- chord, and its action was the heavier one associated with English pianos. The keyboard s compass was five and one- half octaves, from F to c. Two of the four foot pedals were counterparts of today s damper and una corda pedals; the other two were for special effects: the lute pedal inserted leather thongs between the hammers and the strings, and the dampening pedal inserted a piece of cloth. 7 AND II:523.

33 18 Considerations The composer s outburst of despair about his hearing loss had surfaced the preceding year with his writing of the document known as the Heiligenstadt Testament. Despite this psychological crisis, Beethoven s activities as a pianist and conductor during this period suggest that his hearing was but slightly impaired. Thus, the composer could with certainty incorporate the Érard piano into his professional life. Evidence suggests that, unfortunately, Beethoven did not like the Érard very much. In a letter to Andreas Streicher in November 1810, Beethoven undoubtedly referred to his Érard when he wrote: As for my French piano, which is certainly quite useless now, I still have misgivings about selling it, for it is really a souvenir such as no one here has so far honored me with. 8 In 1825 or 1826, Beethoven gave the Érard to his brother [Nikolaus] Johann van Beethoven ( ), probably to make room for a new Graf piano. The Érard, the earliest of the extant instruments owned by the composer, is on display at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The range Beethoven used in his piano sonatas began to exceed five octaves at about this time, possibly as a result of the extra half- octave on the Érard in his home or of encountering instruments with extended keyboards elsewhere. Consider the following observations: Opus Movement Measure(s) Upper Range , 261, (263) (277 78) 3 31 etc., 55 etc. 230, , 60, 61 etc. 87, , (76, 82 84) (351 63) f, g, g, a g s in main theme a s at climaxes b, c, a c (highest key on the Érard keyboard) a s and b s at climaxes g s, a s, and c s Broadwood Beethoven s Broadwood piano was a gift sent to him by the London piano maker on December 27, The firm of Broadwood & Sons was originally established in the early decades of the eighteenth century by Swiss harpsichord maker Burkat Schudi ( ). John Broadwood ( ) joined the firm in 1761, 8 AND I:300.

34 Beethoven and the Piano 19 married Shudi s daughter Barbara and became a partner in the firm. Upon the elder Shudi s death, his son, also named Burkat ( ), took over his father s share of the partnership. The entire business became Broadwood s upon the death of Burkat the younger. The firm s harpsichord clients included Frederick the Great, Maria Theresa, and Haydn. Broadwood started making square fortepianos in the 1770s and grand pianos in the early 1780s. It has been estimated that by the 1790s he was producing one thousand grands and four hundred squares per year. He concentrated on increasing the sound of the instruments by equalizing string tension and determining optimal striking points. Metal braces to reinforce the piano s frame against string tension were introduced in stages, just about the time Beethoven s piano was made. John Broadwood s two sons James ( ) and Thomas ( ) became active in the business, James in 1795 and Thomas in Thomas made an extended journey through Switzerland and Austria in August 1817, and his chronicles state that he met Beethoven. Consequently, when Thomas returned to London, he appointed a selection committee to choose a piano to send to the composer as a gift. The committee was composed of distinguished musicians of the time: pianist- composers Johann Baptist Cramer ( ) and Friedrich Kalkbrenner ( ), organist- composer Charles Knyvett ( ), Giacomo Gotifredo Ferrari ( ), a singer and theorist who was a personal friend of Thomas Broadwood, and Fredinand Ries, Beethoven s Bonn friend, student, and biographer. Beethoven s piano had to be transported through the Mediterranean to the port of Trieste and then by cart almost two hundred miles. The newspaper Wiener Zeitung marked the event with a notice stating that the Imperial and Royal Chamber had waived the customs duty which would otherwise have been levied on any foreign instrument. 9 Although the piano did not reach Beethoven until July 1818, the composer learned of the gift earlier and wrote a letter of appreciation to Thomas Broadwood (in French) dated February 15, In it he thanked Broadwood profusely for the piano and indicated that it would inspire him to write something especially for it. The instrument itself was considered state- of- the- art. It had a mahogany case reinforced with metal strips, copper strings, triple stringing, two foot pedals, and a range of six octaves (C to c ). The damper pedal was split, so that its effect could be applied to upper and lower strings separately. Two metal dedication plates commemorated the instrument, one with Beethoven s name and below it one with the names of the members of the selection committee. Because the op. 106 ( Hammerklavier ) sonata was the next piano sonata to be published ( July 1822), it is often believed that the work was written for the Broadwood. Actually, the work had been started in late 1817, with the first two movements completed by April Similarly, the fact that the nickname 9 Reported by Eszter Fontana Gát in the liner notes to Hungaroton CD 11885, dedicated to music played on Beethoven s Broadwood.

35 20 Considerations Hammerklavier has been applied to the op. 106 led to speculation that the powerful spirit of the work reflected the heavier action of the Broadwood. The term Hammerklavier, however, was something altogether different in the composer s mind, for he regarded this term as the German equivalent of fortepiano. This is shown in a letter dated January 23, 1817, to Sigmund Anton Steiner ( ), the publisher of several of Beethoven s works from 1815 and the owner of a music shop that was an occasional gathering place for the composer and other musicians. Beethoven ordered that on all our works, on which the title is German, instead of pianoforte Hammerklavier shall be used. 10 Steiner s publication of the op. 101 the following month, therefore, shows both the French pour le Piano- Forte and German für Das Hammerklavier. Although the first edition of the op. 106 was published by Artaria, not Steiner, the composer s wishes were followed in its publication as well, for there were two title pages, one in French and one in German. An assessment of the degree of deafness Beethoven suffered when the Broadwood arrived also bears on the extent to which the piano may have been a working instrument. Accounts of how well the composer could hear from this point onward in his life vary considerably. Czerny is reported to have stated that the composer s deafness had become so extreme by 1818 that he could no longer hear music. Beethoven began to use an ear trumpet in 1816, and conversation books appeared in On the other hand, reports of periods when the composer could hear fairly well date from much later. Joseph Reinhold Schultz (misidentified as Edward) visited the composer on September 28, 1823, with mutual friends Tobias Haslinger ( ) and Joseph Blahetka ( ). Schultz s account of the visit stated that nothing can possibly be more lively, more animated, and more energetic than [Beethoven s] conversation, when you have succeeded in getting him into good humor. At lunch Schultz noted that hears badly, but speaks remarkably well. 12 [ Johann Gottlieb] Friedrich Wieck wrote an account of a visit with Beethoven arranged by Andreas Stein, the Viennese piano maker. Wieck credits Stein with having devoted much attention to improving deafness and to ear- trumpets. 13 Wieck wrote his account from memory at a later date and placed it in (Thayer believes it to have been in 1824.) After conversing with the composer, Wieck wrote, [T] hen he improvised for me during an hour, after he had mounted 10 AND II: A. W. Thayer, Thayer s Life of Beethoven, ed. Elliot Forbes. 2 vols. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1967), Reported in O. G. Sonneck, Beethoven: Impressions by His Contemporaries (New York: Dover, 1967), Quoted in ibid.,