Beethoven around 1800

INTRODUCTION

On our start page to this section, we raised two questions, namely whether, on the one hand, Beethoven was ready for this compositional genre and whether, on the other hand, it was ready for him.  Let us try to find answers to these questions.   

Information from the years 1793 and 1795 offers us our first opportunities to strive for answers to the first question.  

For the year 1793, the excellent Unheard Beethoven-Website offers information and midi samples with respect to Beethoven's partial compositional attempts in that direction:  

According to Unheard Beethoven, the following short composition from the year 1793 represents the beginning of an Andante for a quartet, possibly even a string quartet:  Andante for four parts, in C Major, Biamonti 274

According to Unheard Beethoven, the following short sketch from the year 1793, as Biamonti 274, was probably intended for a string quartet.  Perhaps you would like to read more about this and listen to the midi sample via this link:   Instrumental Passage in E Major, Biamonti 281

With respect to the above link to the Instrumental Passage in E Major, Unheard Beethoven also offers a version that modulates towards E-flat Major: .   Instrumental Passage, modulating towards E-flat Major, Biamonti 281

With respect to Beethoven's studies with Albrechtsberger, this web site also refers to the following exercises from the year 1795:

 

As Unheard Beethoven reports regarding the following listening sample, it constitutes an exercise  that Beethoven composed for Albrechtsberger and that it shows real contrapuntal mastery.  In it Beethoven combined an "imitation movement" with a fugue and arranged it for string quartet.  You can read more about it and listen to the midi sample via the following link:     Prelude and Fugue for a String Quartet, in F Major, Hess 30

Would this allow us to conclude that Beethoven, after the completion of his studies with Albrechtsberger, immediately turned to the composition of a string quartet?  Let us investigate this:  

In the section entitled Success as a Young Composer of our Biographical Pages, which describe Beethoven's Viennese years from March 1795 to the crises of his loss of hearing in 1801-1802, we learned a great deal about what Beethoven was occupied with in 1795.  

What we have not discussed, yet, is Franz Gerhard Wegeler's report in the Biographische Notizen (Biographical Notes) which we quote from Thayer:

"'Here, [at Prince Lichnowsky's] in 1795 Count Apponyi asked Beethoven to compose a quartet for him for a given compensation, Beethoven not yet having written a piece in this genre, which led to no instant result" (Thayer: 262).

As we could read towards the end of our description of the String Quartet, it was Count Apponyi to whom Haydn had dedicated his String Quartets, Op. 71 and Op. 72; in this context, we might also be able to allow for the possibility that Haydn had introduced Beethoven's to Apponyi.   

A possible reason as to why Beethoven did not pursue Apponyi's offer at that time might be that, as we can see from his systematic approach which he adopted during his self-imposed learning process, he did not allow himself to compose complete works in a new compositional genre before he was convinced that he had acquired the necessary tools for it through hard study.  The fact that, at this time, Beethoven did not complete Apponyi's commission for the composition of a string quartet seems to confirm his general conduct in that respect.  

Since Beethoven, as we have learned, did not immediately turn to string quartet composition but rather turned his attention to the other genres, it might be useful to take a look at all those chamber music compositions that he--in addition to those for other instruments--wrote for string instruments:   

While Grove lists Beethoven's Piano Trios Op. 1 (in E-flat Major, G-Major and c-minor) as having been composed in 1794-1795, with the exception of No. 1 that, according to Grove, might already have been composed before 1793,  Thayer lists the years 1793-1794 as the time of their completion.  As we know, Beethoven dedicated these Trios that were published by Artaria, to Prince Lichnowsky.  We also know that Haydn incurred Beethoven's wrath by advising him not to publish no. 3.  The year 1795 also saw the composition of the Sextet in E-flat Major, Op. 81b for two horns, 2 violins and violoncello, which was published in 1810 in Bonn. 

The year 1796 that was marked by his journey to Prague, Dresden and Berlin in the spring and early summer and his journey to Pressburg and Pesth in the fall, saw the composition of his two Cello Sonatas, Op. 5 (which we already discussed in our Creation History of these works), of the String Quintet, Op. 4 (an arrangement of the Octet for Wind instruments, Op. 103), of the Variations In F-Major on Mozart's "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" (from the Magic Flute), Op. 66, for Piano and Violoncello (published in Vienna in 1798), and, probably in the winter of 1796/ 1797, the completion of the Duet in E-flat Major, WoO32 for Viola and Violoncello, described by Beethoven as "mit zwei obligaten Augengläsern" (with two obligatory eye glasses), which might indicate that he played the Viola part and Baron Zmeskall, to whom he dedicated the work, played the Cello part, and also that both of them wore eye glasses. 

The years 1797 - 1798 saw the composition of the Serenade in D-Major for Violin, Viola and Violoncello, Op. 8, of the Trio for String Instruments in G-Major, D-Major and c-minor, Op. 9 (dedicated to Count Johann Georg Browne  and published in Vienna in 1798), and of the Trio for Piano, Clarinet/Violin and Violoncello, Op. 11 (dedicated to Countess von Thun and published in Vienna in 1798).

Although, in the strictest sense, not all of the above-noted Beethoven works can be considered as serious attempts of his to prepare himself for the compositional genre of the string quartet, some of them, such as Op. 1, Op. 5, and Op. 9, offered him opportunities to work towards that goal.  

With respect to our attempt at finding answers to our second initial question, namely, as to whether this genre was ready for Beethoven, we might find indications or possible answers by  considering that, for the composition of the above-noted, more relevant works, Beethoven was able to gain fresh impressions through the practice and performance of string instrument players in his immediate environment, such as the members of the Schuppanzigh Quartet.  In the chapter of his standard biography, Beethoven's Friends and Fellow Musicians, Thayer describes this as follows: 

"They were during these years but laying the foundation for future excellence and celebrity as performers of Mozart's, Haydn's, Förster's and Beethoven's quartets. Schuppanzigh, first violin, and Weiss, viola, alone appear to have been constantly associated in their quartet-playing. Kraft, violoncellist, was often absent, when his father, or Zmeskall, or some other, supplied his place; and as the second violin was often taken by the master of the house, when they were engaged for private concerts, Sina was, naturally absent. Still, from 1794 to 1799, the four appear to have practised much and very regularly together. They enjoyed an advantage known to no other quartet--that of playing the compositions of Haydn and Förster under the eyes of the composers, and being taught by them every effect that the music was intended to produce. Each of the performers, therefore, knowing precisely the intentions of the composer, acquired the difficult art of being independent and at the same time of being subordinate to the general effect. When Beethoven began to compose quartets he had, therefore, a set of performers schooled to perfection by his great predecessors, and who already had experience in his own music through his trios and sonatas" (Thayer: 228).

 

Ignaz Schuppanzigh

However, during these years, Beethoven was also in contact with other string instrument players, as, for example, with the cellist Duport in the spring/summer of 1796 (see our Creation History to Op. 5), with the already mentioned useful friend, Baron Zmeskall, an enthusiastic lay cellist, with his violin-playing close personal friend Karl Friedrich Amenda (from 1798 to 1799), with a further lay cellist, Heinrich Eppinger, and, in the winter and spring of 1798, also with the French violin virtuoso Rodolphe Kreutzer, a member of General Bernadotte's entourage.

Therefore, the question as to whether the compositional genre of the string quartet, in the Vienna of the 1790's, was ready for Beethoven, can, with good conscience, be answered with yes.  Perhaps, this answer even allows us to confirm that, at this time, Beethoven could not have found better conditions, anywhere else, to embark on his own first attempts in this compositional genre.  

A possible re-phrasing of our attempts at answering our initial questions cannot avoid to consider our two questions, namely, whether, on the one hand, Beethoven was ready for this compositional genre and whether, on the other hand, it was ready for him, from an overall perspective.    

In doing so we realize that Beethoven's own preparation for this compositional genre, through his own work on his above-noted, more relevant works, does not represent his only personal preparation for it, but that also his contact with the musicians of the  Schuppanzigh-Quartet and their work on and with string quartets by Mozart, Haydn and Förster offered him an excellent opportunity of practical preparation for his own first attempts in this genre. 

Now, we "only" have to try to discover how Beethoven was able to apply and incorporate all of these influences and preparatory experiences into his own first string quartets. 

 

CREATION HISTORY

How can we present the chronological sequence of the composition of these string quartets in an as lively manner as possible? 

First, let us consider the sources that are available to us and at what they can offer us:  

1.   On the one hand, Thayer-Forbes' standard biography of 1964 is a good point of departure; however, due to its publication date, it does not contain all new biographical findings and other research results.  On the other hand, it contains many interesting details in support of a well-rounded description of the overall context of the creation of Op. 18 and of Beethoven's life circumstances during this time.

2.  Maynard Solomon's Beethoven biography editions of 1977 and 1998 do not feature any particular comments with respect to the chronological sequence of the creation of Op. 18. 

3.  William Kinderman's Beethoven book of 1995 concentrates exclusively on the musical content of the works. 

4.  Martin Hufner's internet article of 1999 offers a good, brief overview.

5.  Barry Cooper's Beethoven book of 2000 appears to compliment Hufner's brief overview with respect to many details. 

6.  Lewis Lockwood's Beethoven biography of 2003 also briefly discusses the chronological sequence of Op. 18, while it only discusses the "official" no. 4 in greater detail.  

7.  The Henle-Gesamtausgabe of Beethoven's letters can serve in support of a description of the overall context of the creation of Op. 18.  

Let us therefore present all comments--with the exception of the less relevant Solomon, Kinderman and Henle-Gesamtausgabe material--in table form:  

Overview in Table Form

No.	Thayer	Hufner	Cooper	Lockwood
1	No. 3, see p. 261: Here, Thayer reports that Carl Czerny mentioned to the Bonn philologist and biographer Otto Jahn that of the first six violin (string) quartets, that in D Major, no. 3, in its printed version, was the first that Beethoven composed.  As Czerny further reports, on the advice of Schuppanzigh, he then inserted the Quartet in F-Major as no. 1, although it was composed later.  As Thayer further writes, Ries confirmed this in the Biographische Notizen (Biographical Notes) by mentioning that of Beethoven's violin quartets, that in D-Major was the first one, while that in F-Major was published as no. 1, although it was the third one that Beethoven composed.	No. 3	No. 3, practically completed by the end of 1798 (p. 78).	No. 3
2	No. 1, see p. 261:  As Thayer reports, from the string quartet parts Beethoven gave to Amenda in 1799, it is evident that they belonged to the "official" no. 1.  Thayer "qualifies" Czerny's and Ries' reports insofar as he points out that they must have learned these details from Beethoven or, what might be more likely, that they both took the completion dates from the original manuscripts.  Thayer (p. 215) further reports that amongst Beethoven's sketches for the occasional work of the variations on Salieri's "La stessa, la stessissima" that had been announced by the "Wiener Zeitung" on March 2, 1799, as just having been published, there were also sketches for the first quartet of Op. 18, see also Hufner to the right.  P. 264: The quartet in F-Major must, as Thayer states, have been completed by June 25, 1799, since on that date, Beethoven gave it to Amenda with a dedication.	No. 1, composed and completed between February and April, 1799.	No. 1, mainly worked out after January, 1799; however, work on it was interrupted by Beethoven's new acquaintance with the von Brunsviks (p. 78-79). According to Cooper, this quartet, in its original form, was completed before Amenda's departure in the summer of 1799.   As Cooper further reports, in the meantime, documents found in the Lobkowitz Archives (in the Czech Republic) indicate that Prince Lobkowitz had commissioned these works and paid Beethoven 200 florins for the first three of them on October 7, 1799.   Cooper also refers to the revisions in the sketchbook entitled 'aut.19a' in the summer of 1800.	No. 1
3	No. 2, p. 264:  Thayer writes here that the first three string quartets were begun in 1798, with that in D-Major being the first one, followed by that in F-Major and, practically simultaneously or immediately followed by that in G-Major, which was originally intended to be the second quartet; however, since the quartet in F-Major was completed before it, Beethoven decided for it to be the second one and for the quartet in G-Major to be the third one.	No. 2, from April to June,  1799. Copies of the first three quartets, so Hufner, were completed by June, 1799.	No. 2, see the above-noted first comment to no. 1.  See also the above-noted comments with respect to Prince Lobkowitz and with respect to the 1800 revisions.	No. 2
4	No. 5, p. 264	No. 5, from the end of June to August, 1799.	No. 5, immediately after the first three quartets were completed, thus in the year 1799, see p. 82.   According to Cooper, this quartet was mainly worked out in 1799 (see p. 92).   As Cooper reports, on October 18, 1800, Prince Lobkowitz paid 200 florins to Beethoven for the last three string quartets.	No. 5
5	No. 4, p. 264	No. 4, in the late summer and fall of 1799.	No. 4, worked out in the summer of 1800 and probably mainly written down in that sketch book of which it is assumed that is has been lost and which must also have contained sketches for the Septet and the First Symphony.   See the above-noted comment with respect to Prince Lobkowitz. P. 92ff.	No. 6
6	No. 6, p. 264	No. 6, after no.  4.	No. 6 - fragments of sketches, so Cooper, can be found in the sketch book 'aut.19e' of the year 1800.   See the above-noted comment with respect to Prince Lobkowitz. P. 92ff.	No. 4, which is described by  Lockwood as 'orphan'  of the quartets since no sketches survived.  Probably, as Lockwood writes, the sketches were written down in a sketch book that has been lost, namely from the years 1799-1800.

 

All further supplementary comments of these authors on the creation and publication of these six quartets should find their appropriate place in our following report that deals with the overall context of the creation of Op. 18.  

In proceeding with it, we might first wish to determine the overall time frame of the composition of the quartets by taking relevant information from our above table overview:  

1.  Cooper's comment (p. 78), namely that Beethoven had practically composed the first quartet by the end of 1798, 
     supplies us with an indication for the beginning of this time frame;  

2.  Cooper's comment (p. 92ff.) with respect to the payment of the fee for the three last string quartets on October 18, 1800
     supplies us with a documented indication of the end of this time frame.  

With respect to the beginning of this time frame, in this context, we can also refer to Cooper's comment (p. 78-79) that documents at the Lobkowitz Archives indicate that Prince Lobkowitz commissioned these string quartets from Beethoven.  In the event that Beethoven already began work on them in 1798, it can be assumed that Beethoven must have received this commission in this year, at the latest.  

 

Prince Lobkowitz

With respect to Beethoven's health during this time, this time frame also allows us to mention that his possible infection of the year 1796 (Thayer: 187-188) or, as Thayer rather assumes, of 1797 (Thayer: 187-188 and 191-192) was already behind him, and also that his loss of hearing which, according to his own comments (in his letters of the year 1801 to Amenda and Wegeler and in the Heiligenstadt will of 1802), began in 1796-1797, already affected him in the manner in which he described it to his friends, during the composition of Op. 18, no. 3.  Let us take a look at a relevant passage from Beethoven's letter to  Karl Friedrich Amenda of July 1, 1891:

Beethoven an Carl Amenda in Wirben                                                                                                      Vien, den 1ten Juli [1801][1] mein lieber, mein guter Amenda, mein herzlicher Freund!      . . .       . . . dein B. lebt sehr unglücklich, im streit mit Natur und schöpfer; schon mehrmahls fluchte ich lezterm, daß er seine Geschöpfe dem kleinsten Zufall ausgesezt, so daß oft die schönste Blüthe dadurch zernichtet und zerknikt wird, wisse, daß ich <den <für mich> bey> mir der[3] edelste Theil mein Gehör sehr abgenommen hat, schon damals als du noch bey mir warst, fühlte ich davon spuren, und ich verschwieg's, nun ist es immer ärger geworden, ob es wird wieder können Geheilt werden, das steht noch zu erwarten, es soll von den Umständen meines Unterleibs <herrürhen> herrühren, was nun den betrift, so bin ich fast ganz hergestellt, ob nun auch das Gehör besser wird werden, das hoffe ich zwar schwerlich, solche Krankheiten sind die unheilbarsten,  . . .  Beethoven to Carl Amenda in Wirben                                                                                                 Vienna, the 1st of July [1801][1]    . . . your B. lives unhappily, at war with nature and creator, several times already I cursed the latter, that he subjects his creations to the slightest coincidence, so that, very often, the most beautiful blossom is destroyed and crushed, know that I <the> with> my most noble [3] part my hearing has decreased very much, already when you were still with me, I felt traces of it, and I kept quiet about it, now, it has become increasingly worse, whether it can be healed, that remains to be seen; supposedly it stems from the condition of my  bowels, as far as these are concerned, they have almost been restored, whether my hearing will also improve, I can hardly hope for, such diseases are the most incurable . . .  [Source:  Ludwig van Beethoven Briefwechsel Gesamtausgabe, Vol. I, Letter No. 67, p. 84-87] [Original:  Bonn, Beethoven-Haus; to [1]: refers to the fact that the year can be determined from the content of the letter; details taken from p. 86.]

 

Thayer's general references to Beethoven's activities of the year 1798 allow us to refer to our discussion of them in the relevant section of our Biographical Pages and in our creation histories of the Piano Concertos, Piano Sonatas and  Cello Sonatas.  

More specifically, here, we can refer to Beethoven's contacts with string musicians that we might 'classify' as follows:  

1.  that with the musicians of the Schuppanzigh Quartet, which, in this context, might be the most important one; 

2.  that with the violinist Rodolphe Kreutzer;

3.  that with other Viennese lay musicians and friends such as Baron Zmeskall and Karl Friedrich Amenda.

With respect to Beethoven's general life circumstances during this year, we can report that he, on the one hand, lost one of his two closest friends in the spring of 1798 (to whom he alluded in his July 24, 1804, letter to Ferdinand Ries), Lorenz von Breuning.  Lorenz or, rather, Lenz von Breuning came to Vienna in 1974, together with Franz Gerhard Wegeler and stayed there until the fall of 1797.  (During the course of 1798, Beethoven must have learned of his friend's April 10, 1798, death).  

However, hardly had this door closed on Beethoven that another one opened for him, namely that of his friendship with Karl Friedrich Amenda, who, if we follow Barry Cooper's argument that the first string quartet of Op. 18, namely no. 3, was 'practically' completed by the end of this year, might have witnessed its composition 'up close'.  

Although Thayer (p. 208) writes that "the years 1798 and 1799 offer but scanty materials to the biographers of Beethoven-- . . . ", the existing material still allows us to arrive at a good impression of the events in Beethoven's life during that time.  

Hufner's and Cooper's information that we have already presented in the above overview in table form indicates that Beethoven began to work on the next string quartet (Op. 18, no. 1) in February, 1799.  Moreover, nothings speaks against the assumption that he spent this winter in Vienna in the company of his personal friend Amenda and in that of his professionally useful "Viennese" friends and acquaintances such as Baron Zmeskall and the members of the Schuppanzigh Quartet.

As Thayer reports in his chapter Beethoven's Friends and Fellow Musicians (p. 234-235), in May of this year Beethoven made the acquaintance of the von Brunsvik family and spent sixteen days in their company as piano teacher of Therese and Josephine von Brunsvik.  His May 23rd entry into an album of the family, with Goethe's poem Ich denke dein and four variations for four hands allows for the conclusion that it served as a (preliminary) farewell entry. In this context is is relevant to refer to Cooper's comment that Beethoven's work on Op. 18, no. 1, was interrupted by this acquaintance, on account of the time he spent with this family.   

For this reason, but also in consideration of the fact that Beethoven's contact with the von Brunsviks is relevant insofar as, without this information, there would be a gap that would not allow us to present the overall context of the events of this year coherently, we will continue to keep an eye on information concerning the von Brunsviks, even if some of it might allow for some speculation.  

While Beethoven, according to Hufner, from April to the end of June, 1799, worked on Op. 18, no. 2, and while, also according to him, by the end of June of this year, copies of the first three string quartets were also completed, Beethoven must also have been informed of Amenda's pending departure for Courland, since, on June 25th, 1799, he wrote on a copy of the quartet in F-major, Op. 18, no. 1, next to the first violin part:  

Karl Friedrich Amenda

Beethoven an Carl Amenda[1]                                                   (Widmung)                                                                                  (Wien, 25. Juni 1799)     lieber Amenda! nimm dieses Quartett als ein kleines Denckmal unserer Freundschaft, <und> so oft du dir es vorspielst, erinnere dich unserer durchlebten Tage und zugleich, wie innig gut dir war und immer seyn wird     dein wahrer und warmer Freund                                                                              Ludwig van Beethoven Vien 1799 am 25ten Juni Beethoven to Carl Amenda[1]                                                   (Dedication)                                                                                  (Vienna, June 25, 1799)     Dear Amenda! take this quartet as a small memento of our friendship, <and> whenever you play it recall the days which we passed together and the sincere affection felt for you then and which will always be felt by       your warm and true friend                                                                              Ludwig van Beethoven Vienna, 1799, June 25 [Source:  Ludwig van Beethoven Briefwechsel Gesamtausgabe, Vol. I, Letter No.   42, p. 48] [Original:  Bonn, Beethoven-Haus; to [1]: refers to Carl Amenda [1771-1836), one of Beethoven's closest friends; taken from p. 48.] [Original:  Bonn, Beethoven-Haus; to [1]: refers to Carl Amenda [1771-1836), "Theologe und Violinst aus Lippaiken in Kurland gebürtig.  Er studierte 1792-1796 Theologie in Jena, reiste dann über Frankreich nach Lausanne, wo er zwei Jahre als Musiklehrer verbrachte.  Nach Engagements in Frankfurt a.M. und Konstanz kam er zusammen mit dem Gitarristen Gottfried Heinrich Mylich [1773-1834] im Frühjahr 1798 nach Wien.  Dort fand er zunächst bei der Fürstin Karoline Lobkowitz [1775-1816] als Vorleser, danach bei der Witwe Mozart als Hauslehrer ihrer Kinder Anstellung.  Im Herbst 1799 kehrte Amenda in seine Heimat zurück.  1802 wurde er zum Pastor in Talsen bestellt und heiratete im selben Jahr Jeanette Benoit (1785-1844].  Seit 1821 stand er der Kandauischen Diözese als Probst vor und wurde 1830 zum Konsistorialrat ernannt.  Amenda war einer der engsten Freunde Beethovens" [a theologian and violinist, born at Lippaiken in Courland who, from 1792 - 1796, studied theology at the University of Jena and then traveled through Europe with a first longer stop in Lausanne where he was working as a music teacher for two years, after which he, via Frankfort and Konstanz, arrived in Vienna in the spring of 1798, together with his friend, the guitarist Gottfried Heinrich Mylich [1773 [ 1834).  He is reported to first having held the position of a precentor with Princess Karoline Lobkowitz and then that of the private teacher of Mozart's children.  In the fall of 1799, he returned to his homeland and became Pastor at Talsen in 1802, married in the same year, namely a young lady from Geneva, Jeannette Benoit and lived his life out in his homeland.  From 1821 on, he was Provost of the Kandau Diocese and in 1830, he was appointed as a Council of the Consistory. Of course, as we know, he was one of Beethoven's closest personal friends]; details taken from p. 48.]

 

A look back at our overview in table form confirms that Beethoven started to work on Op. 18, no. 1-- that, on June 25, 1799, he dedicated to Amenda,--after January, 1799 (Hufner, Cooper), that, very likely, his work on it was interrupted by his acquaintance with the von Brunsvisks in May, 1799 (Cooper), and that it was, nevertheless, completed by June 25, 1799 (according to Kropfinger, p. 25, in its second version).  This lets us at least assume that Beethoven took up his work on it again at the end of May.  (If we follow Hufner's comments, there also exists the possibility that, at that time, copies of all three of the first string quartets were completed.)  

The Henle Gesamtausgabe only lists five letters as belonging to the year 1799, of which Beethoven wrote two to Baron Zmeskall and three to Amenda.  Although Thayer (p. 225)--correctly!--describes the following letter has having been written before Amenda's return to Courland in 1799, we might ask ourselves if the time at which this letter was written could be determined more closely.  Let us first take a look at it:  

 

Beethoven an Carl Amenda                                                                                              [Wien, Sommer 1799][1]      heute bekam ich eine Einladung nach möthling auf's Land, ich habe sie angenommen und gehe noch diesen Abend auf einige Tage dahin, sie war mir um so willkommener, da mein ohnedem zerrissenes Herz noch mehr würde gelitten haben, obschon der Hauptsturm wider abgeschlagen ist, so bin [ich] doch noch nicht ganz sicher, wie mein Plan dawider ausschlagen wird, gestern hat man mir eine Reise nach Pohlen im Monath September angetragen, wobey mir die Reise sowohl wie der aufenthalt nichts kostet, und ich mich in Pohlen gut unterhalten kann und auch Geld da zu machen ist, ich habe es angenommen.[2] -- leb wohl lieber A. und gib mir bald Nachricht von deinem Aufenthalte unterwegs wie auch wenn du in deinem Vaterlande angelangt bist. reise glücklich, und vergesse nicht                                                                                          deinen bthwen Beethoven to Carl Amenda                                                                                           [Vienna, summer 1799][1]      I believe that I am not able to give to you in enough of time what Prince L.[2] has sent to me for you; it is little, but since he is about to depart, and you know what a man needs in such a case.--       Yes, dear good Amenda, I have to repeat it once more, that I am very sorry that you did not advise me of your situation earlier, it could have been arranged quite differently, and I would now not to have to worry whether or not you will be lacking something on your way--at the moment I am in a situation in which I can not spare anything; since this state can not last long, I ask you most sincerely, as soon as possible, should you be lacking something, to let me know of it, right away, since you can rest assured that I will come to your aid, immediately.--       Since I do not know whether you already set off tomorrow, I believed it necessary to still tell you all of this.  In haste, your                                                                                                         bthwn [Source:  Ludwig van Beethoven Briefwechsel Gesamtausgabe, Vol. I, Letter No.  44, p. 49-50] [Original:  Washington, Library of Congress; to [1]: refers to the fact that, according to the GA, this letter is connected to Amenda's return to Courland and that it had been delayed due to financial difficulties; to [2]: probably refers to Prince Karl Lichnowsky, who obviously had sent a small amount; details taken from p. 50.]

With respect to Josephine von Brunsvik and Beethoven's above-noted "lacerated heart", according to Klaus Kropfinger, the German Beethoven scholar Harry Goldschmidt 

" . . . in seinen akribischen und gedankenreichen Untersuchungen . . . plausibel gemacht, daß Beethovens Liebe zu der anfangs noch ledigen, alle Männer bezaubernden Frau schon im Jahr 1799, der Zeit des ersten Zusammentreffens und Unterrichts, erwachte, durch die Heirat Josephines mit Deym aber enttäuscht gleichsam in den Untergrund ging . . . " (Kropfinger: 107; --

-- Kropfinger writes here that Goldschmidt, through his painstaking and thoughtful examinations, has brought forth a plausible argument that Beethoven's love for the initially still unmarried woman who was admired by all men, already awakened in1799, at the time of their first meeting and lessons for her, but that it virtually went underground on account of Josephine's marriage to von Deym).

Time-wise, here, this possibility is relevant insofar as Josephine von Brunsvik's wedding to Count von Deym took place on June 29, 1799.  While we can not determine with certainty whether Beethoven's "lacerated heart" was related to this event, from his lines to Amenda, it becomes clear that he was determined to overcome this situation.  Hence, we can not entirely exclude the possibility that the above lines might have been written in the last days of June, 1799, since, on the one hand, Amenda's return to Courland was already pending and since Beethoven had dedicated a copy of Op. 18, no. 1, to him on June 25, 1799 on account of that pending departure and, on the other hand, Josephine von Brunsvik's wedding was already set for the 29th of June.  

In light of such biographical uncertainties it is advisable for us to move on by continuing our exploration of Beethoven's further work on his string quartets, Op. 18.  In doing so, let us take another look at our table overview, so that we can determine on what string quartets Beethoven began to work at this time.  Both Cooper and Hufner point out that, after his completion of Op. 18, no. 2, Beethoven immediately began to work on Op. 18, no. 5 and that this work, according to Hufner, was already completed by the end of August, 1799.  Cooper, on the other hand, does not report as to when this quartet might have been completed.  

We are delighted that the excellent Unheard Beethoven Website offers us a chance to present links to midi listening samples to small, partial compositional attempts of Beethoven's work on Op. 18, no. 5:  

  

According to  Unheard Beethoven, the following piece might be the beginning of a movement to this string quartet.  Read more about it and listen to it via this link:   Attempt at a Presto, Hess 334 (1799)

Also the following piece is, according to Unheard Beethoven, an attempt at an extended beginning to this work.   Read more about it and listen to it via this link:     Extended Attempt at a Presto in D-Major, Hess 334 (1799)

According to Unheard Beethoven the following piece is an early attempt at Beethoven's composition of  this quartet.   Read more about it and listen to it via this link:     Minuet-Scherzo in A-Major, Hess 333 (1799)

As a last compositional attempt, Unheard Beethoven presents a 'melodic line'.    Read more about it and listen to it via this link:   Pastorella in D-Major, Hess 332 (1799)

 

Whether Beethoven stayed at Mödling for a few days during the warm season of 1799 already in June or in late summer can not be determined with certainty.  Also the date of Amenda's departure for Courland can not be determined precisely.  While the Gesamtausgabe places the following lines by Beethoven to Amenda into the summer of this year, Kropfinger (p. 26) raises the question if they might not have been written in October.  Let us take a look at them:  

 

Beethoven an Carl Amenda                                                                                       [Wien, Sommer 1799][1]      ich gaube dir nicht zeitig genug geben zu können, was mir fürst L.[2] für dich geschickt hat, es ist zwar wenig aber er ist jezt im fortreisen begriffen, und da weiß du wohl, was da so einer Braucht.--      Ja lieber guter Amenda, ich muß es noch einmal widerholen, daß es mir sehr leid thut, daß du mich nicht von deiner lage früher unterrichtet hast, das hätte sich so ganz anders einrichten laßen, und ich wäre nun nicht in Sorgen, daß es dir unterweg's an etwas mangeln könnte--ich bin augenblicklich in einer Lage, wo ich nichts entbehren kann, da dieser Zustand nicht sehr lange dauren kann, so bitte ich dich innigst, so bald es dir es mag seyn wo es wolle an etwas gebrechen sollte mir es gleich zuwissen zu thuen, indem du versichert seyn kannst, daß ich dir schleunig beystehen werde. --      da ich nicht weiß, ob du schon Morgen reisest, so glaubte ich nöthig, dir dieses noch alles zu sagen. in Eil dein                                                                                                         bthwn Beethoven to Carl Amenda                                                                                           [Vienna, summer 1799][1]      I believe that I am not able to give to you in enough of time what Prince L.[2] has sent to me for you; it is little, but since he is about to depart, and you know what a man needs in such a case.--       Yes, dear good Amenda, I have to repeat it once more, that I am very sorry that you did not advise me of your situation earlier, it could have been arranged quite differently, and I would now not to have to worry whether or not you will be lacking something on your way--at the moment I am in a situation in which I can not spare anything; since this state can not last long, I ask you most sincerely, as soon as possible, should you be lacking something, to let me know of it, right away, since you can rest assured that I will come to your aid, immediately.--       Since I do not know whether you already set off tomorrow, I believed it necessary to still tell you all of this.  In haste, your                                                                                                         bthwn [Source:  Ludwig van Beethoven Briefwechsel Gesamtausgabe, Vol. I, Letter No.  44, p. 49-50] [Original:  Washington, Library of Congress; to [1]: refers to the fact that, according to the GA, this letter is connected to Amenda's return to Courland and that it had been delayed due to financial difficulties; to [2]: probably refers to Prince Karl Lichnowsky, who obviously had sent a small amount; details taken from p. 50.]

In his 1815 letter to Beethoven (Henle Gesamtausgabe, Vol. 3, Letter No. 791, p. 122-126), Amenda writes that, on the last evening before his departure for his homeland, he  " . . . am letzten Abend bey Zmeskall spielen hörte" [that he heard Beethoven play at Zmeskall's], (see also Kropfinger, p. 27: "1799 . . . (Privat)Konzerte und Akademien . . . Beethoven spielt bei Zmeskall zu Amendas Abschied" [Kropfinger writes here, in his table overview of events in Beethoven's life, that, with respect to private concerts and academy concerts, in 1799, Beethoven also played at Zmeskall's on the occasion of Amenda's departure for Courland).

With respect to the further fate of Op. 18 in this year, both Kropfinger (p. 27, with October 14th, 1799, as the date of Beethoven's receipt) and Cooper (see our above table overview, with October 7th, 1799, as the date of Lobkowitz' payout order) refer to the payment of 200 florins by Prince Lobkowitz to Beethoven, for the receipt of the first three string quartets, Op. 18, no. 1-3.  

With respect to Beethoven's possible start on a further Op. 18 string quartet in this year, according to our table overview, Hufner is of the opinion that, in the late summer and fall of 1799, the composer worked on Op. 18, no. 4.  However, this opinion should not be considered the only information that we will be able to present with respect to Op. 18, no. 4, since, in the course of our further presentation of the overall context of the creation of Op. 18, we will come across both Cooper's and Lockwood's different opinions. 

With this, our chronological presentation of the creation of Op. 18 has arrived at the end of 1799 and at the beginning of 1800.  

With respect to Beethoven's human interaction we have to note that, with Amenda's departure for his homeland, he no longer had a very close personal friend around him, but rather, from then on, had to "make do" with his Viennese friends.  

In contrast to this we can, at least, report what musical contacts must have enriched Beethoven's life during the winter of 1799/1800, namely with members of the Schuppanzigh Quartet  and with the Viennese composer Aloys Förster, about whom Thayer reports as follows:

" . . . Emanuel Aloys Förster, (born January 26, 1748, in Neurath, Upper Silesia, died November 12, 1823, in Vienna), a musician who was so highly esteemed by Beethoven that, on one occasion at least, he called him his "old master." The phrase can easily be interpreted to mean that Beethoven found instruction in Förster's chamber music which he heard at the soirees of Prince Lichnowsky and other art-patrons. Förster's compositions, not many of which have been preserved in print, are decidedly Beethovenish in character. His eldest son, who in 1870 was still living in Trieste, remembered Beethoven perfectly well from 1803 to 1813, and communicated to the author of this biography some reminiscences well worth preserving. . . . Förster's dwelling in all those years was a favorite resort of the principal composers and dilletanti. Thither came Beethoven; Zmeskall, "a very precise gentleman with abundant white hair"; Schuppanzigh, "a short plump man with a huge belly"; Weiss, tall and thin; [later] Linke, the lame violoncellist, Heinrich Eppinger, the Jewish violin dillettante, the youthful Mayseder, J.N. Hummel, and others. The regular periods of these quartet meetings were Sunday at noon, and the evening of Thursday; but Beethoven in those years often spent other evenings with Förster, "when the conversation usually turned upon musical theory and composition. . . . and it is no forced and unnatural inference, that he [Beethoven] had studied quartet composition with him, as he had counterpoint with Albrechtsberger, and operatic writing with Salieri" (Thayer: 261 - 262).

From Thayer's text we learn that Förster's considerable influence over Beethoven, with respect to chamber music composition, was not only concentrated on the years 1803-1813, but rather started already before that time.  

With respect to Beethoven's state of health during this period, Kropfinger (p. 25" refers to his "sich verstärkende Gehörschwäche" [increasing hearing loss].   To what extent Beethoven's loss of his nearly daily contact with his close personal friend, Karl Friedrich Amenda, might have had a negative impact on his health, is difficult to determine.  However, there offers itself a comparison to Beethoven's further, dramatic loss of hearing during his inner emigration after the loss of his "Immortal Beloved", and that insofar as, in both cases, Beethoven, after the loss of a contact that was important to him, retreated back into himself.   However, as we will see, in the year 1800, there was, at least, no apparent lack of occasions to mingle with friends, colleagues and the public.  

With respect to the progress of Beethoven's work on Op. 18, both Hufner (relying on research results by  Sieghard Brandenburg) and Thayer (p. 225, 262 and 281) refer to his revision of the Quartet in F-Major, Op. 18, no. 1 and of the Quartet in G-Major, Op. 18, no. 2, in the spring and summer of 1800.  Thayer's reference to the possibility that, in the winter of 1800, Beethoven must have been in close contact with Aloys Förster and that it can not be excluded that Beethoven had received instruction from him with respect to string quartet composition, is very relevant in this context.   

As we already reported in our creation histories of Beethoven's Piano Concertos and of his First Symphony, on April 2, 1800, Beethoven held his first, own, benefit concert, while this month also saw him perform with the Bohemian horn player Wenzel Stich (on April 18th), with Beethoven having composed the Sonata for Piano and Horn, Op. 18, for this occasion.

If we are inclined to consider Klaus Kropfinger's comment as to Harry Goldschmidt's plausible line of argument with respect to the possibility that Beethoven's love for Josephine von Brunsvik might already have had its beginnings at the time of their first meeting in 1799, to hold any merit, then we might also observe and consider that Beethoven's plan of trying to mend his "lacerated heart" must have been successful, since the year 1800 offered him many occasions or renewed contact with the von Brunsviks and von Deyms.  As Thayer (p. 256-257) reports, he spent the time of May, 1800 to (probably) the beginning of July, 1800, at Martonvasar in Hungary, as guest of the family.  (On May 7, 1800, for a second time, he performed with Wenzel Stich in Budapest) while he, according to Thayer (p. 258-259) spent the rest of the summer in Unterdöbling, where he had taken up quartets with his servant.    

The progress of his last three string quartets, Op. 18, no. 4-6, can not be determined to the last detail.  Our above table overview shows that Hufner places the completion of O. 18, no. 4, as fifth string quartet, into the summer and fall of 1799, while Cooper reports that Beethoven worked on this quartet in the summer of 1800, and that the sketches to it must have been written down in the sketch book that has become lost.  Lewis Lockwood, on the other hand, describes Op. 18, no. 4, as the quartet that Beethoven composed last, thus as the sixth quartet.  

With respect to Op. 18, no. 6 Cooper reports that fragmentary sketches to it can be found in the sketch book 'aut 19e' of the year 1800.  Thayer, Hufner and Cooper consider this quartet as the sixth string quartet of Op. 18.  

Both Kropfinger and Cooper report that, on October 18, 1800, Beethoven confirmed receipt of 200 florins from Prince Lobkowitz, for the last three string quartets.  

As Thayer writes, already in the fall of 1800, the first three string quartets were in the hands of the Viennese publisher Mollo, which is confirmed by Beethoven's December 15, 1800, letter to his Leipzig friend  Franz Anton Hofmeister.  Let us present the relevant passage from the Henle Gesamtausgabe zitieren:

Beethoven an Franz Anton Hoffmeister in Leipzig                                                                                  Vien, am 15ten dezember [1800][1] Geliebtester Hr Bruder! . . .     pro primo ist zu wissen, daß es mir sehr leid ist, sie mein geliebter Hr. Bruder in der Tonkunst mir nicht eher etwas zu wissen gemacht haben, damit ich ihnen meine Quartetten hätte zu Markt bringen können,[2] . . . Beethoven to Franz Anton Hoffmeister in Leipzig                                                                            Vienna, the 15th of December [1800][1] Beloved Herr Brother! . . .    pro primo there is to know that I am sorry that you, my beloved Herr brother in the art of music, did not let me know something, sooner, so that I could have offered you my quartets.[2] . . .  [Source: Ludwig van Beethoven Briefwechsel Gesamtausgabe, Vol. I, Letter No.  49, p. 54-55] [Original:  Bonn, Beethoven-Haus; to [2]:  refers to Op. 18, with respect to which the GA notes that the quartets were published in two series, namely in June and October, 1801, by Tranquillo Mollo in Vienna; details taken from p.  54-55.]

With respect to this we should still mention that Hofmeister, who had just established himself as a music publisher in Leipzig, did not advise Beethoven on time about this step.  

In his chapter to the year 1800, Thayer also mentions Lichnowsky's gift to Beethoven of four string instruments and, for their description, relies on that of December 2, 1846, by Alois Fuchs, a violinist of the Vienna court orchestra:

Beethoven's String Instruments, among them also his own Bonn Viola

"Ludwig van Beethoven owned a complete quartet of excellent Italian instruments given to him by his princely patron and friend Lichnowsky at the suggestion of the famous quartet-player Schuppanzigh. I am in a position to describe each of the instruments in detail:

1. A violin made by Joseph Guarnerius in Cremona in the year 1718 is now in the possession of Mr. Karl Holz, director of the Concerts spirituels in Vienna.

2. The second violin (which was offered for sale) was made by Nicholas Amati in the year 1667, and was in the possession of Dr. Obermeyer, who died recently in Hütteldorf; it has been purchased by Mr. Huber.

3. The viola, made by Vincenzo Ruger in 1690, is also the property of Mr. Karl Holz.

4. The violoncello, an Andreas Guarnerius of the year 1712, is in the possession of Mr. P. Wertheimber of Vienna."  (Thayer: 264-265).

Although Thayer explains that Beethoven must have received these instruments from Prince Lichnowsky before 1812 and that the exact date of this gift is not known, Beethoven's reference to these instruments in his "Heiligenstadt Will" of 1802 is a strong indication that he might already have received them before the fall of 1802.  

Whether Beethoven's string quartets, Op. 18, were played on these instruments at their (probably first) private performance at a soiree in honor of Archduchess Julia von Givane, a friend of the von Deym family, at the residence of the von Deyms, can not be determined with certainty.  In her letter of December 10, 100, Josephine von Brunsvik wrote to her sister Therese:  

"We had music in honor of the archuchess. I had to play and at the same time I was responsible for all arrangements and above all the concern that everything went well. Our rooms were so beautiful that you would have been enchanted. All the doors were opened and everything lit up. I assure you it was a splendid sight! Beethoven played the sonata with violoncello, I played the last of the three sonatas [Op. 12, No. 3] with Schuppanzigh's accompaniment, who played divinely like everybody else. Then Beethoven like a true angel let us hear his new still unpublished quartets [Op. 18] which are the most excellent of their kind. The renowned Kraft undertook the 'cello part, Schuppanzigh the first violin. Imagine what a pleasure it was! The archduchess was enchanted and everything came off wonderfully" (Thayer: 236 - 237).

Josephine von Brunsvik

In all likelihood, this might have been the first performance in a small private circle that went beyond previous rehearsals among musicians.   With respect to Beethoven's contact with Josephine von Deym and her husband, in the chapter Beethoven's Friends and Fellow Musicians, Thayer writes:   

"By 1800 the Count had gotten badly into debt, partially because he had counted upon, but had never received, a large dowry from the Brunsvik family. Legal wrangles threatened, and the mother, who was in Vienna for the birth of Josephine's first child, pressed her for a separation, realising too late that the marriage she had forced upon her daughter offered neither social nor financial advantages. Josephine, on the other hand, was a truly honorable woman; amid stormy scenes with her mother she steadfastly refused to dishonor her marriage vows.

Beethoven proved to be a loyal friend to the young countess in her unhappy circumstances. Therese writes: "The aristocracy turned its back upon him [Deym] because he had gone into business. He could not hunt up his former rich acquaintances. Beethoven was the faithful visitor at the house of the young countess--he gave her lessons gratis and to be tolerated one had to be a Beethoven. The numerous relatives, the sisters of her father and their children, frequently visited their amiable niece. Tableaux were occasionally given; Deym, being himself an artist, was at home in such matters, they gave him pleasure . . . . There were soirees. My brother came in vacation-time and made the acquaintance of Beethoven. The two musical geniuses became intimately associated with each other, and my brother never deserted his friend in his frequent financial troubles until his, alas! so early death.

From this it can be seen that Josephine must have derived real comfort from her friendship with the composer, and also that gradually her circle was widening . . . " (Thayer: 236)

Here, in addition to our realization that, fortunately, Beethoven proved himself as a true friend of this family, we might also be able to discern that, perhaps, during these difficult years of the crisis of his increasing loss of hearing, he might have felt more comfortable in a small circle of friends than in larger gatherings (see his remarks in his letters to Amenda and Wegeler of the summer of 1801 and in his "Heiligenstadt Will").   

The renewed mentioning of this difficult problem also provides us with an opportunity to return to Beethoven's already mentioned letter of "June 1st" to Karl Friedrich Amenda, that, traditionally, had been placed in the year 1800; however, on account of its references to Beethoven's loss of hearing and on account of later Beethoven research contentions, it has been determined that it belongs to the year 1801.  In this letter, Beethoven also writes:  

Beethoven an Carl Amenda in Wirben                                                                         Vien den 1ten Juli [1801][1] mein lieber, mein guter Amenda, mein herzlicher Freund! . . . -- dein Quartett[8] gieb ja nicht weiter, weil ich es sehr umgeändert habe, indem ich erst jezt recht quartetten zu schreiben weiss, was du schon sehen wirst, wenn du sie erhalten wirst.[9] . . .  Beethoven to Carl Amenda in Wirben                                                                                   Vienna, the 1st of July [1801][1]      my dear, my good Amenda, my sincere friend! . . .  --your quartet[8] do not pass on, since I have changed it to a great extent, since only now have I learned how to properly compose quartets, which you will see when you will receive them.[9]-- . . .   [Source:  Ludwig van Beethoven Briefwechsel Gesamtausgabe, Vol. I, Letter No.  67, p. 84-87] [Original:  Bonn, Beethoven-Haus, Bodmer Collection; to [1] according to the GA, this refers to the fact that the year of Letter No. 65, which shows much in common with the within letter, can be derived from the content; to 8]: refers to the fact that, as a parting gift, Beethoven had dedicated a copy of the first version of String Quartet op. 18, No. 1, to Amenda; to [9]: refers to the fact that the string quartets, op. 18, according to the GA, have been revised several times before publication; details taken from p. 86-87.]

 

With this we also see our already mentioned reference with respect to the revision of the quartet in F-Major confirmed that Beethoven had dedicated to Amenda on June 25, 1799.  

With respect to the publication of the quartets by Mollo, Thayer writes:  

"The Quartets then appeared in two sets from the press of Mollo. It is likely that the first three, at least, were in the hands of the publisher before the end of 1800, as is proved by the letter to Hoffmeister. The first three appeared in the summer of 1801 and were advertised as on sale by Nägeli in Zurich already in July; they were mentioned in the Allg. Musik. Zeitung on August 26, and in Spazier's Zeitung für die elegante Welt. In October of the same year the last three appeared and Mollo advertised them in the Wiener Zeitung of October 28. The Quartets are dedicated to Prince Lobkowitz" (Thayer: 264).

As you can see from our chronological presentation of the overall context, we were not able to clearly separate in it the various aspects such as its commission, composition, dedication, first private performance, publication and official dedication, since in this case, these events appeared to be literally "flowing into each other".  

Let us use Thayer's following interesting remarks as our transition into our next section on the musical content of these quartets: 

"After Beethoven had composed his well-known String Quartet in F major he played for his friend [Amenda] [on the pianoforte?] the glorious Adagio [D minor, 9/8 time] and asked him what thought had been awakened by it. "It pictured for me the parting of two lovers," was the answer. "Good!" remarked Beethoven, "I thought of the scene in the burial vault in Romeo and Juliet" (Thayer: 261).

"During a walk I mentioned to Beethoven two pure fifth progressions which sound striking and beautiful in his C minor Quartet (Op. 18). He did not know them and denied that they were fifths. It being his habit always to carry ruled paper with him, I asked him for a sheet and wrote down the passage in all four voices; seeing that I was right he said: 'Well, and who has forbidden them?' Not knowing how to take the question, I had him repeat it several times until I finally answered in amazement: 'But they are first principles!' The question was repeated again, whereupon I answered: 'Marpurg, Kirnberger, Fux, etc., etc. all theoreticians!'--'And I allow them thus!' was his answer" (Thayer: 367).

 

TO THE DESCRIPTION OF THE MUSICAL CONTENT OF THE STRING QUARTETS, OP. 18