Johann Sebastian Bach: Chorale preludes ‘Komm, Gott Schöpfer, heiliger Geist’ (BWV 631a) and ‘Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend’ (BWV 632), for organ, both from the ‘Orgel-Büchlein’
Scope & Content:
Copy in the hand of Christian Gottlob Meissner. Written in brown ink on systems of two staves, using soprano and bass clefs. On a single leaf, with BWV 631a on the recto and BWV 632 on the verso; the titles are given in the upper margins, that of BWV 632 followed by ‘Canon:’ perhaps in another h...
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: Flute part, in D, to an unidentified concerto in three movements
Scope & Content:
Apparently not autograph; in an unidentified hand. Written in ink on single staves on either side of a single leaf. Headed ‘Concerto:’, and ‘Flaut Traversiere’. The first movement, in 2/4 time but with no tempo direction, is of 147 bars; movement II, ‘adagio’, 3/4, 40 bars; movement III (occupyi...
Béla Bartók: Four Pieces for Orchestra, op. 12 (BB 64)
Scope & Content:
Autograph draft full score. Written in ink on systems of up to 26 staves, with annotations in pencil and in blue and red crayon. Signed, with the opus number, in pencil (f. 2r). The pieces are for differing forces and the instrumentation for nos. II-IV is noted at the foot of the first page of e...
Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata in A major for cello and piano, op. 69: sketches for movements III and IV
Scope & Content:
Autograph. Written in ink, with some pencil on ff. 1v and 2r. The sketches are mostly on single staves, with piano or ‘cello indicated above at relevant points on ff. 1v, 2r and v. The number 350 added later in pencil at the bottom right of f. 1. For accompanying note of provenance see Zweig MS ...
Felix Mendelssohn: note relating to Zweig MS 6 [sketches for Beethoven's op. 69 cello sonata]
Scope & Content:
Written in ink on recto of a single leaf. Gives identification of Zweig MS 6, then ‘von mir in Wien aus der Autographensammlung des Herrn Aloys Fuchs erhalten. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.’ Formerly kept with Zweig MS 6.
Ludwig van Beethoven: Music to ‘Egmont’ (text Johann Wolfgang von Goethe), op. 84: sketch for op. 84, no. 1, Clärchen’s song ‘Die Trommel gerühret’
Scope & Content:
Autograph. Written in ink on the recto and in pencil on the verso of a single leaf. Sketched mostly on single staves, with the text written above or beneath. The leaf has a vertical fold, and the sketches in pencil occur on the right half only of the verso. Later marginal annotations comprise: i...
Ludwig van Beethoven: Music to ‘Die Ruinen von Athen’ (text A. von Kotzebue), op. 113: [no. 5], Off-stage Music for wind band
Scope & Content:
Autograph condensed score. Written in ink on systems of four staves. Tempo direction ‘assai Allegro ma non troppo’ (f. 1r). Headed ‘No 6’ and ‘Harmonie auf dem Theater’ in upper margin of f. 1r. Passage of 2 bars struck through on f. 1r; 1 bar struck through on f. 2v, but with note underneath to...
Ludwig van Beethoven: [Ariette] ‘Der Kuss’, song with piano accompaniment (words Christian Felix Weisse), op. 128
Scope & Content:
Autograph score. Written in ink on systems of three staves; voice line in the treble clef. In A, marked ‘Allegretto’ and headed ‘Mit Lebhaftigkeit jedoch nicht in zu geschwindem Zeitmass, u[nd] scherzend vorgetragen’. Dated by Beethoven ‘1822 in decemb.’ at the head of f. 1r, and with his commen...
Ludwig van Beethoven: Three-part canon ‘Kurz ist der Schmerz’ (words Friedrich von Schiller, from Die Jungfrau von Orleans), WoO 166
Scope & Content:
Autograph. Written in ink on the recto of a single leaf; staves drawn freehand by Beethoven. The music on five single staves with the text beneath. Dated ‘Wien am / 3ten März / 1815’ at the foot, with the signed dedication ‘Mögten sie doch lieber Spohr / überall, wo sie wahre Kunst und / wahre K...
Letter from Ludwig van Beethoven to Dr. Johann Bihler
Scope & Content:
[Baden, Summer, 1813]. Written in ink, addressed ‘Hr. von Bihler’ on the verso. An irregularly trimmed leaf, with bottom right hand corner, which presumably carried Beethoven’s signature, cut away.
