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A Historic Discovery, in Beethoven's Own Hand
NY Times ^ | 10-13-05 | DANIEL J. WAKIN

Posted on 10/13/2005 4:11:50 AM PDT by Pharmboy


Shiho Fukada for The New York Times

The recently discovered manuscript for Beethoven's "Grosse Fuge."

Heather Carbo, a matter-of-fact librarian at an evangelical seminary outside Philadelphia, was cleaning out an archival cabinet one hot afternoon in July. It was a dirty and routine job. But there, on the bottom shelf, she stumbled across what may be one of the most important musicological finds in years.

It was a working manuscript score for a piano version of Beethoven's "Grosse Fuge," a monument of classical music. And it was in the composer's own hand, according to Sotheby's auction house. The 80-page manuscript in mainly brown ink - a furious scattering of notes across the page, with many changes and cross-outs, some so deep that the paper is punctured - dates from the final months of Beethoven's life.

The score had effectively disappeared from view for 115 years, apparently never examined by scholars. It goes on display today, just for the afternoon, at the school, the Palmer Theological Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa.

"It was just sitting on that shelf," Ms. Carbo said. "I was just in a state of shock."

Like Ms. Carbo, musicologists sounded stunned when read a description of the manuscript by Sotheby's, which will auction it on Dec. 1 in London. "Wow! Oh my God!" said Lewis Lockwood, a musicology professor at Harvard University and a Beethoven biographer. "This is big. This is very big."

Indeed it is.

Any manuscript showing a composer's self-editing gives invaluable insight into his working methods, and this is a particularly rich example. Such second thoughts are particularly revealing in the case of Beethoven, who, never satisfied, honed his ideas brutally - unlike, say, Mozart, who was typically able to spill out a large score in nearly finished form.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Germany; News/Current Events; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: beethoven; classicalmusic; grossefuge; manuscript; music
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To: Pharmboy
Shouldn't that be An Historic Discovery?
21 posted on 10/13/2005 5:34:11 AM PDT by Steely Tom (Fortunately, the Bill of Rights doesn't include the word 'is'.)
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To: The Red Zone
"A look at the manuscript, made available by the auction house, shows a composer working with abandon and fixated on getting it exactly right. Groups of measures are vigorously canceled out with crosshatches. There are smudges where Beethoven appears to have wiped away ink while it was still wet. Sections have "aus," or "out," scribbled over them.

In some parts, Beethoven pays little heed to spacing out the notes in a measure, extending the five-line staves with wobbly lines in his own hand. High notes soar above the staff. The handwriting grows agitated to match the music. His clefs are ill formed. In one place, he pastes an entire half-page over a botched section with red sealing wax."

22 posted on 10/13/2005 5:38:10 AM PDT by Pharmboy (Democrats lie because they have to.)
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To: Steely Tom
Indeed. The cuts at The Times are showing...
23 posted on 10/13/2005 5:39:06 AM PDT by Pharmboy (Democrats lie because they have to.)
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To: Pharmboy

bttt


24 posted on 10/13/2005 5:41:31 AM PDT by Just mythoughts
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To: Pharmboy

25 posted on 10/13/2005 5:44:30 AM PDT by dfwgator (Flower Mound, TX)
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To: Pharmboy

It is funny to consider that the man creating this music--crossing out parts and replacing them with others--was, at the time, DEAF AS A PLANK!


26 posted on 10/13/2005 5:46:33 AM PDT by TalBlack
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To: TalBlack

Indeed. He heard it perfectly in his head, though.


27 posted on 10/13/2005 5:53:30 AM PDT by Pharmboy (Democrats lie because they have to.)
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To: Pharmboy

Absolutely amazing!

Cool beyond words.


28 posted on 10/13/2005 5:53:35 AM PDT by Skooz ("Political Correctness is the handmaiden of terrorism" - Michelle Malkin)
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To: dfwgator

He really looked like him in that getup...thanks for the memory. LOL!


29 posted on 10/13/2005 5:55:37 AM PDT by Pharmboy (Democrats lie because they have to.)
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To: Pharmboy
Indeed. The cuts at The Times are showing...

Wow, I didn't even notice this was from the NYT. That's really amazing.

(steely)

30 posted on 10/13/2005 5:59:38 AM PDT by Steely Tom (Fortunately, the Bill of Rights doesn't include the word 'is'.)
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To: Bahbah; 1rudeboy; 31R1O; afraidfortherepublic; Argh; bboop; BeerForMyHorses; billorites; ...

Thanks!

Classical Music Ping List ping!

If you want on or off this moderate volume list, let me know via FR mail. Thanks!


31 posted on 10/13/2005 6:01:16 AM PDT by sitetest (If Roe is not overturned, no unborn child will ever be protected in law.)
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To: dfwgator

32 posted on 10/13/2005 6:01:28 AM PDT by Pharmboy (Democrats lie because they have to.)
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To: Pharmboy

Very cool!


33 posted on 10/13/2005 6:03:39 AM PDT by Constitution Day
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To: Pharmboy

This is exciting!


34 posted on 10/13/2005 6:08:23 AM PDT by good old days
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To: The Red Zone
Sealing wax?

And other fancy stuff.

35 posted on 10/13/2005 6:13:20 AM PDT by Graymatter
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To: Pharmboy
I'm sorry to say that A Clockwork Orange has forever tainted my enjoyment of Ludwig Van.
36 posted on 10/13/2005 6:19:00 AM PDT by zeugma (Warning: Self-referential object does not reference itself.)
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To: zeugma

I understand, but it is hard to blame the old guy for Kubrick's indulgence.


37 posted on 10/13/2005 6:20:18 AM PDT by Pharmboy (Democrats lie because they have to.)
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To: TalBlack

He probably could still hear a little, enough to plonk something out on a keyboard.


38 posted on 10/13/2005 6:21:30 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (No wonder the Southern Baptist Church threw Greer out: Only one god per church! [Ann Coulter])
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To: Pharmboy

I guess the pencil and eraser hadn't been invented them


39 posted on 10/13/2005 6:23:01 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (No wonder the Southern Baptist Church threw Greer out: Only one god per church! [Ann Coulter])
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To: Pharmboy

I guess the pencil and eraser hadn't been invented then


40 posted on 10/13/2005 6:23:11 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (No wonder the Southern Baptist Church threw Greer out: Only one god per church! [Ann Coulter])
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