The Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies
Beethoven Center Manuscripts
© The Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies
San José State University
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Sketchleaf from 1807-1808 (acquired at Sotheby's, London, May 1985)
Beethoven gave this sketchleaf to Guilietta Guicciardi, to whom he dedicated the "Moonlight" Sonata. The leaf includes sketches for the song, "Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt," WoO 134, no. 2, and possibly ideas for the Leonore Overture No. 1.
Receipt dated August 3, 1816, with Beethoven's signature
By signing this document, Beethoven acknowledged receipt of five pounds sterling from the Viennese banking firm of Messers. Fries & Co. drawn on the London account of Mr. Thomas Coutts. This payment to Beethoven was made at the request of the London publisher, Robert Birchall, and served to cover the copying and shipping costs of four compositions that Birchall acquired earlier from Beethoven for 65 pounds. The works are among Beethoven's best known: Wellington's Victory, Opus 91; the piano version of the Seventh Symphony, Opus 92; the Sonata for violin and fortepiano, Opus 96; and the "Archduke" Trio, Opus 97. Beethoven mentions this receipt in the opening of his letter to Birchall dated October 1, 1816: "I have duly received the 5£s and thought previously you would not increase the number of englishmen neglecting their word and honor, as I had the misfortune of meeting with two of this sort ..." [Anderson L662]. The Beethoven Center also owns the original letter.
Household account leaf from July-August [1823?]
By 1816 Beethoven's deafness was so advanced that people had to communicate with him by writing. He adopted the habit of carrying around small homemade notebooks upon which his visitors would write their comments (now known as conversation books). The same procedure also had to be followed with Beethoven's servants. This page (which had writing on both sides) is a record of how much Beethoven's servant had spent on food for the household. The words in ink are hers; Beethoven checked her sums and wrote comments in pencil. Some of the items listed on this leaf include beef, liver, marrow, vegetables, onions, sorrel, chicken food, candles, herbs, sugar, wages, cream, roll, butter, and postage.