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Ludwig van Beethoven, Skizzenblatt zu den Streichquartetten op. 127 und op. 132 sowie zu einem Notenscherz über Tobias Haslinger (Hess 285), Autograph

Beethoven-Haus Bonn, Sammlung H. C. Bodmer, HCB Mh 99

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Things worth knowing
Given away by Schindler

This leaf was originally part of a sketchbook which was in Anton Schindler's possession after Beethoven's death. He had sold the book, or at least what remained of it, to the Königliche Bibliothek in Berlin in 1846. The sketchbook is still there (today: the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin Preußischer Kulturbesitz) and has the call number Mus. ms. autogr. Beethoven 11/2 (in short: Autograph 11/2). Autograph 11/2 has 30 leaves left: Schindler had given away many leaves to friends and collectors. On such occasions he mostly wrote a dedication on the leaves, which can always be used to prove their provenance. HCB Mh 99 does not have any dedication by Schindler. At first this would seem to speak against its being part of Autograph 11/2. In general, proving where Autograph 11/2 came from is comparatively difficult because Beethoven had made this sketchbook himself from bits of old paper. This is why there are different kinds of paper which cannot be used for the purposes of identification. Back to Schindler: the leaf HCB Mh 99 was originally not a single one. It certainly formed a bifolium with another leaf which is now in a private collection. This is not only recognizable on account of the paper and the contents of the sketches. On the front of HCB Mh 99 a slightly faded foliation can be made out on the top right: a 2 with a semi-circle. On the leaf in the private collection mentioned before there is a corresponding 1. In other words: the leaves once belonged together and were a bifolium. And HCB Mh 99 was the second leaf. The other leaf has the comment we were looking for by Schindler. So its provenance is clear. Its history and contents prove that it belongs to Autograph 11/2.

And an amusing detail: in the top line on the reverse Beethoven has noted down a musical joke about his publisher Tobias Haslinger, using his first name "to - bi - as". Beethoven not only had business dealings with Haslinger but they were also friends. He often sent him canons based on coarse words to either tell him something or just to make fun of him. (J.R.)

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