The metronome marks for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in context
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Marten Noorduin
The metronome marks for Beethoven’s
Ninth Symphony in context
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
C live Brown’s 1991 article in this journal
described a novel development in the perfor-
mance of Beethoven’s symphonies by early music
Norrington’s use of Beethoven’s metronome marks,
he also argued that such performances represented
not a recreation of the past but a newly created
ensembles, which included following Beethoven’s performance style.8 The core of Taruskin’s critique,
metronome marks.1 This was nevertheless not alto- which found much support, centred upon the
gether new, as the roots of this trend can be traced observation that the surviving historical evidence
all the way back at least as far as the performances for musical practices is generally so ambiguous that
by Hermann Scherchen and the Orchestra of the there is a perpetual need for interpretative guesswork
Viennese State Opera in the 1950s,2 or— depend- when attempting to establish historical practices. As
ing on how strictly the criteria are applied—even to Taruskin demonstrated, this guesswork is necessar-
some of the recordings by Felix Weingartner from ily influenced by a whole range of tacit assumptions
the 1920s.3 The early music movement, however, regarding what is musically plausible, desirable, or
had only just begun to perform Beethoven’s sym- even possible. Furthermore, Taruskin argued that
phonies, and Brown identified Roger Norrington the intentions of composers were only partially
and the London Classical Players as the most knowable: ‘composers do not always express them.
prominent performers of this kind who engaged If they do express them, they may do so disingenu-
with Beethoven’s metronome marks.4 From this, ously. Or they may be honestly mistaken.’9 Because
Brown drew the conclusion that many of the indi- of such concerns, there still is an ongoing debate
cated speeds which some considered to be impos- about what Beethoven actually had in mind, par-
sibly fast were in fact feasible, and that on the whole ticularly for movements or sections of movements
these marks were representative of what Beethoven in which the Italian tempo indication appears to be
had in mind, a few misprints and errors in trans- at odds with the given metronome mark.10 The Trio
mission notwithstanding. Other scholars, including of the second movement of the Ninth Symphony is
Sandra Rosenblum and Barry Cooper,5 also argued the most notorious but far from the only example,
that Beethoven’s metronome marks provide valuable and strong feelings exist on all sides of this debate,
information about performance practice, and they often still fuelled by the kind of rhetoric at which
are often printed in scholarly editions as a guide to Taruskin took aim.11
help clarify the composer’s intentions.6 The metronome marks for the Ninth Symphony
Much has changed since Brown’s article, and are neither the most controversial—that honour
performances of the symphonies at or close to the is reserved for the minim = 138 of the first move-
metronome marks have become increasingly com- ment of the Piano Sonata op.106—nor the least
mon in the early decades of the 21st century.7 There controversial in Beethoven’s music, as some indi-
has also been a significant pushback against some vidual marks have been identified as probably hav-
of the attitudes underpinning these performances. ing been incorrectly transmitted.12 This article will
Despite Richard Taruskin’s initial enthusiasm for explore the historical evidence for the different
Early Music, Vol. xlix, No. 1 © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. 129
doi:10.1093/em/caab005, available online at www.em.oup.com
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Advance Access publication May 17, 2021
a
b
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
1 Source A. Beethoven, Symphony no.9 in D minor op.125, autograph score, (a) p.9; (b) p.116. Berlin, Staatsbibliothek zu
Berlin—Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Mus.ms.autogr. Beethoven, L. v. 2; Mus.ms.autogr. Beethoven, L. v., Artaria 204.
interpretations of the metronome marks in the
Ninth Symphony that can be traced back to the
composer, by considering the extent to which they
correspond to Beethoven’s wider tempo princi-
ples, as well as contemporary descriptions of early
performances.
Sources for the metronome marks of
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
Although there are three metronome marks for
the symphony that can be dated to before the
first rehearsals and performances in May 1824 in
Vienna in Beethoven’s presence, the majority of the
metronome marks were produced in September
1826.13 The documented metronome marks for the 2 Source B. Beethoven, Symphony no.9, the engraver’s
Ninth Symphony are displayed in Appendix 1; the copy of 1824–6, ii, p.1. New York, The Juilliard School, The
sources for these marks are as follows, in order of Juilliard Manuscript Collection 31 b393sy no.9 1826.
chronology:
1826, written in Karl’s hand and signed by Beethoven
A: The autograph score of 1823–4, containing the earliest (illus.4).
known metronome marks for the first tempo and the E: The full list of metronome marks for the Ninth
penultimate Prestissimo of the symphony (illus.1). Symphony published in 1827 in Caecilia: Eine
B: The engraver’s copy of 1824–6, which may have been Zeitschrift für die musikalische Welt by Schott
used in the first performance, and which contains a (illus.5).
single metronome mark on the title-page of the sec- F: A list sent with a letter in Anton Schindler’s hand
ond movement (illus.2). dated 18 March 1827 (but not dispatched until the
C: The entries in the conversation book dated 27 24th) to Ignaz Moscheles in London (illus.6).
September 1826, in the hand of Karl van Beethoven
(illus.3).14 Among the first scholars to examine these variant
D: Karl’s entries in the presentation copy for the King markings was Otto Baensch, who theorized in 1925
of Prussia, which are identical to the list accompany- that the 96 for the dotted minim of the opening
ing the letter to the publisher Schott dated 13 October Presto of the finale was a misprint of the 66 that
130 Early Music February 2021Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
3 Source C. Conversation book 122 (26 September to approx. 2 October 1826), fols.11v–12r. Berlin, Staatsbibliothek zu
Berlin—Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Mus.ms.autogr. Beethoven, L. v. 51,120), http://resolver.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/
SBB0002379800000000. Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
4 Source D. Letter to B. Schott’s Sons in Karl van Beethoven’s hand, Gneixendorf, 13 October 1826. Mainz, Stadtbibliothek,
Autographensammlung, Beethoven–Briefe an B. Schott’s Söhne, Hs iii 71, Nr. 23. Creative Commons License CC
BY-NC-SA 3.0
appeared in the earlier sources, possibly due to of Source F in Moscheles’s biography in which none
a typesetting error in Source E.15 Furthermore— of the note values has dots, and in which the tempo
based at least in part on a misprinted representation indications appear without corrections16—Baensch
Early Music February 2021 131Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
6 Source F. Letter in Anton Schindler’s hand to Ignaz
Moscheles in London, Vienna, 18 March 1827, 2. Bonn,
Beethoven-Haus, Sammlung Wegeler, W 32, by permis-
sion of the Beethoven-Haus Bonn. Image not covered by
the terms of the Creative Commons License of this publi-
5 Source E. ‘Metronomische Bezeichnung der Tempi cation. For permission to reuse, please contact the rights
der neuesten Beethovenschen Symphonie, op.125. holder.
Mitgetheilt von Componisten’, Caecilia: Eine Zeitschrift
für die musikalische Welt, vi/22 (1827), p.158. Two other metronome marks have also been
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Mus.th. 655–6, identified as possibly having been incorrectly
urn:nbn:de:bvb:12-bsb10598359-1 transmitted. The first of these is the speed for the
Turkish march marked Allegro assai vivace alla
marcia, which occurs in Sources D, E and F as dot-
argued that Source F was simply copied from ted crotchet = 84. As illustration 3 shows, Karl did
Source E and was therefore of no value. The origi- not write down the note value in the conversation
nal Source F (illus.6), however, problematizes this books, and he probably added it later in the letter
interpretation: several tempo indications have been to Schott. As Hermann Beck was the first to show
corrected to resemble those in the score, and it is in the 1950s, and as many have since agreed, dotted
the only source to include the correct note value for minim = 84 is more in line with other metronome
the Molto vivace in the second movement, an obser- marks by Beethoven for similar movements, and is
vation also made recently by Byung-Jun Park.17 also more consistent within the context of the finale
Clearly, Source F is not just a copy of Source E, but of the Ninth Symphony, as otherwise two variations
the extent to which Beethoven was involved in these of the ‘Freude’ theme would be at half the speed of
corrections, or whether Schindler made them on the others.19 The second metronome mark whose
his own account, remains unknown. Nevertheless, accuracy has been questioned is the minim = 116
most critical editions have accepted Baensch’s read- for the Presto of the trio in the second movement,
ing, and include dotted minim = 66 instead of 96 which Peter Stadlen has discussed extensively.20
for the opening Presto of the finale,18 an issue which According to Stadlen, this slow speed was in bla-
will be discussed in detail towards the end of this tant contradiction of the tempo indication, which
article. he took as evidence for a reading of semibreve = 116.
132 Early Music February 2021Erica Buurman, however, has argued on the basis that the sixth and seventh sentences refer to the
of the sketches that minim = 116 is representative of principle that metres with larger note values indicat-
Beethoven’s intended tempo.21 ing the beat suggest a slower tempo than those with
Despite these studies on individual metronome smaller note values. The minim beat in can there-
marks and the large number of performers inter- fore be expected to be slower than the crotchet beat
ested in this material, no single contribution has dis- in 2/4, and if the same number of notes per beat is
cussed all the metronome marks for this important maintained, the music will sound slower. It is for this
work in the context of Beethoven’s overall practice. reason that the minor section, which in the first ver-
The following section discusses Beethoven’s writings sion contains two quavers in the voice part for every
on tempo from his earliest compositions onwards, crotchet beat in 2/4, is written with two crotchets for
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
and the extent to which these principles can be every minim beat in in the second version. The last
observed in the metronome marks that he produced two sentences seem to allude not to the note values
prior to 1826. in the time signature, but to the range of note values
that are used in a bar: an increase of smaller note
Principles of Beethoven’s tempo and values also implies a decrease in speed. The some-
metronome marks what ambiguous last sentence perhaps is also best
understood in this light: it implies that the chosen
Beethoven’s earliest written comments on tempo
tempo also determines the range of note values that
can found in the sketches of the song ‘Klage’,
the composer can use.
WoO 113, which remained unpublished throughout
The relevant parts of the first and second ver-
his life, and of which he drafted two different ver-
sion of WoO 113 can be seen in example 1. In the
sions in 1790. On a half-finished draft of the first ver-
first four bars of the second version, very little has
sion, the following statement appears:
changed beyond some minor alterations in the
[1] What follows will be sung even slower, adagio or piano part, but after the double bar at the end of
andante quasi adagio at the most. [2] Andante in a 2/4 bar 15, Beethoven changed the time signature from
metre has to be taken much faster than the tempo here 2/4 to , doubled all the note values, and added a
in this song. [3] It seems that it is impossible that the tempo indication clearly communicating a slower
[second section] remains in 2/4, because it is much too tempo. These three factors combined—note val-
slow. [4] [It appears] best to set [this section] in . [5]
The first [part] in E has to remain in 2/4, because oth- ues, tempo indications and metre—were used by
erwise it will be sung too slowly. [6] One would sooner Beethoven to communicate the tempo that he had
take a slow tempo in the case of long notes than with in mind at this point. This is further supported
short ones. [7] For example, with crotchets slower than by musical treatises circulating at the time, par-
with quavers. [8] The shorter notes also determine the ticularly Kirnberger’s Die Kunst des reinen Satzes
tempo, for instance semiquavers/demisemiquavers in
2/4 time make it very slow. [9] Perhaps the converse is (1776), some parts of which Beethoven copied by
also true.22 hand,23 and which describes tempo in almost iden-
tical terms.24
The first and second sentences indicate that Furthermore, Beethoven seems never to have
Beethoven intended the minor section to be slower abandoned these principles, as they can also be
than the tempo at the beginning of the song, and detected in the metronome marks he produced
much slower than an Andante in 2/4 would normally from 1815 onwards for his string quartets, sympho-
be. As the third, fourth and fifth sentences show, his nies and other works. Seemingly irrespective of
solution to this problem was to write both sections other factors such as instrumentation and genre,
in different metres, which resulted in the major sec- the same combination of note values, metre and
tion remaining in 2/4 and the minor section being tempo indication almost always correlates with
changed into . Both metres have two beats in every a similar speed, as Rudolf Kolisch first observed
bar, but they are indicated by different note values: in in 1943.25 To name one example out of many, the
2/4 by crotchets, and in by minims. It seems likely fourth movement of the Fifth Symphony op.67
Early Music February 2021 133Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021 1 Beethoven, Song ‘Klage’ WoO 113: (a) first version, bars 11–17; (b) second version, bars 11–17 134 Early Music February 2021
and the first movement of the String Quartet written in the wrong metre and with a range of
op.74, both Allegros in with crotchets, quavers note values that did not reflect the speed that
and semiquavers in scale figures, are both marked the composer had in mind, something which
minim = 84, despite the clear differences in instru- Beethoven corrected after this was pointed out.31
mentation and character. Furthermore, Allegros in (Wegeler’s memory probably fails him here in the
with more extensive semiquaver figurations have details: according to him the original metre was
slower metronome speeds, such as the Allegro 4/4, for which Beethoven always used . A much
risoluto in the finale of the Piano Sonata op.106 more likely candidate is , as much of the material
marked minim = 72 (written as crotchet = 144). The in the final version is found in the sketches in note
lack of influence of factors such as the venue or the values twice as large.32)
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
number of instrumentalists per part on the metro- Another example of an incorrect metre is found
nome marks might suggest that they were merely in the well-known letter that Beethoven wrote in
intended as theoretical goals. However, the well- 1812 to the publisher of his Mass in C op.86:
documented interest that Beethoven expressed in
You will have received the corrections for the Mass ... at
all matters related to tempo,26 as well as the fact the beginning of the Gloria I have written instead of
that with very few exceptions all of his metronome and changed the tempo from the original indications
marks were set after the work had been performed [from Allegro con brio to Allegro]. I was seduced into
or rehearsed several times,27 suggest that his met- doing this because of a bad performance, during which
ronome marks must also have had some degree of the tempo was taken too fast. Now, not having seen the
Mass for a long time, this caught my attention immedi-
practical significance. ately and I saw that, unfortunately, such a thing must be
Although some of Kolisch’s subsequent con- left to chance.33
clusions based on these observations have come
under criticism,28 the broader points were echoed The autograph score confirms that the Gloria was
by Rosenblum, Brown and others, who agreed originally marked Allegro con brio and , 34 which
that these principles could be used to make pre- Beethoven changed for the first edition after an early
dictive metronome marks for works for which performance. When proofreading the first edition,
Beethoven did not leave any.29 Similarly, they can however, he reconsidered this change and evidently
also be used to check whether a metronome mark wanted to restore the original metre and tempo indi-
is likely to be misprinted or otherwise errone- cation. For an unknown reason, however, this did
ously transmitted. not happen: in Beethoven’s copy of the first edition,
Nevertheless, this appeal to consistency has its which contains some corrections, the Gloria is still
problems: Beethoven was clearly not completely marked Allegro and .35
consistent, as passages with the same tempo indi- It is therefore possible that, on some occasions,
cation in 2/4 and typically have the same metro- inconsistent metres and tempo indications ended
nomic speed as long as the number of notes per bar up in source material. Despite Beethoven’s general
remains the same, in contrast to what his words on consistency in his tempo indications, he was clearly
the sketch of WoO 113 suggest.30 This implies that not immune to error, and music in duple and quad-
Beethoven’s sense of tempo either changed before he ruple metres seems to have been at particular risk
started using the metronome in the last twelve years of inconsistent time signatures. Furthermore, as
of his life, or that he was not always as consciously the above examples show, Beethoven occasionally
aware of his own sense of tempo as his deliberations seems to have used note values and tempo indica-
suggest. tions inconsistently, although the former seem to
The latter seems the most likely explana- have been rare and the latter of relatively minor
tion, considering how many examples there are consequence. The following discussion explores
of Beethoven having difficulties indicating his whether—on balance of probability—these or
intended tempo. According to Gerhard Wegeler, other errors may have occurred in the metronome
the finale of the Piano Trio op.1 no.2 was initially marks in each movement of the Ninth Symphony.
Early Music February 2021 135The headings for each of the ensuing sections give notable exception of Benjamin Zander’s 2017 inter-
the metronome marks that on balance are best sup- pretation with the Philharmonia.37
ported by the historical evidence.
Movement 2: Scherzo
Movement 1 Molto vivace, 3/4, dotted minim = 116. Trio: Presto,
Allegro ma non troppo e un poco maestoso, 2/4, , minim or semibreve = 116
crotchet = 88 The Scherzo consists of crotchets all the way
Considering the similarity in the pencil mark- through, with single quavers forming a recogniza-
ings between Beethoven’s proto-metronome mark ble rhythmic motif. The metronome mark of dotted
‘108 or 120 Maelzel’ and the barely legible original minim = 108 on the engraver’s copy of 1824 seems
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
tempo indication, it seems likely that both were close enough to eliminate the possibility of a mis-
written around the same time. This would put print, although in 1826 after the experience of the
Beethoven’s earliest attempt at a metronome mark first performances Beethoven evidently thought
somewhere near the beginning of 1824, when he was this movement would work better ever so slightly
finishing the symphony. At this point, Beethoven faster. Our confidence in this speed can be further
was clearly unsure of what the metronome mark bolstered by comparing it to the marks for similar
and perhaps even the tempo indication should be, movements. This is the only time, unfortunately,
but the two numbers he was thinking about at this that Beethoven used Molto vivace in 3/4 without
point are close to the speeds given in 1818 to two adding other tempo indications, so the best option
of his other Allegros without ma non troppo in the is to compare this section to Allegros and Prestos
same metre that share some characteristics with in 3/4 with the same range of note values, with the
this movement. The first is the last movement of expectation that the speed for this movement falls
the String Quartet op.18 no.1, marked Allegro and somewhere in the middle. This is indeed the case: the
crotchet = 120, which contains triplet semiquavers third movement of the Sixth Symphony (an Allegro,
throughout but no extensive demisemiquaver figu- with some small groups of quavers) is marked dot-
ration; both the tempo indication and the range of ted minim = 108, as are several other Allegros
note values employed suggest a faster tempo than in with similar characteristics;38 and the third move-
the Ninth Symphony. The second is found in the first ment of the Seventh Symphony (a Presto, with only
movement of the String Quartet op.18 no.2, marked crotchets, and consequently a bit faster) is marked
Allegro and crotchet = 96 with a range of note val- dotted minim = 132. All in all, the speed of dotted
ues comparable to those in the first movement of minim = 116 for a tempo marking of Molto vivace
the Symphony. Thus there was at least a precedent with a few single quavers seems consistent, and it
for Beethoven’s earliest speeds for this movement, is often adhered to or approximated in recordings
especially if one considers that the ma non troppo and performances, even by conductors who ignore
could very well have been a late addition to the Beethoven’s metronome marks elsewhere.39
tempo indication. Either way, considering the simi- The intended speed for the Trio has caused con-
larities with these string quartet movements, there is siderable controversy, and generally three different
no reason to believe that the speed of crotchet = 88 candidates have been advanced: semibreve = 116,
for the first movement of the symphony is based on minim = 116, and minim = 160. All three of these
an error, nor is there any evidence for the recent can be substantiated by reasonable arguments,
assertion by Almudena Martin-Castro and Iñaki which nonetheless do not fit all the available evi-
Ucar that the proto-metronome marking is a result dence precisely. It is worth briefly examining the
of Beethoven’s confusion with reading his metro- arguments for and against each of these, starting in
nome.36 Most recent recordings, however, even those reverse order.
that print the metronome marks in the booklet such Around the turn of the 20th century, Weingartner
as Norrington’s recording with the London Classical suggested a speed of minim = 160 for the Trio
Players, take a somewhat slower speed, with the as a compromise between the suspiciously fast
136 Early Music February 2021semibreve = 116 and the rather slow minim = 116.40 including the march in the Choral Fantasia (Vivace,
About a century later again, Cooper and Jonathan crotchet = 80) and the second movement of the
Del Mar offered a possible historical justification Piano Sonata op.101 (Vivace alla Marcia, minim
for the mark of 116 recorded in Source C, by propos- between 76 and 84).46 Assuming that the reviewer
ing that Beethoven was operating the metronome had heard marches by Beethoven, the description ‘a
and dictating to Karl, and that the latter misheard brilliant march’ could be taken as evidence that the
Beethoven, mistaking einhundertsechzig (160) for Trio proceeded at semibreve = 80 or minim = 160
einhundertsechzehn (116).41 But that assumes that during the first performance.
this mistake went completely unnoticed by both The evidence suggests, however, that Beethoven
Beethoven and Karl. This seems unlikely, as the lat- changed his mind in 1826, with the number 116
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
ter was able to spot relatively small discrepancies applying to either a minim or semibreve. The argu-
between speeds with comparative ease, evident in ments in favour of minim = 116 include the fact
Karl’s entry in the conversation books referring to that Sources D, E and F contain this speed, and the
the final Prestissimo of the fourth movement: ‘you observation that the alternative of semibreve = 116 is
take it faster than 120. 132. That is how we had it so fast that it seems implausible.47 Evidence in the
in the morning.’42 It therefore seems unlikely that source material may also support this reading. As
Karl would have missed a mistake of this magni- Buurman has shown, Beethoven initially notated the
tude in a passage in which the rhythmic pattern section that would become the Presto not in but in
is fairly straightforward. Furthermore, since Karl 2/4, and that this was changed only relatively late in
was the one telling Beethoven which speed he was the creative process, during which Beethoven exper-
taking, Beethoven was behind the piano and Karl imented with a precise tempo relationship between
was establishing the speeds with the metronome the 2/4 of the Presto and the 3/4 of the Molto vivace.
when this entry was made. So, unless the setup This suggests that at least in its early conception
was different when Karl wrote down minim = 116, three crotchets in the latter would fit in the same
Beethoven would not be calling out numbers to his amount of time as two in the former.48 Furthermore,
nephew, which in turn makes it unlikely that the in 2/4, minim = 116 seems more in line with other
metronome mark is based on Karl’s mishearing. markings in that metre, especially considering the
There may nevertheless be a certain historical fact that the sketches also imply a connection with
validity to taking the Trio at minim = 160. A review the Allegro molto second movement of the Piano
of the first Viennese performance of the symphony Sonata op.110, which at the start has a similar range
states that Beethoven indicated the tempos for of note values and for which Czerny and Moscheles
each section, with Michael Umlauf, the conductor suggested speeds close to minim = 116.49 The con-
who had previously successfully premiered sev- nection with the second movement of op.110, how-
eral of Beethoven’s works, presumably following ever, is ambiguous, both because it was established
him. The review describes the Trio as ‘a brilliant relatively early in the creative process and because
march’,43 a description which Brown has argued is unlike the Trio the sonata includes extensive quaver
more easily associated with semibreve = 116 than figuration. Other movements with a similar speed
with minim = 116.44 The metronome marks for and tempo indication, such as the Presto finale of
Beethoven’s marches, however, generally indicate the Septet op.20 (minim = 112), also tend to have
a beat of around 80, although the note value can more extensive quaver figuration.50 But it may be
vary, as the three metronome marks by Beethoven that at that stage in the creative process, Beethoven
for his marches indicate: quaver = 80 for the funeral was considering using more quaver figurations than
march in the Third Symphony (Adagio assai), qua- ended up in the final version, and based on these
ver = 76 for the march in the Septet op.20, and dot- early designs, minim = 116 seems a reasonable
ted minim = 84 for the Turkish March in the Ninth interpretation.
Symphony. Furthermore, several of the marches in An early review may also support this read-
compositions that Czerny studied with Beethoven ing. The second performance of the symphony on
received editorial metronome marks around 80,45 23 May 1824 was described by Friedrich August
Early Music February 2021 137Kanne in the following way: ‘The grotesque leaps a greater certainty than the surviving evidence will
that Beethoven’s genius makes in the Scherzo reasonably support, so it seems most prudent to let
at hand are often of such a bold nature, and are performers decide that by which they want to be
executed with such rapid power, that one readily informed.
understands how he could mix an Allabreve into
this tempo, in which the ear at once regains new
strength’.51 Kanne’s comments may suggest a some- Movement 3
what more relaxed pace, although their meaning is Adagio molto e cantabile, , crotchet = 60. Andante
ambiguous, and, as David Levy has argued, neither moderato, 3/4, crotchet = 63
Kanne’s review of the second performance nor the This movement, too, has a somewhat pecu-
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
above-cited review of the Viennese premiere can be liar tempo relationship between two sections
taken as definitive descriptions of the tempo taken in a different metre, as the crotchet pulse hardly
at these performances.52 changes between the Adagio molto and Andante.
The alternative interpretation, of semibreve = 116, On the basis of this, one might suspect an error,
was first proposed by Stadlen and echoed amongst but the crotchet = 60 for the Adagio molto is con-
others by Stewart Young.53 Notwithstanding the sistent with the two other Adagios in this metre
aforementioned objections, its practicality in per- that Beethoven gave metronome marks in 1817
formance is indicated by Zander’s recent recording and 1818. First, the opening Adagio molto of the
at that speed.54 Arguments for this tempo interpre- First Symphony is marked quaver = 88, but it has
tation include the stringendo leading up to the Trio, much more extensive quaver and semiquaver fig-
which would suggest a faster speed; the possibility uration from bar 5 onwards, so a slower speed is
that the note value was incorrectly entered from the expected. Second, the Molto adagio of the second
start; and the fact that the word Prestissimo appears movement of the String Quartet op.59 no.2 is also
in pencil on the autograph of the trio, suggesting marked crotchet = 60, and includes a very simi-
an utmost degree of speed. There are indeed several lar range and distribution of note values (minims,
metronome marks by Beethoven for other prestos crotchets and quavers at the start, and smaller note
in this metre that are close to or seem consistent values later).
with a faster speed for the Trio. The final move- Beethoven’s Andantes are somewhat less suitable
ment of the String Quartet op.59 no.2, for instance, to compare, as the contemporary definitions of the
contains more quaver figuration than the Trio, and term suggest that it encompasses a variety of differ-
accordingly has a speed of semibreve = 88; the Più ent kinds of tempo.55 Nevertheless, the speed for the
Presto coda, which contains fewer quavers and is Andante moderato seems consistent with the only
more similar to the Trio, is marked semibreve = 112. other Andante in 3/4 with a metronome mark by
Similarly, the last movement of the Fifth Symphony Beethoven, which is the Andante con moto marked
ends with a Presto with only crotchets, marked crotchet = 69 at the beginning of the String Quartet
semibreve = 112. Overall, semibreve = 116 does seem op.59 no.3 with semiquavers in every instrumental
more consistent with Beethoven’s wider output, part. The editorial speeds by Czerny and Moscheles
despite its contradiction with the evidence from the for the only Andante in 3/4 in the piano sonatas are
sketches. also in a similar range: the Andante molto cantabile
In conclusion, the earlier and more private evi- ed espressivo in the Piano Sonata op.109 is marked
dence of the compositional process seems to sug- between crotchet = 63 and 72,56 although this section
gest a reading of minim = 116 on the basis of tempo generally has larger note values at the beginning.
relations in the sketches, while the later and more There are no Adagios in 3/4 with the same range of
public evidence of the description of the first per- note values with a metronome mark by Beethoven,
formance and the consistency with Beethoven’s but all of those for which Czerny and Moscheles
wider output suggests readings of minim = 160 and gave editorial speeds are slower than crotchet = 50.57
semibreve = 116, respectively. Attempting to winnow So Beethoven’s speed for the Andante moderato
down those options to a single one would suggest seems consistent.
138 Early Music February 2021Movement 4 rehearsal, seem to suggest a possible change of
Presto, 3/4, dotted minim = 96. Allegro assai, , mind on Beethoven’s part. As the discussion of the
minim = 80. Alla Marcia, 6/8, dotted minim = 84. Trio in the second movement showed, compared
Andante maestoso, 3/2, minim = 72. Adagio ma non to other Prestos in , the combination of mostly
troppo ma divoto, 3/2, minim = 60. Allegro ener- crotchet and quaver figuration and a speed of
gico e sempre ben marcato, 6/4, dotted minim = 84. minim = 132 is an outlier. But as Brown suggested,58
Allegro ma non tanto, , minim = 120. Prestissimo, it may be that the use of here is inconsistent, and
, minim = 132. Maestoso, 3/4, crotchet = 60, seems much more consistent with other sections
Prestissimo, , semibreve = 88 with these characteristics, particularly in light of
The colossal final movement includes nine the first statement of the ‘Freude’ theme marked
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
or possibly ten different metronome marks, not Allegro assai, minim = 80 in with a similar range
counting those for the recapitulations of the first of note values.59
three movements. Four of these are related to Performers who follow the metronome marks
metres or tempo indications that are very rare in usually play the final Prestissimo at the same speed
Beethoven’s oeuvre, and that are therefore diffi- as the abovementioned Prestissimo marked Presto
cult to compare to other movements: the Maestoso in the autograph. There is some evidence, however,
in 3/4, the Andante maestoso and Adagio ma non that Beethoven may have intended a faster speed
troppo ma divoto in 3/2, and the Allegro energico e when he came to set the metronome marks: as
sempre ben marcato in 6/4. In the last case, it seems illustration 3 shows, at the end of the list of met-
reasonably certain that its notated speed of dotted ronome marks Karl wrote ‘88’, which Del Mar has
minim = 84 is indeed correctly transmitted, as it is hypothesized may have been the intended speed
a varied statement of the ‘Freude’ theme also found for the final section of the symphony, overlooked
in the Allegro assai (, minim = 80) and the Alla in all subsequent sources due to the confusing
Marcia (6/8, dotted minim = 84), which both move way it was written down.60 In the context of move-
at a similar speed. ments with similar characteristics, a speed of semi-
The section immediately after the march is breve = 88 for the final Prestissimo makes sense: the
marked Allegro ma non tanto minim = 120 in , final Prestissimo of the String Quartet op.18 no.4,
and contains mostly quavers at the start and more a similarly climactic moment, is marked semi-
crotchets later. There are no other sections in breve = 84, and the aforementioned fourth move-
Beethoven’s oeuvre with the same tempo indication ment of the String Quartet op.59 no.2 is marked
and a metronome mark, yet there are somewhat Presto and semibreve = 88. Del Mar’s suggestion is
faster metronome marks for some of the Allegros therefore consistent with Beethoven’s wider prac-
with the same range of note values but without fur- tice, and although semibreve = 88 may at first seem
ther qualification. These are the minim = 138 for implausibly fast, there are several performances
first movement of the Piano Sonata op.106 and the that take this section at a similar speed. Both the
minim = 132 (printed as semibreve = 66) for the Berliner Philharmoniker with Herbert von Karajan
fourth movement of the String Quartet op.18 no.4. in 1984 and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Again, there is no reason to assume an error here. with Riccardo Chailly in 2011 easily approached it
The Prestissimo that follows on the list—the at semibreve = 80,61 as did John Eliot Gardiner with
short Poco adagio evidently was not given a met- the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romatique in
ronome mark, nor was the Stringendo passage 2006.62 Wilhelm Furtwängler’s 1951 interpretation
that connects the two—was marked Presto in the at Bayreuth, in which this passage is played faster
autograph score, with the word Prestissimo crossed than semibreve = 100, further demonstrates that
out, as illustration 1(b) shows. These changes, a speed of semibreve = 88 should not pose unsur-
which Del Mar speculates took place during the mountable technical difficulties.63
Early Music February 2021 139The Schreckensfanfare tempo indication. So dotted minim = 66 for a
All metronome marks of Beethoven’s Ninth Presto in 3/4 with quavers is unmistakeably some-
Symphony discussed so far can be seen as con- thing of an aberration compared to other Prestos in
sistent with or at least not contradicting those in Beethoven’s oeuvre.
the rest of Beethoven’s oeuvre, with the exception Second, other sections with a speed of about
of the misprinted speed for the Turkish March, dotted minim = 66 in 3/4 with quavers as the most
and the Trio of the second movement, for which common note value, such as the third movement of
the evidence is inconclusive. With this in mind, the String Quartet op.59 no.2 with a speed of dotted
it is time to revisit the opening Presto of the minim = 69, are generally marked Allegretto rather
Schreckensfanfare. As discussed at the beginning of than Presto. Third, even Beethoven’s metronome
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
this article, in the conversation book, presentation marks for sections marked Allegro with quavers are
copy, and letter to Schott—all in Karl’s hand—the a lot faster than dotted minim = 66: the Più Allegro
speed for this section is dotted minim = 66, while that follows the Allegro assai vivace ma serioso in
all subsequent sources have dotted minim = 96. the third movement of the String Quartet op.95 is
Baensch argued that the cause of this was a mis- marked dotted minim = 80; the third movements
print by Schott which was copied into the other of the String Quartet op.18 no.3 and the Second
sources, and that the original dotted minim = 66 Symphony are both marked dotted minim = 100;
corresponds to the speed that Beethoven had in and the third movements of the Sixth Symphony
mind, an interpretation that is echoed in almost and the String Quartet op.18 no.1 are marked dot-
every discussion since.64 ted minim = 108. Although these Allegros do not
However, despite this scholarly consensus, have constant quaver motion in the way that the
Baensch’s interpretation is less plausible if one con- Schreckensfanfare has, the figuration clearly has
siders the principles of Beethoven’s tempo indica- an effect on the overall tempo, as Allegros without
tions. As stated above, if two pieces by Beethoven quavers at all are faster still, such as the scherzos
have the same tempo indications, metre and range from the Third Symphony (Allegro vivace, dotted
of note values, they generally have the same speed, minim = 116) and the Septet op.20 (Allegro molto e
regardless of other factors. If the metre and tempo vivace, dotted minim = 126).
indication are the same but one has smaller note All of this makes dotted minim = 66 for a
values than the other, the former will have a slower Presto with quavers rather suspect, and the dotted
speed, and vice versa. With this in mind, a number minim = 96 that ended up in the published sources
of notable inconsistencies can be observed. more likely to be what Beethoven had in mind. But
First, compared to all of Beethoven’s metro- this raises the question how dotted minim = 66
nome marks for Prestos in the same metre, dot- ended up in the conversation book in the first
ted minim = 66 is suspiciously slow: the third place. A possible explanation could perhaps be
movement of the String Quartet op.74 in quavers found in the setup when the marks were produced.
throughout is marked dotted minim = 100; the As previously stated, it is unlikely that Karl had the
subsequent Presto quasi prestissimo in crotchets score of the symphony in front of him, as other-
throughout has a speed of dotted semibreve = 100, wise he would have written down the speeds there
which is three times as fast as dotted minim = 66 straight away and not in the conversation books.
with note values only twice as large; the Presto (As Stadlen argued, the presentation copy was
of the Seventh Symphony—mainly in crotchets, probably out for binding at this time.65) So it seems
so expected to be somewhat faster—is with dot- probable that Beethoven, possibly seated at a piano,
ted minim = 132 exactly twice as fast as the speed had the autograph score, and Karl had the metro-
in the conversation book. The subsequent Assai nome and the conversation book. In such a set-up,
meno Presto contains fewer quavers than the it would have been particularly difficult to provide
Schreckensfanfare, but with dotted minim = 84 is a metronome mark for this Presto in dotted min-
still significantly faster despite its clearly slower ims: the syncopated rhythms and the offbeat leaps
140 Early Music February 20212 Beethoven, Symphony no.9, op.125, movement iv, opening: (a) flute part; (b) flute part how Karl van Beethoven might
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
have thought it was notated
in the melody distort the sense of a 3/4 metre filled the speed as ‘obviously preposterous [and] truly
with quavers, as shown by (a) in example 2. In fact, ridiculous’.68
Karl could have easily heard a 3/4 bar filled with On the other hand, no 19th-century commenta-
triplets, as indicated by (b) in example 2, which tors considered dotted minim = 96 to be too fast for
would have resulted in a metronome mark for a the Schreckensfanfare. George Grove, despite con-
Presto that is a third slower than what Beethoven demning semibreve = 116 in the Presto of the sec-
played. It therefore could be hypothesized that the ond movement as ‘almost impossible for the horns’,
initial dotted minim = 66 was based on an error stated that ‘Beethoven’s care that all the indications
by Karl, copied by Karl into the presentation copy of tempo &c should be fully given in his published
and the letter to Schott along with the other errors, works was as minute and unfailing as usual’, and
and that Beethoven sent Schott the number 96 left the dotted minim = 96 for the Schreckensfanfare
as a correction later. Although such correspond- otherwise unremarked upon.69 Weingartner went
ence has never been found, it would be easy for a so far as to sanction the speed explicitly, writing
short note with a single correction to disappear. that ‘the metronome mark dotted minim = 96 is
The alternative explanation, that Beethoven was too fast for the bass–recitative, although not for
uniquely inconsistent in this Presto, only for Schott the “Fanfares”’, for which he furthermore recom-
to misprint it at a more consistent speed, relies on mended ‘the quickest [speed] which is compatible
an extraordinary coincidence, and therefore falls with a continuous fortissimo’.70 So although that
foul of Occam’s Razor. speed may seem overly fast, and more aspirational
Thus, on balance of probability, dotted than an actual goal to be achieved, there are his-
minim = 96 seems much more likely than dotted torical reasons for at least attempting it, and there
minim = 66. Given the scrutiny to which other is no historical reason to limit the speed to dot-
metronome marks in the Ninth Symphony have ted minim = 66, as many have done. However, a
been subjected, the fact that Baensch’s explanation conductor may prefer the slower speed for his or
has gone unchallenged is remarkable. Principally her own artistic reasons, or, as Weingartner also
this may reflect the prevalent view of performers implied, because it is the maximum attainable with
and scholars that dotted minim = 96 is unfeasibly the forces at hand.
fast. The earliest recordings of Beethoven’s Ninth Finally, there is the issue of the recitative that
Symphony, which had just started to become avail- follows the fanfare, marked Selon le caractere d’un
able when Baensch was doing his work, generally Recitative mais in Tempo. Entries in Beethoven’s
stay far below dotted minim = 96.66 More recently, conversation books during the time of the rehearsals
Levy has claimed that ‘there can be no doubt that for the first Viennese performance in 1824 indicate
96 is a mistake, as the music is absolutely unplay- that the recitative was also ‘tremendously difficult’
able at this speed’,67 and Zander has described to play in the tempo that Beethoven had in mind,71
Early Music February 2021 14 1which seems to have been somewhat slower than the case of the first Prestissimo in the finale in ,
the metronome mark for the previous section. This which might make more sense in . Also, as pre-
was first stated by Leopold Sonnleithner, a friend vious scholars already established, these compari-
of Beethoven who attended many of the rehearsals sons show that the note value for the metronome
for the first Viennese performance, and who speci- mark of the Turkish March was incorrectly trans-
fied that Beethoven wanted the recitative played at ‘a mitted. Neither Norrington, nor Baensch, nor the
rapid pace, that is not presto, but also not andante’.72 editor of the recent Henle edition spotted the erro-
If that is accurate, one would assume a speed neous note value for the Turkish march, despite
somewhere near that for an Allegretto in 3/4 with their familiarity with the sources. This implies that
crotchets and quavers, which as shown earlier is esti- Beethoven’s intended tempo can be counterin-
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
mated to be around dotted minim = 66, although tuitive, something attested to by the controversies
Weingartner’s somewhat slower suggestion of surrounding the topic. Furthermore, the metro-
crotchet = 168 (dotted minim = 56) would also fit nome mark at the opening of the Schreckensfanfare
this broad description. Although there appear to is inconsistent with other Prestos in the sources in
have been no recorded attempts to approach dot- Karl’s hand, but consistent in all later sources, so
ted minim = 96 in the Schreckensfanfare, there are it seems that an error is likely there too. Since the
several that play both the fanfare and the recita- sources in Karl’s hand were not studied until the
tive at around dotted minim = 66, including René early 20th century, for the first century of the sym-
Leibowitz, Norrington and others.73 phony’s performance history, dotted minim = 96
was the only speed in any of the editions, and was
not considered problematic by musical commen-
Conclusions tators. Finally, there may also be a hitherto unno-
The discussion of existing scholarship and the com- ticed metronome mark for the final section of the
parisons between Beethoven’s metronome marks symphony.
for his Ninth Symphony and those for similar None of the above is intended to be followed rig-
movements allow several observations to be made. idly or dogmatically;74 instead, it is an attempt to
The speeds for many sections of the symphony are explore the options that can be most plausibly justi-
remarkably close to the speeds Beethoven gave fied on the basis of the historical evidence. Radically
similar movements approximately ten years ear- changing the speed of any music poses technical
lier, suggesting that—at least subconsciously, if challenges, and might not immediately lead to posi-
not in practice—he maintained certain underlying tive results, something to which many performers
principles when it came to musical speed. As with can attest. Nevertheless, a greater understanding of
several earlier works, there is some evidence that how Beethoven may have thought about tempo can
Beethoven may have used time signatures incon- inspire the making of modern historically informed
sistently, and on the basis of the abovementioned artistic decisions that would otherwise probably not
comparisons, it seems likely that this happened in even be considered.
Marten Noorduin obtained his PhD from the University of Manchester in 2016 with a thesis on
Beethoven’s tempo indications. Since 2017 he has been associated with the AHRC-funded proj-
ect ‘Transforming Nineteenth-Century Historically Informed Practice’ at the University of Oxford.
He has published research articles, essays and reviews in Nineteenth-Century Music Review, The
Musical Times, Notes, and Eighteenth-Century Music on a variety of topics related to Beethoven and
other 19th-century composers. martennoorduin@gmail.com
142 Early Music February 2021Appendix 1 The metronome marks for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in the surviving sources
Movement Metre Tempo indication Source
A B C D E F
i 2/4 Allegro ma non troppo ‘108 oder 120 C = 88
e un poco maestoso Maelzel’
ii 3/4 Molto vivace ‘Metron 108’ 116 , = 116 ,. = 116
Presto 116 , = 116
iii Adagio molto e cantabile 60 C = 60
C = 63
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
3/4 Andante moderato 63
iv 3/4 Presto ,. = 66 ,. = 96
2/4 Allegro ma non troppo 88 C = 88
Allegro assai 80 , = 80
6/8 Alla marcia 84 C. = 84
3/2 Andante maestoso 72 , = 72
Adagio ma non troppo 60 , = 60
ma divoto
6/4 Allegro energico e sempre 84 ,. = 84
ben marcato
Allegro ma non tanto 120 , = 120
Prestissimo ‘Maelzel 132’ 132 , = 132
3/4 Maestoso 60 C = 60
Prestissimo 88?
I would like to thank the following Opera, Choir of the Vienna State and B. Kraus (eds.), Beethoven
individuals and organizations for Opera, cond. Hermann Scherchen Werke: Abteilung I: Symphonien, 5
providing helpful feedback and access (ARCHIPEL ARPCD 0201, reissue vols. (Munich, 1994–2020) (vol.iv
to sources, often under difficult 2005, recorded 1951–54). forthcoming).
circumstances: Patrick Abrams, 3
Beethoven, Symphony no.6, Royal 7
See, amongst many others,
Annelies Andries, Clive Brown, Erica Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Beethoven: the symphonies, The
Buurman, Barry Cooper, Richard F. Weingartner (Colombia l1893– Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra,
Gillies, Daniel Grimley, Charly K., l1897, recorded 1927). cond. R. Chailly (Decca, 478 2721,
Manoj Kamps, Marten Krijgsman, 4
Beethoven, Symphonies 1–9, recorded 2007–09); Ludwig van
Artur Pereira, Matthew Pilcher, Overtures, London Classical Beethoven: complete symphonies &
Stephen Rose, Thomas Schmidt Players, cond. R. Norrington (EMI overtures, Anima Eterna, cond. J. van
and Stephan Schönlau, as well as 0724356194328, 1999; reissue, Immerseel (Zig-Zag Territoires,
the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, the recorded between 1987 and 1989). b079jpp1vz, 2018; reissue of a
Beethoven-Haus Bonn, the Juilliard recording of 2008), and most recently
Manuscript Collection, the Staatliches
5
S. Rosenblum, Performance
practices in Classic piano music: Beethoven Nine, Philharmonia Choir
Institut für Musikforschung, the and Orchestra, cond. B. Zander
Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin–Preußischer their principles and applications
(Bloomington, 1991); B. Cooper (Brattle Media, b07fkcr9kf, 2018,
Kulturbesitz and the Stadtbibliothek recorded 2017).
Mainz. (ed.), Ludwig van Beethoven: the
35 piano sonatas (London, 2007), 8
R. Taruskin, Text and act (New
1
C. Brown, ‘Historical performance, iii, pp.10–11 and commentary
metronome marks and tempo in York, 1995); for his accounts of
pp.42–8. Beethoven performances, see
Beethoven’s symphonies’, Early
Music, xix/2 (1991), pp.247–58.
6
For example J. Del Mar (ed.), his chapters ‘The new antiquity’,
Ludwig van Beethoven: the nine pp.202–34, and ‘Resisting the Ninth’,
2
Beethoven, Complete symphonies, pp.235–62, with comments on
Philharmonic Society of London, symphonies (Kassel, 2011); and
A. Raab, B. Churgin, J. Dufner Norrington’s recordings on pp.230–37.
Orchestra of the Vienna State
Early Music February 2021 1439
Taruskin, Text and act, p.97. of Cape Town, 1979), ii, section marks on the corrected copy of the
10
See B. Park, ‘Tempoprobleme in 5.3.36 and 103; Brown, ‘Historical cantata Meeresstille und glückliche
der neunten Symphonie Beethovens’ performance’, pp.253–6; B. Cooper, Fahrt op.112 sent to Michael Umlauf
(PhD diss., Kunstuniversität Beethoven (Oxford, 2008), p.371; in December 1815, in advance of the
Graz, 2017). Beethoven, Symphonie Nr 9, ed. Del premiere on the 25th. Corrected copy
11
M. Noorduin, ‘Why do we need Mar, critical commentary, p.26. of the cantata op.112, Beethoven-Haus
another recording of Beethoven’s 20
P. Stadlen, ‘Beethoven and the Bonn, BH 85; ‘Wien’, Wiener Zeitung
Ninth Symphony?’, Nineteenth- metronome’, Music & Letters, xlviii (6 January 1816), p.21.
Century Music Review, https://doi. (1967), pp.330–57. 28
M. Noorduin, ‘Beethoven’s tempo
org/10.1017/S1479409820000026, 21
E. Buurman, ‘New evidence in an indications’ (PhD diss., University of
pp.1–9. old argument’, The Musical Times, Manchester, 2016), pp.24–6.
12
Despite the controversy clii/1917 (Winter 2011), pp.15–30.
29
Rosenblum, Performance practices
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/49/1/129/6276767 by guest on 20 December 2021
surrounding the minim = 138 in in Classic piano music, and C. Brown,
22
H. Lühning (ed.), Lieder und Classical and Romantic performing
op.106, this speed has been attained Gesänge mit Klavierbegeleitung,
or closely approximated in several practice 1750–1900 (Oxford, 1999).
Beethoven Werke 12 (Munich, 1990),
performances, for instance Beethoven, i, kritischer Bericht, pp.79–80.
30
Noorduin, ‘Beethoven’s tempo
Klaviersonaten 1, Stephan Möller Original: ‘das was jetzt nachkömt wird indications’, p.120.
(Z-Mix, b00367q04o, recorded 1991, noch einmal so langsam g:[esungen]
31
F. Wegeler and F. Ries,
2009) and Beethoven. Piano sonatas adagio oder höchstens andante quasi Remembering Beethoven, trans.
vol.10, Michael Korstick (Oehm adagio. Andante muβ im 2/4tel Takt F. Noonan (London, 1988), p.32.
Classics, 4260034866638, reissue of viel geschwinder genommen werden 32
L. van Beethoven, Autograph
recordings of 2003 and 2005). wie hier im lied das tempo ist. wie es miscellany from circa 1786 to 1799
13
Beethoven, Symphonien V: Nr scheint kan das letzte ohnmöglich (The Kafka sketchbook), ed. J. Kerman
9 d-Moll Opus 125, ed. B. Kraus in 2/4tel takt bleiben, weil es viel zu (London, 1970), ii, p.5.
(Munich, 2020), pp.305–8. langsam dafür ist. am besten scheint’s 33
S. Brandenburg (ed.), Ludwig
14
Transcribed in D. Beck beyde in takt zu se[t]zen. das erste van Beethoven: Briefwechsel
(ed.), Ludwig van Beethoven’s in E dur muβ in 2/4tel T:[akt] bleiben, Gesamtausgabe (Munich, 1998),
Konversationshefte (Berlin, 1993), x, weil man es sonst zu langsam singen ii, p.275, Letter 586. Original:
pp.243–5. würde. man wird eher immer bey ‘Die Korrektur von der Messe
15
O. Baensch, ‘Zur neunten langen Noten das tempo langsam werden sie erhalten haben … ich
Symphonie: einige Feststellungen’, nehme[n] als bey kurzen z.B. bey habe beym Anfang des gloria
Neues Beethoven-Jahrbuch, ii (1925), vierteln langsamer als bey 8tel. Die stat Takt und verändrung des
pp.137–66, at pp.145–9. kleinere Noten bestimmen auch das Tempo geschrieben, so war es
16
Anton Schindler, The life of tempo z.B. die 16tel-32tel im 2/4tel anfangs angezei[g]t, eine schlechte
Beethoven, trans. and ed. Ignaz Tackt machen diesen sehr langsam. Aufführung, wobey man das Tempo
Moscheles (London, 1841), i, p.152. Vielleicht ist auch das Gegentheil zu geschwind nahm, verführte
wahr.’ mich dazu, da ich nun die Meße
17
Park, ‘Tempoprobleme’, pp.20–21. 23
Beethoven-Haus Bonn, BH 81. lange nicht gesehn hatte, fiel es mir
18
Beethoven, Symphonie Nr 9 in gleich auf, und ich sah, daß man so
24
Johann Philipp Kirnberger, Die
d-moll / Symphony No.9 in D minor was denn doch dem Zufalle leider
Kunst des reinen Satzes (Berlin, 1776),
op.125, ed. J. Del Mar (Kassel, 1996), überlaßen muß.’
ii, pp.106–7.
p.209, critical commentary p.51;
25
R. Kolisch, ‘Tempo and character in
34
Beethoven-Haus Bonn, BH 68.
Beethoven, Symphonie Nr. 9, ed.
P. Hauschild (Wiesbaden, 2005), Beethoven’s music’, trans. A. Mendel, 35
Beethoven-Haus Bonn, HCB C
pp.144, 269; Beethoven, Symphonien The Musical Quarterly, xxix (1943), BMd 5.
V: Nr 9 d-Moll Opus 125, ed. pp.169–87 and 291–312. 36
A. Martin-Castro and I. Ucar,
Kraus, p.308. 26
M. Noorduin, ‘Re-examining ‘Conductors’ tempo choices shed
19
H. Beck, ‘Bemerkungen zu Czerny’s and Moscheles’s metronome light over Beethoven’s metronome’,
Beethoven’s Tempi’, Beethoven- marks for Beethoven’s piano sonatas’, PLoS ONE, xv/12 (16 December 2020),
Jahrbuch, 3rd ser., ii (1955–6), Nineteenth-Century Music Review, xv e0243616, https://doi.org/10.1371/
pp.24–54; see also S. Young, ‘A (2018), pp.209–35, at pp.209–10. journal. pone.0243616, pp.1–16, at
reappraisal of tempo, character, and
27
The only clear exceptions are the pp.5–7. See also Brown’s criticism
their relationship, with particular early markings in Sources A and B of Stadlen, who similarly attempted
respect to the music of Beethoven for the Ninth Symphony, as well as to approach historical performance
and Schumann’ (PhD diss., University Beethoven’s first extant metronome practice through 20th-century
144 Early Music February 2021You can also read
