Ready . . .
Volume 1 of the Beethoven Werkverzeichnis
Today I finished going through the Beethoven Werkverzeichnis Vol. 1. This is a large catalog of every recorded sketch, autograph manuscript, copyist manuscript, and first edition of Beethoven’s published works. Each catalog entry also includes lots of information about each document, including the type of paper used, who made it (in the case of fair copies and arrangements), and where to find the original. I now have a complete list of which copyist manuscripts reside at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna (listed as A-Wgm).
Choosing which works to study will depend on a few factors. After determining that a copyist manuscript is housed at A-Wgm, I check to see if there is an autograph manuscript available online (an incredible resource is the Boston University Center for Beethoven Research https://www.bu.edu/beethovencenter/beethoven-autographs-online/). Sometimes there is also a different copyist manuscript available online as well, as is the case with Symphonies 7 and 9. Viewing online resources gives me a sense of whether this document is likely to be a substantial source of Manuscript Expressive Markings (or MEMs, referring to Beethoven’s unique dynamic and articulation markings). A couple other factors include whether I have studied this work in-depth before, whether it is a genre with which I am familiar, and the number and quality of documents in the A-Wgm.
Currently, I hope to view a set of parts for Symphony No. 7, Timpani and string parts for Symphony No. 8, a few string parts for Symphonies 5 and 9, a score and parts for Symphony 4, the Opus 77 Fantasy for Piano, and possibly materials for Symphony No. 3, “Eroica.”
In other news, I finally walked through what students call “the Secret Garden” on my way back to the library from the student union building! An adorable courtyard in the middle of a square building, it is a hidden gem I have never managed to investigate until now!
A corner of “The Secret Garden”