Symphony, No. 6. [antikvár]

BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY No.6, F MAJOR (PASTORALE), OP.68 Gustave Nottebohm, in his Second Beethovcniana (1887), page 369 etc. has pointed out that sketches for the Pastoral Symphony are to be found on pages originally intended for the score of the 4"> Symphony, completed in 1806, and contain notes for the Mass in C major, finished on Sep. 13th 1807. Nottebohm also gives the following remarks of Beethoven which deal partly with the wording of the headings and are partly of a general character, and adds:—"We learn little more than what the printed words tell us, but iheir style proves at least that Beethoven set to work after mature reflection". Beethoven's remarks are as follows: — "It is left to the listener to discover the situations for himself. Smfonia caracterisiica — or recollections of country-life. Tone-painting when pushed too far loses its value. Sinfonia pastjrella. Anyone with a notion of country-life will imagine the composer's intentions without the help of titles or headings. The work as a whole can be grasped without description; it is feeling rather than tone-painting I" In a sketch for the last movement; — "Expression of thanks. Lord, we thank thee". Further preparatory work for the Pastoral Symphony in all its movements is to be found in a sketch book dating from No. 407 the first half of the year 1808, now unfortunately mutilated, and which extends to the Sonata for Piano and Violoncello op. 69 and the two Piano Trios op. 70. In the above-mentioned work (page 253) Nottebohm says: —"First appear sketches for the opening movement of the Pastoral Symphony. The beginning of the first movement is there as printed. The notes for this movement seem to be very advanced on the whole; at times they approach very closely to the final form and at other times even correspond with it exactly. They must therefore have been commenced in a different place. The second movement appears in the sketches only in an early stage of development but by degrees draws nearer and nearer to the ultimate music as we know it. The same may be said of all the other parts of the work". In the autograph score presented to the Beethoven house in Bonn the following remark intended for the copyist is to be found: —"NB. All the German headings to be written in the 1st Violin part". From this written part to be found in the archives of the Society of Music Friends in Vienna, Nottebohm (page 378) has gathered the following title:— "Sinfonia Pastorella. Pastoral Symphony or Recollections of country-life". ("More the expression of feeling than tone-painting".)