Z 2 THE INCIDENTAL MUSIC OF BEETHOVEN THESIS Presented to the Graduate Council of the North Texas State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF MUSIC By Theodore J. Albrecht, B. M. E. Denton, Texas May, 1969 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. .................. iv Chapter I. INTRODUCTION............... ............. II. EGMONT.................... ......... 0 0 05 Historical Background Egmont: Synopsis Egmont: the Music III. KONIG STEPHAN, DIE RUINEN VON ATHEN, DIE WEIHE DES HAUSES................. .......... 39 Historical Background K*niq Stephan: Synopsis K'nig Stephan: the Music Die Ruinen von Athen: Synopsis Die Ruinen von Athen: the Music Die Weihe des Hauses: the Play and the Music IV. THE LATER PLAYS......................-.-...121 Tarpe.ja: Historical Background Tarpeja: the Music Die gute Nachricht: Historical Background Die gute Nachricht: the Music Leonore Prohaska: Historical Background Leonore Prohaska: the Music Die Ehrenpforten: Historical Background Die Ehrenpforten: the Music Wilhelm Tell: Historical Background Wilhelm Tell: the Music V. CONCLUSION,...................... .......... 143 BIBLIOGRAPHY.....................................-..145 iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Egmont, Overture, bars 28-32 . , . 17 2. Egmont, Overture, bars 82-85 . , . 17 3. Overture, bars 295-298 , . , . 18 4. Number 1, bars 1-6 . 19 5. Elgmpnt, Number 1, bars 16-18 . 19 Eqm 20 6. EEqgmont, gmont, Number 1, bars 30-37 . Egmont, 7. Number 1, bars 87-91 . 20 Egmont,Eqm 8. Number 2, bars 1-4 . 21 Egmon t, 9. Number 2, bars 9-12. 22 Egmont,, 10. Number 2, bars 27-29 . 22 23 11. Eqmont, Number 2, bar 32 . Egmont, 12. Number 2, bars 71-75 . 23 Egmont,, 13. Number 3, bars 1-3 . 24 14. Egmont, Number 3, bars 5-6 . 25 Egmont, 15. Number 3, bars 12-13 . 25 16. Number 3, bars 18-19 . 26 Egmont, 17. E mnt Number 3, bars 22-23 . 26 18. Number 3, bars 53-55 . 27 19. Eq mont, Number 4, bars 5-8 . 27 20. Eqgmont, Number 4, bars 21-23 . 28 ...0. 21. Egmont, Number 5, bars 1-2 . 29. iv 22. Egmont, Number 5, bars 5-8 . 0 29 23. Egmont, Number 5, bars 63 -67 . 30 24. Egmont, Number 5, bars 79 -83 . 30 25. Egmont, Number 5, bars 95 -99 . 0 . 31 26. Egmont, Number 6, bars 1- 3 . 0 . 32 27. Egmont, Number 6, bars 20 -24 . 32 28. Egmont, Number 6, bars 39 -41 . 33 29. Egmont, Number 7, bars 1-3 . 0 . 34 30. Egmont, Number 7, bars 12 -14 . 34 31. Egmont, Number 8, bars 1-3 . 35 32. Egmont, Number 8, bars 21 -25 . .0 36 33. Egmont, Number 8, bars 35 -39 . 36 37 34. Egmont, Number 8, bars 51 -53 0 . .S . 35. K'onig Stephan, Overture, bars 41-48. 78 36. Kiinig Stephan, Overture, bars 117-120 79 37. Koni Stephan, Number 1, bars 1-2. 80 38. K0ni- Stephan, Number 1, bars 5-6. 80 39. Kionigj Stephan, Number 2, bars 1-3. 81 40. Koni Stephan Number 2, bars 20-21. 82 41. Konij2 Stephan, Number 2, bars 29-31. 82 42. K'onig Stephan, Number 3, bars 1-2. 83 43. K_6n Stephan, Number 3, bars 21-23. 83 44. K'onig Stephan, Number 4, bars 3-6. 84 45. Kbnig Stephan, Number 4, bars 11-14. 85 46. Ko6nigy. Stephan, Number 5, bars 5-7. 86 V 47. Kuinigq Stephan, Number 6, bars 5-6. 86 48. Kioni~g Stephan, Number 7, bars 1-2. 87 49. Ko'nig Stephan, Number 8, bars 1-4. 88 50. Konigi Stephan, Number 8a, bars 20-21 89 90 51. K*Onig Stephan, Number 8a, bars 35-36 . 52. Konig Stephan, Number 8a, bars 97-99 90 53. Konia Stephan, Number 9, bars 10-13. 91 54. Konij Stephan, Number 9, bars 42-45. 92 55. Kionigj Stephan, Number 9, bars 58-61. 92 56. Die Ruinen von Athen, Overture, bars 29-31 . 95 57. Die Ruinen von Athen, Overture, bars 60-64 96 58. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 1, bars 9-13-. 97 59. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 1, bars 18-21 . 97 60. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 2, bars 1-4 . 98 61. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 2, bars 10-13 . 98 62. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 2, bars 42-43 . 99 63. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 2, bars 47-49 . 99 64. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 3, bars 3-5 . 100 65. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 3, bars 9-11. 100 66. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 3, bars 53-55 . 101 67. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 4, bars 1-4 . 102 68. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 4, bars 29-32 . 102 69. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 5, bars 3-6 . 103 70. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 5, bars 15-16 .0 104 71. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 5, bars 26-28 . .0 104 vi 72. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 6, bars 1-4 . .6 105 73. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 6, bars 1-4, rhythmic motive.. ......... 105 74. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 6, bars 8-10. 106 75. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 6, bars 31-33 .106 76. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 6, bars 74-81 107 77. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 6a, bars 166-167. 108 78. Die Ruinen von Athen, Range of the bass voice in (a) Number 6a, and (b) Number 7a . ... * 108 79. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 7, bars 16-20 109 80. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 7, bars 25-28 109 81. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 7a, bars 88-90..9 110 82. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 7a, bars 92-95..0 - 111 83. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 7a, bars 109-111. 111 84. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 7a, bars 144-147. 112 85. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 8, bars 3-4 .0.0. 113 86. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 8, bars 40-43.0 113 87. Die Ruinen von Athen, Number 8, bars 78-81.. 114 88. Die Weihe des Hauses, Overture, bars 5-8 . 116 89. Die Weihe des Hauses, Overture, bars 55-56 . 116 90. Die Weihe des Hauses, Overture, bars 88-90 . 117 91. Die Weihe des Hauses, Chorus, bars 11-14 . 118 92. Die Weihe des Hauses, Chorus, bars 72-76 . .0. 119 93. Die Weihe des Hauses, Chorus, bars 104-107 . 119 94. Tarpeja, Triumph March, bars 1-4 . 123 95. Tarpeja, Triumph March, bars 33-35...... 124 vii 96. Tarpeja, Introduction to Act II, bars 22-4. 125 97. Die gute Nachricht, Chorus, bars 1-5 . 130 98. Die gute Nachricht, Chorus, bars 41-44 . 131 99. Leonore Prohaska, Number 1, bars 1-5 . 133 100. Leonore Prohaska, Number 2, bars 5-7 . 134 101. Leonore Prohaska, Number 3, bars 1-4 . 135 102. Leonore Prohaska, Number 4, bars 1-2 . 136 103. Leonore Prohaska, Number 4, bars 31-33 . 137 104. Die Ehrenpforten, Chorus, bars 4-8 .. 139 105. Die Ehrenpforten, Chorus, bars 11-15 . 139 106. Die Ehrenpforten, Chorus, bars 134-139 . 140 107. Wilhelm Tell, Chorus, bars 1-2 . 142 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The reputation enjoyed today by the works of Ludwig van Beethoven rests primarily on the symphonies, sonatas, con- certos, quartets, and other music in the larger forms. It is this literature that is most often discussed and written about, usually at the expense of his other compositions. But a knowledge of the lesser works of a composer such as Beethoven only serves to deepen our appreciation for the greater ones. The purpose of this study is to examine the incidental music of Beethoven. This consists of pieces which the com- poser provided for a number of stage plays between 1810 and 1822. Egmont, which contains nine other pieces, is probably the best known of these works, primarily because of its popular overture. The incidental music has been largely ignored in the standard literature on Beethoven. Most of the biographies, even those which include discussion of the music, do little more than mention this music and its date of composition. Specialized studies and articles on the incidental music are virtually nonexistent, especially in English. 1 2 This paper presents information concerning the composi- tion of the incidental music and its performance, distribu- tion and publication during Beethoven's lifetime, as well as short analyses of the pieces under discussion. It shows the composer's attitude toward these minor works, and his efforts to have them performed and published. The major divisions in this study are determined topi- cally. In this manner, the historical background of each play or group of related plays is discussed chronologically, and then the music in question is examined. For the major plays, a synopsis indicating the dramatic position of each piece has been included before the analytical section. For the other works, a short statement of the play's subject, when available, has been interpolated into the historical narrative. Because of the vast amount of material handled in this paper, the individual analyses must remain brief. They describe the following aspects of the music: form, tonal relationships, orchestration, thematic material, and harmonic content. The best source material regarding the historical back- ground for the incidental music is found in Beethoven's letters. In this paper, they are quoted profusely, not only to carry the narrative forward, but also to give a direct look at the composer's personality. For the sake of consist- ency, Emily Anderson's translations are used whenever possible. The collection by Donald MacArdle and Ludwig Misch also proves 3 of value when a particular letter is not included in Anderson's collection.