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Re-examining Czerny’s and Moscheles’s Metronome Marks for Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 February 2017

Marten Noorduin
Marten Noorduin*
Affiliation:
University of [email protected]
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Abstract

Shortly after Beethoven’s death, several of his closest associates provided performance indications for editions of his works. Previous discussions of Carl Czerny’s and Ignaz Moscheles’s metronome marks for Beethoven’s piano sonatas have highlighted the importance of these indications for our understanding of the intended performance practice of these works. Nevertheless, the provenance and meaning of these metronome marks have remained unclear, which has led to some confusion in the literature.

By presenting new evidence, including the discovery of what are most likely the metronome marks intended for the missing sonatas from the first ‘complete’ edition by Tobias Haslinger, the article presents a more complete overview of the indications in these editions, as well as their chronology. In addition, it also discusses to what degree the editors seem to have influenced each other, which indications are most likely representative of Beethoven’s intended speeds, as well as why the metronome fell out of favour later in the nineteenth century. Finally, it discusses the meaning of these metronome marks for modern performers, and how these editions give options to disentangle the author from the text.

Type
Research Article
Information
Nineteenth-Century Music Review , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , August 2018 , pp. 209 - 235
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2017 

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References

1 Newman, William S., ‘A Chronological Checklist of Collected Editions of Beethoven’s Solo Piano Sonatas Since His Own Day’, Notes 33/3 (1977): 503–550CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

2 Cooper, Barry, ed., The 35 Piano Sonatas 3 volumes (London: The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, 2007)Google Scholar. Czerny’s metronome marks in this edition are provided with commentary or interpretation, and a number of anomalous markings have been excluded.

3 Anon, ‘Mälzel’s Chronometer’, Wiener allgemeine musikalische Zeitung 1/41 (13 October 1813): 626–8.

4 Brandenburg, Sieghard, ed., Ludwig van Beethoven Briefwechsel Gesamtausgabe (Munich: G. Henle Verlag, 1996): vol. 4, 130–131Google Scholar: Letter 1196. All translations are my own, unless indicated otherwise.

5 Briefwechsel, vol. 4, 130: Letter 1196.

6 See Brown, Clive, Classical and Romantic Performance Practice 1750–1900 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999): 340–344CrossRefGoogle Scholar and 368.

7 See for instance Briefwechsel, vol. 2, 275: Letter 586.

8 Briefwechsel, vol. 4, 131: Letter 1196.

9 Opp. 20, 106, 112, 121b, 137 and WoO 104, 148, 149, 150 also contain metronome marks.

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11 This includes the Missa solemnis (Briefwechsel, vol. 6, Letter 2244), the Piano Sonatas opp. 109, 110 and 111 (vol. 4, Letter 1476), the String Quartet op. 127 (vol. 6, Letter 2110), and various other works.

12 See for instance Letter 2244 to Schott from December 1826.

13 See for instance Brown, Clive, ‘Historical Performance, Metronome Marks and Tempo in Beethoven’s Symphonies’, Early Music 19/2 (1991): 247–258CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

14 Compare for instance the Adagios from the Septet op. 20 and the String Quartet op. 18 no. 2 (both =72), and the Scherzo third movements of the String Quartet op. 18 no. 3 and the Symphony op. 36 (both =100).

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17 Donald Tovey and Hans von Bülow have criticized this speed as ‘impossible’ and ‘so little [agreeing] with the ponderous energy of the theme’, respectively. On the other hand, Czerny, who studied the sonata with and performed it to Beethoven, while acknowledging that the speed is ‘unusually quick’, simply recommends ‘attentive practice’. Furthermore, Charles Rosen has also stated that ‘the notorious 138 to the half note of the Allegro of op. 106 is in fact a perfectly normal Mozart Allegro; the stumbling block comes above all from the fact that Beethoven is both more difficult to play and more complex to hear than Mozart’. See Tovey, Donald, ed., Beethoven Sonatas for Pianoforte (London: The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, 1931): vol. 3, 136Google Scholar; Hans von Bülow ed., ‘Sonate für das Pianoforte (Grosse Sonate für das Hammer-Klavier) von L. von Beethoven’, tr. John Henry Cornell, in Sonaten und andere Werke (New York: Edward Schuberth & Co., 1891): vol. 5, 23; Czerny, Carl, On the Proper Performance of All Beethoven’s Works for the Piano, ed. Paul Badura-Skoda (Vienna: Universal, 1970): 16Google Scholar and 54; Rosen, Charles, Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas: A Short Companion (London: Yale University Press, 2002): 46Google Scholar.

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26 For more on the intended speeds of minuets, see Chapters 4 and 5 in Marten Noorduin, Beethoven’s Tempo Indications (PhD dissertation, University of Manchester, 2016).

27 Rosenblum, ‘Two Sets’, 64.

28 Kolisch, Rudolf, ‘Tempo and Character in Beethoven’s Music’, trans. Arthur Mendel, The Musical Quarterly 29/2–3 (1943): 169–87 and 291–312CrossRefGoogle Scholar. Another approach, by Gelfand, Yakov, ‘On Tempo Indications: Based on Beethoven’s Music’, College Music Symposium 25 (1985): 92–129Google Scholar, has similar results in certain cases, but also relies implicitly on Czerny’s metronome marks (see the footnotes on pages 95 and 112) and is therefore not appropriate to use in this context.

29 Kolisch, ‘Tempo and Character’, 183.

30 Kolisch, ‘Tempo and Character’, 291.

31 Czerny, On the Proper Performance, 5.

32 Kolisch, ‘Tempo and Character’, 293. Presumably to accommodate this movement, Kolisch widens the lower end of the range to =92, without reference to any mark by Beethoven.

33 Deutsch, Otto Erich, ‘Beethovens gesammelte Werke. Des Meisters Plan und Haslingers Ausgabe’, Zeitschrift für Musikwissenschaft 13/2 (1930): 60–79Google Scholar.

34 Brandenburg, Briefwechsel, vol. 2, 150: Letter 465.

35 Deutsch, ‘Beethovens gesammelte Werke’, 66–7.

36 Deutsch, ‘Beethovens gesammelte Werke’, 66.

37 Deutsch, ‘Beethovens gesammelte Werke’, 68–9.

38 Rosenblum, ‘Two Sets’, 61.

39 Newman, ‘A Chronological Checklist’, 510.

40 Anon, ., ‘Sonaten von Ludwig van Beethoven, für Pianoforte ohne Begeleitung …’ Allgemeiner musikalische Anzeiger 9/8–11 and 13 (1837): 30–31Google Scholar, 37–8, 41–2, 49–51.

41 Deutsch, ‘Beethovens gesammelte Werke’, 66.

42 Anon, ., ‘L. v. Beethoven’s sämmtliche Werke’, Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung 33/2 (12 January 1831): 30–31Google Scholar.

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44 Alexander Weinmann, ‘Haslinger’, in Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, www.grovemusic.com (accessed June 5, 2014).

45 Rosenblum, ‘Two Sets’, 61–2.

46 See Noorduin, Marten, ‘Czerny’s “Impossible” Metronome Marks’, The Musical Times 154 (2013): 19–46Google Scholar, here 32.

47 Czerny, On the Proper Performance.

48 Newman, ‘A Chronological Checklist’, 511.

49 Czerny, Carl, ed., Beethoven’s Masterpieces, Being the Entire of his Grand Sonatas for the Piano Forte, 5 volumes (London: R. Cocks and Co., c. 1858–59)Google Scholar. The edition, which also includes the Fantasy op. 77, was advertised in Leader. A Political, Literary, and Commercial Weekly Newspaper, and Record 10/461 (22 January 1859): 127.

50 Anon, ., ‘Verlag von Carl Haslinger in Wien …’, Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung 1/20 (13 May 1863): 348Google Scholar.

51 Newman, ‘A Chronological Checklist’, 510–11.

52 Newman does not mention this edition. The dates come from Seifert, who presumably found them in Spehr, J.P., Musikalien-Verlags-Catalog von J. P. Spehr in Braunschweig bis Ostern 1849 (Braunschweig, 1849)Google Scholar.

53 Newman, ‘A Chronological Checklist’, 510.

54 Adolph Hofmeister, ed., Musikalisch-literarischer Monatsbericht 5/1, 2, 4, 5, 8–9, 12 (1838): 5, 21, 54, 69, 118, 181, respectively.

55 Hofmeister, ed., Monatsbericht, 8/8 (1841): 117.

56 An interesting exception would be op. 106, which was announced in the Monatsbericht 26/6 (1859): 92, as ‘Nouv. Edit. corr. et métron. p. J. Moscheles’.

57 The fact that Cranz published several first editions by Moscheles seems to suggest that the two had a good business relationship. After hearing Moscheles’s Die Erwartung op. 122 in 1851, Cranz supposedly said ‘I need to have this piece, just name your price’. Aus Moscheles’s Leben (Leipzig, 1872): 223.

58 Anton Schindler lists the Cranz edition, along with editions by Haslinger, Johann André, Simrock and Bote and Bock as ‘Complete editions of the sonatas (with the exception of opp. 106, 109, 110, and 111) [that] were undertaken shortly after Beethoven’s death’. Schindler, Anton, Beethoven as I Knew Him, trans. Constance S. Jolly, ed. Donald W. MacArdle (London: Faber and Faber, 1966): 442Google Scholar. Notice that this is at least partially incorrect, as Haslinger did not include op. 2, and Cranz misses out op. 101.

59 Börsenblatt für den Deutschen Buchhandel 20/136 (31 October 1853): 1738, item 11875. Newman does not mention this edition, and Seifert dates it after 1857, without providing a source.

60 Moscheles, Ignaz, ‘An die Redaction des Signale für die musikal. Welt’, Signale für die musikalische Welt 12/8 (16 February 1854): 60Google Scholar.

61 Holle, Ludwig, ‘An die Redaction des Signale für die musikal. Welt’, Signale für die musikalische Welt 12/13 (28 March 1854): 107Google Scholar.

62 Holle, ‘An die Redaction des Signale für die musikal. Welt’.

63 See Opperman, Annette, Musikalische Klassiker-Ausgaben des 19. Jahrhunderts (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2001): 135CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

64 Newman, ‘A Chronological Checklist’, 512. See also Moscheles’s wife’s description in Charlotte Moscheles (ed.), Recent Music and Musicians as Described in the Diaries and Correspondence of Ignaz Moscheles, trans. A.D. Coleridge (New York: Henry Holt, 1879): 394.

65 Schindler, Anton, Biographie von Ludwig van Beethoven, (Münster: Aschendorff, 1860), volume 1: 171–172Google Scholar.

66 Adolf Hofmeister, ed., ‘Sonaten, Rondos, Variationen u. s. w. für Pianoforte allein’, Handbuch der musikalischen Literatur 6 (1868): 133.

67 Unique speeds are found in op. 2 no. 1/II and IV, op. 2 no. 2/I and III, op. 7/II, op. 10 no. 1/III, op. 13/I (Grave), op. 14 no. 1/III, op. 14 no. 2/II, op. 27 no. 1/II (Allegro molto vivace), op. 28/II, op. 31 no. 1/I, op. 31 no. 2/I, op. 31 no. 3/IV, op. 49 no. 1/I and II, op. 53/II.

68 The movements in which Simrock takes a speed that has appeared first in Cramer are op. 2 no. 1/I and III, op. 2 no. 2/II and IV, op. 2 no. 3/II and IV, op. 7/III, op. 10 no. 1/I, op. 10 no. 2/III, op. 13/IV, op. 26/II and IV, op. 27 no. 1/I and IV (Presto), op. 28/III, op. 31 no. 2/I(Largo) and III, op. 31 no. 3/IV, op. 49 no. 1/I and II, op. 53/III (Presto).

69 Partially in Rosenblum, ‘Two Sets’, 59; in full in Rosenblum, Performance Practices, 330.

70 Moscheles, Ignaz, ed., The Life of Beethoven (London; Henry Colburn, 1841): vol. 2, 106–107Google Scholar.

71 Moscheles, ed., Life of Beethoven, vol. 1, ix–x.

72 Moscheles, ed. Recent Music and Musicians, 10.

73 Moscheles, ed. Recent Music and Musicians, 59.

74 Moscheles, ed. Recent Music and Musicians, 8–9.

75 Moscheles, Life of Beethoven, vol. 1, xiii–xiv.

76 See Brandenburg, ed., Briefwechsel, vol. 4, 37: comments on Letter 1093. See also On the Proper Performance, 16.

77 Brandenburg, ed., Briefwechsel, vol. 4, Letter 1093.

78 Clive, Peter, Beethoven and his World (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001): 103Google Scholar.

79 Moscheles, Recent Music and Musicians, 239.

80 Other large differences are found in op. 109/I and IV (var. 3: Allegro vivace), and op. 110/I, II and V. Furthermore, in Life of Beethoven, vol. 2, 252, Moscheles argues that the controversial tempo of the first Allegro of op. 106, =138, is a mistake, due to the fact that Beethoven removed Assai from the tempo indication when adding the metronome mark. Instead, he recommends =112. This comment seems to be based on a misunderstanding of Beethoven’s Allegro assai, which is slower than Allegro, in contrast with for instance Mozart’s use of the term. See Deas, Steward, ‘Beethoven’s “Allegro assai”’, Music & Letters 31/4 (1950): 333–336CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

81 Op. 10 no. 2/I, op. 22/I, op. 22/II, op. 57/I and III.

82 Op. 2 no. 1/I, op. 2 no. 2/I and III op. 10 no. 1/II, op. 10 no. 2/III, op. 10 no. 3/I, op. 10 no. 3/III, op. 26/II, op. 27 no. 1/II (Allegro molto vivace) and IV (Allegro vivace), op. 31 no. 3/IV, op. 53/II, op. 81a/II.

83 Op. 26/III and IV, op. 27 no. 1/III (Adagio con espressione) and IV (Presto), op. 31 no. 2/I (Largo), op. 31 no. 3/I and IV, op. 49 no. 1/I and II, op. 53/II, op. 54/II.

84 Op. 7/II, op. 14 no. 1/III, op. 14 no. 2/II, op. 28/II, op. 31 no. 2/II, op. 31 no. 3/III, op. 49 no. 2/I and II, op. 53/III, op. 57/II, op. 79/II.

85 Nottebohm, Gustav, Beethoveniana (Leipzig and Winterthur: J. Rieter-Biederman, 1872): 136Google Scholar.

86 Nottebohm, Beethoveniana, 136.

87 Czerny, On the Proper Performance, 3.

88 Barth, The Pianist as Orator, 62.

89 Op. 14 no. 2/II, op. 31 no. 2/I, and op. 53/II. The last two speeds are probably copied from Moscheles, as are all speeds in op. 101. In the case of op. 14, it seems possible that an arithmetic error based on the change in note value (crotchets instead of the earlier minims) is responsible for the difference in speed, and that Simrock intended to express the same speed as in Haslinger.

90 Czerny, On the Proper Performance, 22.

91 Czerny, On the Proper Performance, 93.

92 Barth, The Pianist as Orator, 87–97.

93 Czerny, On the Proper Performance, 22.

94 Parakilas, James, ‘Playing Beethoven His Way’, in Beyond “The Art of Finger Dexterity”: Reassessing Carl Czerny, ed. David Gramit (Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2008): 117–123Google Scholar.

95 Parakilas, ‘Playing Beethoven His Way’, 122.

96 For similar observations on performance practices in the twentieth century, see amongst others Philip, Robert, Early Recordings and Musical Style: Changing Tastes in Instrumental Performance (1900–1950) (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992)CrossRefGoogle Scholar, and Leech-Wilkinson, Daniel, ‘Recordings and Histories of Performance Style’, in The Cambridge Companion to Recorded Music, ed. Nicholas Cook, Eric Clarke, Daniel Leech-Wilkinson and John Rink (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009): 246–262CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

97 Barth, The Pianist as Orator, 62–5.

98 In fact, almost all of these are consistent with the model of Beethoven’s intended tempo as described in Noorduin, Beethoven’s Tempo Indications.

99 For the relevant section on Beethoven in volume 4 see Czerny, On the Proper Performance.

100 With the exception of the metronome marks obtained from the Cocks edition, C1–4 are also found in Rosenblum, ‘Two Sets’ and Seifert, ‘Czernys und Moscheles’ Metronomisierungen’; C5 is only in Seifert.

101 All found in Seifert, ‘Czernys und Moscheles’ Metronomisierungen’. Rosenblum, Performance Practices lists only Cramer and Hallberger. The speeds in the Cramer editions in the Sibley Music Library at the Eastman School of Music and the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford confirm Seifert’s and Rosenblum’s findings.