Edwardian Piano ~ Musings on Art, Literature, Lyric

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Beethoven’s 10th Symphony -sketches and

Barry Cooper’s Realisation.
05 Sunday OCT 2014

POSTED BY EDWARDIANPIANO IN LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN, MUSIC

≈ 2 COMMENTS

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Ludwig van Beethoven, Music

The tenth symphony

(Robert Bory, Ludwig van Beethoven, his life and work in pictures, Thames and Hudson,
London, 1966. Page 211)
Gerhard von Breuning,in his Memories of Beethoven related his recollections of Beethoven and his
father Stephan talking about “the artistic and financial success of his last two major works, the 9th
Symphony and the Mass in D [the Missa Solemnis], plans for future compositions”, and
“especially the form that he should give the 10th symphony he had in mind, [as Beethoven said]
“in order to create in it a new gravitational force, this time without a chorus.”

http://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2012/may/18/beethoven-10th-symphony

“It could have been a synthesis of the new tonal territories and heightened discourse he was exploring in his
last string quartets, but projected on a vaster, symphonic scale, or it could have been an extension of the
visionary realms of the final piano sonatas, or – well, something else that only Ludwig van could conceive.”

Tom Service.

This is Karl Holtz, a violinist, who was one of Beethoven’s copyists.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Holz_%28violinist%29#mediaviewer/File:Holz_karl.jpg

He claimed to have heard Beethoven play a movement of the Tenth Symphony. Of course this
symphony was never finished, but there do exist some sketches, one of which is above. Holtz’s
descriptions match the sketches that Barry Cooper assembled. I have not managed to find Holtz’s
descriptions so if anyone finds them do please post a comment on this post!

Here is Barry Cooper speaking on his research into the sketches:

 Barry Cooper speaks for Beethoven 10th Symphony

The wikipedia article on The Tenth Symphony:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._10_%28Beethoven/Cooper%29

Barry Cooper’s realisation of The Tenth Symphony on you tube:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony no. 10

Below is a sketch which Anton Schindler claimed was the last music Beethoven ever wrote.
Schindler wrote on the bottom of the sheet: ” These notes are the last ones Beethoven wrote
approximately ten to twelve days before his death. He wrote them in my presence.”
 (Robert Bory, 1966, page 211)

thoughts on “Beethoven’s 10th Symphony -sketches and Barry

Cooper’s Realisation.”

1. said:Bryan

October 6, 2014 at 2:13 PM

I was just musing the other day about whether there were much in the way of sketches for a
Beethoven 10th.

REPLY

2. said:downbythebrook

October 6, 2014 at 3:04 PM

I hope this musing answered your musings Bryan! I’d love to see all the 10th sketches- I
presume they are kept at Beethoven- Haus in Bonn. I couldn’t any in their digital catalogue-
but maybe I need to type the key words in German…

REPLY
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