23. THE BRUNSWICK FAMILY

"Our deep and sincere friendship with Beethoven lasted until his death. He came to Ofen, he came to Martonvásár, he was accepted into our circle of highly select people. A circle was built and planted with high and noble linden trees each bearing the name of one member; even when they were absent and we missed them, we talked to their symbols and conversed with and informed ourselves through them. Often, after bidding the tree "good morning," I asked all sorts of things; and whatever I wished to know, it never refused me the answer." (From the Memoirs of Therese von Brunswick)
 
THERESE COUNTESS VON BRUNSWICK (1775-1861) Oil painting by J. B. de Lampi, the older The Countess was a very gifted pupil of Beethoven, who fell passionately in love with her. She, too, showed such great affection for him that it was suggested that the famous letter "To the Immortal Beloved" found after Beethoven's death might have been addressed to her. It is certain, however, that Beethoven dedicated the piano sonata, opus 78 to her and that he carefully kept her portrait, reproduced above. (Beethovenhaus, Bonn) INSCRIPTION ON THE BACK OF THE PORTRAIT OF THERESE VON BRUNSWICK The inscription might have been written by Therese herself
 
JOSEPHINE COUNTESS DEYM, LATER BARONESS STACKELBEBG, NÉE BRUNSWICK (1779-1821) Ivory miniature Was she, the sister of Franz and Therese von Brunswick, perhaps the one addressed in that letter "To the Immortal Beloved"? It is certain that Beethoven was passionately in love with her, as thirteen letters addressed to her prove. These remained unknown until published in 1957. However the Countess probably did not reciprocate Beethoven's love. (Bodmer, Zürich)
 
FRANZ COUNT VON BRUNSWICK (1777-1849) Oil painting by Tugut He was his sister Therese's junior by two years. His ties to Beethoven were so close that in addressing one another they used the familiar du despite the difference in social position. During a stay at Martonvásár ( 1806) Beethoven composed the "Appassionata" for his friend and dedicated the Fantasy for piano, opus 77 ( 1810) to him. (Former Collection Figdor, Vienna)
 
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LIED WITH VARIATIONS FOR PIANO, FOUR HANDS, ON THE POEM "ICH DENKE DEIN" This was Beethoven's first composition on Goethe lyrics. Beethoven wrote four of the variations in the album of Josephine and Therese von Brunswick in May, 1799. He added two more before they were published by the Comptoir d'Art et d'Industrie in Vienna in 1805. ( Society of Friends of Music, Vienna)
 
FANTASY FOR PIANO, G MINOR, OPUS 77 Title page with dedication to Count Franz von Brunswick The Fantasy was composed in October 1809 and published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1810. ( Society of Friends of Music, Vienna)
 
PIANO SONATA, F SHARP MAJOR, OPUS 78 Title page with dedication to Countess Therese von Brunswick This Sonata, created in 1809and published simultaneously by Breitkopf & Härtel and Artaria in 1810, is the only work Beethoven dedicated to his friend Therese. Why he failed to dedicate any of his more important works to her is hard to understand. ( Society of Friends of Music, Vienna)
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PIANO SONATA, F MINOR, OPUS 57, SO-CALLED "APPASSIONATA" Title page with dedication to Count Franz von Brunswick According to Ries Beethoven created this grandiose work in Döbling in 1804. Schindler, however, believes that he wrote it in 1806, all at once, while staying with a friend. Ries's conjecture has greater probability. The work was published by the Bureau des Arts et d'Industrie in Vienna in 1807. ( Society of Friends of Music, Vienna)
 
MARIE BIGOT DE MOROGES, NÉE KIÉNÉ. (1786-1820) Drawing made after an oil painting This young woman, an outstanding pianist, had followed her husband to Vienna in 1804 when he was appointed librarian of Prince Rasumoffsky. When Beethoven once heard her play one of his sonatas, he said: "It is not exactly the character I meant to express, but go on, for if it is not all I, it is better than what I had in mind."
 
COMMENT BY RENÉ-PAUL BAILLOT, THE FRENCH PIANIST, WHO OWNED THE MANUSCRIPT OF THE SONATA, OPUS 57 PROM 1852 TILL HIS DEATH IN 1889 The note explains why most pages of the manuscript of the "Appassionata" show traces of raindrops (see the following pages). ( Library, Paris Conservatory)
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MANUSCRIPT PAGES OF THE "APPASSIONATA" THE FIRST TWO PAGES OF THE ALLEGRO ASSAI The upper right corner of the first page unfortunately is cut off. It probably bore Beethoven's signature or a comment which he himself removed later. It is worth remembering that "Appassionata" is not a term Beethoven selected. (Library, Paris Conservatory)
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. . . OPUS 57, BY LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN THE FIRST TWO PAGES OF THE ANDANTE CON MOTO After the completion of the work Beethoven changed the beginning of the second movement and pasted a new version over the first and second staves. The manuscript came via Marie Bigot first to her husband and, in 1852, to the pianist René-Paul Baillot, who in turn bequeathed it to the "Bibliothèque du Conservatoire." (Library, Paris Conservatory)
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