New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-02
Some Hitherto Unpublished
History Of a Great
Work.

At its concert in Aeolian Hall tomorrow
evening the Flonzaley Quartet will tlay
Beethoven's Quartet in \ minor, op. lS2.
In this work. which contests with the
quartet in C-sharp minor for first place
among compositions Of its class there
Is movement styled sacred Song Of
Thanksgiving in the Lydian Mode Of a
Convalescent to the Divinity This
movement has history TO which il Is the
privilege OF the writer 10 make en- inter
csting contribution. being enabled to do
this by mis- possession Of Alexander V.
Thayer's transcript OF BeethOyen's Con
versation Books. which are preserved in
the Royal Library of Berlin. Fragments
Of these books. through which the COM
posers friends and relatives held con-
verse with him after ne became deaf. have
been printed in the German Biographies OF
Thayer and Nohl. but the publications have
been few and there still lies concealed
IN tie manuscripts a vast treasure-uoNe
Of information Of the highest biographical
Yalue. Appeal has already been made 70
them by the writer to settle disputed
points in Beethoyen's history. and it is his
purpose W uIdN upO'i Ahfsi -ADaAi N4-4'N ~
time when they can contribute to the
knowledge Of the composers life and
works. An opportunity is offered to-day
by the lurposed performance Of the great
\ minor quartet.
The largest contribution which Bee
thoven made TO mu:io ia the year lS25
were the ouartets in a minor. OF. lSe.
and in B-fat major. op. 100, which were
composed i'm the order here set down. but
the second, being published before its
companion. received the earlier opus num-
Der. The Quartet In a minor was the
second OF three which Beethoven conf
posed on the invitation Of Prince Galitzin,
the first being that in E-iat op. 2'. the
third that In B-fiat. 1t was taken up i'm
mediately on the completion Of the E-fat
Quartet Sketches for Il date back 10 1924.
The work was originally planned 70 have
the customary four movements; but labor
upon il was interrupted by serious Ill
ness which befell the composer IN April
ls25: when he resumed composition
upon il he changed the plan so as TO in
clude the Hymn Of Thanksgiving In the
Iydian Mode" the short march before
the IaBt movement dnO lUt HliHuct nc
quartet was finished by August of 1925
at the latest. In Sketch Book
used in May or June Beethoven wrote:
"Dankeshmne zines Kranken an Colt
bel seiner Genesung. Gefuhl neuer Kraft
und wiedererwachtes Gefuhl," which can
be rendered In English as: Hymn Of
Thanksgiving TO God of an invalid on his
convalescence. Feeling OF new strength
and reawakened feeling" In the original
score this was changed TO the reading
Sacred Song OF Thanksgiving Of a Con-
vaiescent 10 the Divinity; in the Lydian
Mode. y. B.--This piece has always y
instead OF B-fat" The principal theme
OF the last movement was originally con-
ceived for the last movement Of the
symphony in d minor, but was abandoned
when Beethoven hit upon the plan Of the
choral finale.
The sickness which interrupted Bee
thoyen's work on the quartet began about
the middle Of April and lasted until about
the middle Of May. A physician named
staudenheimer had been in attendance
upon him before. and had found the same