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Ludwig von Beethoven
(1770 - 1827)
Sonata in A Majhor, Op. 47 for Violin and Piano ("Kreutzer")
August 10-11, 2005
In his book Musical Masterworks, David Ewen states: "A great deal of romantic nonsense has been written about the dramatic and tempestuous Kreutzer Sonata in A Major, Op. 47, largely because of its association with Tolstoy’s novel that borrowed its title. Indeed Anton Rubenstein accused Tolstoy point-blank of having misunderstood completely the virile character of Beethoven’s sonata in making it serve as inspiration (and title) for a romantic novel about a jealous husband who murders his wife. The sonata takes its name from its dedication to the famous violinist Rudolph Kreutzer, who refused to perform it because it was too ‘outrageously unintelligible.’
Beethoven titled the work: "Per il pianoforte ed un violino obbligato, scritta in uno stilo molto concertante quasi come d’un concerto." In other words, a work for piano with violin obbligato written in a concertato style, like a concerto. This was a novel conception in contrast to the more customary smaller-scale violin and piano sonatas of the 18th century.
The work itself was not originally dedicated to Kreutzer. The original manuscript bears the dedication "Sonata mulattica composta per il Mulatto Brischdauer gran Pazzo e'compositore mullatico" ("Mulatto Sonata composed for the Mulatto Bridgetower, a great fool and mulatto composer"). George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower (1779 - 1860) was the son of an African father and Polish or German mother. He made his debut on violin at age 10, and remained in the service of the Prince of Wales, later George IV. When Bridgetower was 24 years of age he was given leave to visit his mother in Dresden where his playing gained him favorable letters of recommendation which gained him entrance to the highest musical circles in Vienna, hence his introduction to Beethoven through Prince Lichnowsky. It was Bridgetower who gave the premier performance of the Sonata on May 24, 1803 in the Augartensaal. Beethoven's friend, Ferdinand Ries wrote: "One morning, Beethoven summoned me at half after 4 o’clock and said, ‘Copy the violin part of the first Allegro quickly.’ The pianoforte part was noted down only here and there in parts. Bridgetower had to play the marvelously beautiful theme and variations in F from Beethoven’s manuscript at the concert because there was no time to copy it. The final Allegro however was beautifully written, since it originally belonged to the Sonata in A Major (Op. 30), which is dedicated to Czar Alexander."
On his copy of the Sonata, Bridgetower wrote the following regarding this first performance;"When I accompanied him in this Sonata-Concertante at Wien, at the repetition of the first part of the Presto, I imitated the flight, at the 18th bar, of the pianoforte...He jumped up, embraced me saying: "Noch einmal, mein lieber Bursch!" ("Once again, my dear boy!") Then he held the open pedal during this flight, the chord of C as at the ninth bar. Beethoven’s expression in the Andante was so chaste, which always characterized the performance of all his slow movements, that it was unanimously hailed to be repeated twice."
As to why this great work became known as the "Kreutzer" we turn to Thayer's Life Of Beethoven where Thayer states: "Bridgetower, when advanced in years, talking with Mr. Thirwall about Beethoven, told him that at the time the Sonata, Op. 47, was composed, he and the composer were constant companions, and that the first copy bore a dedication to him; but before he departed from Vienna they had a quarrel about a girl, and Beethoven then dedicated the work to Rudolph Kreutzer."
-- Kendall Durelle Briggs |
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