Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Part One Context
- Part Two 1793–9
- Part Three 1800–1803
- chapter 11 1800–1801 Two Violin Sonatas, op. 23 & op. 24
- chapter 12 1801 String Quintet in C major, op. 29
- chapter 13 1802 Three Violin Sonatas, op. 30
- chapter 14 1802–3 Violin Sonata in A major, op. 47 (Kreutzer)
- Part Four 1804–9
- Part Five 1810–15
- Part Six 1816–27
- Appendix 1 Early Chamber Music for Strings and Piano
- Appendix 2 Variations
- Appendix 3 Chamber Music for Wind
- Appendix 4 Arrangements
- Bibliography
- Index of Beethoven's Music by Opus Number
- Beethoven Index
- General Index
chapter 14 - 1802–3 Violin Sonata in A major, op. 47 (Kreutzer)
from Part Three - 1800–1803
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 April 2017
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Part One Context
- Part Two 1793–9
- Part Three 1800–1803
- chapter 11 1800–1801 Two Violin Sonatas, op. 23 & op. 24
- chapter 12 1801 String Quintet in C major, op. 29
- chapter 13 1802 Three Violin Sonatas, op. 30
- chapter 14 1802–3 Violin Sonata in A major, op. 47 (Kreutzer)
- Part Four 1804–9
- Part Five 1810–15
- Part Six 1816–27
- Appendix 1 Early Chamber Music for Strings and Piano
- Appendix 2 Variations
- Appendix 3 Chamber Music for Wind
- Appendix 4 Arrangements
- Bibliography
- Index of Beethoven's Music by Opus Number
- Beethoven Index
- General Index
Summary
Rodolphe Kreutzer Beethoven first met Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766–1831) in 1798, when the violinist visited Vienna as a member of the French ambassador, General Bernadotte's, entourage. Though German by birth, Kreutzer had been brought up in Paris and became a leading exponent of the influential French Violin School, which Beethoven admired so much. During the visit, Kreutzer and Beethoven performed together on at least one occasion – a soirée at the Lobkowitz palace on 5 April 1798 – perhaps playing one or more of Beethoven's newly composed violin sonatas, op. 12. After Kreutzer returned to Paris they never met again, but Beethoven wrote friendly letters to him from time to time, including a letter of recommendation written as late as 1825, in which he referred to himself as ‘votre ancien ami’.
His admiration was not reciprocated, however. Kreutzer seems to have disliked German music in general and Beethoven's music in particular; he was even said to have walked out of a performance of the Second Symphony in Paris, blocking his ears as he did so. Moreover, it is unlikely that he ever performed the sonata which would later immortalize his name as, according to Berlioz, he regarded it as ‘outrageously unintelligible’. Not knowing what Kreutzer thought of his music, Beethoven instructed his Bonn friend, the music publisher, Nikolaus Simrock – who seems to have been dragging his feet – to include a dedication to the distinguished French violinist:
I have waited and waited with longing for the sonata which I gave you, but in vain. Where is that dilatory devil who is to shove out my sonata? … When you let me know the date you have fixed, I will send you at once a little note for Kreutzer and you will be so kind as to enclose it when you send him a copy … This Kreutzer is a dear, kind fellow who, during his stay in Vienna, gave me a great deal of pleasure. I prefer his modesty and natural behaviour to all the exterior without the interior which is characteristic of most virtuosi. As the sonata was written for a competent violinist, the dedication to Kreutzer is all the more appropriate.
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- Information
- Beethoven's Chamber Music in Context , pp. 130 - 138Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2010