— Tacet —

Note provided by Laura Prichard:
Edinburgh-based publisher George Thomson (1757-1851) commissioned Beethoven to compose 179 arrangements of Scottish, Irish, Welsh and continental folk songs. He first made contact with Beethoven in 1803 and first sent a collection of 21 un-texted traditional melodies in 1806. Beethoven’s first reply (dated 1 November 1806) mentions that ‘Mr. Haydn was given a British pound for each air’. Beethoven finally agreed to collaborate in 1809. Sending these consignments back and forth during the Napoleonic wars required three copies by different routes (sometimes even via Malta and Paris); the English Channel was the most difficult link in the chain, as the only way of sending consignments at the time was to enlist the aid of smugglers.

For many songs Beethoven was not sent the intended text, which often was not yet written, as Thomson commissioned contemporary Scottish poets, principally Robert Burns, to write new verses to the original airs. Beethoven repeatedly demanded the texts from Thomson, however, arguing that he could not compose proper arrangements without them. As Barry Cooper points out in his book Beethoven’s Folksong Settings, Beethoven described his settings as compositions, which suggests that he took the commissions seriously. Beethoven’s arrangements include violin and cello parts (designed to be optional), which are independent of the piano.

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This page was added to the website: 2006-10-04