Presents
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quintet in A Major, Op.47b "Kreutzer"
Arranged for 2 Violins, Viola and 2 Cellos from the Violin Sonata
Beethoven’s
famous Violin Sonata No.9 in A Major, Op.47, the so-called Kreutzer Sonata, was
originally composed for the English violinist George Bridgetower who premiered
it with Beethoven in 1803. The two subsequently had a falling out and Beethoven
changed the dedication, dedicating it to the French violin virtuoso Rodolphe
Kreutzer whom he barely knew. Kreutzer, often considered the finest violinist of
his time, did not like the work and never performed it.
The version for a string quintet, consisting of two violins, viola and two cellos, was published in 1832, a few years after Beethoven's death, by the Bonn publisher Nikolaus Simrock. The arranger is not listed however most scholars who have examined the work closely have concluded that it was Beethoven himself who arranged the work. This seems likely as it was reported by contemporaries that Beethoven was never completely satisfied with the work as a violin sonata and felt it needed more instruments to achieve the dramatic effect for which he was looking.
What is interesting is that he chose a quintet with two cellos instead of, what was at the time, the usual combination of two violas. Schubert’s famous quintet with two cellos lay languishing unpublished and unperformed until the 1850s. The only examples with which Beethoven may have been familiar were those of George Onslow and Luigi Boccherini. Onslow’s cello quintets were immensely popular throughout Austria and Germany during the 1820s and were extolled for their dramatic impact. It is not unlikely that Beethoven would have heard some of these quintets which were often performed in Vienna. We can never know for sure, but what is certain is that the version for string quintet of this sonata makes a far strong impression and all in all is a finer work than the sonata.
We are pleased to reprint the original edition but with rehearsal letters added.
Parts: $29.95
