Klarinet Archive - Posting 000099.txt from 1994/09

From: Roel de Vrijer <rdv@-----.NL>
Subj: Beethoven 7 & 8
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 1994 19:14:14 -0400

I recently bought a CD (on EMI classics) of Harmoniemusik versions of
Beethoven 7 and 8. Players are the "Blaeserensemble Sabine Meyer".
The text with the CD calls the arrangement of the 7th "anonymus"
and mentions the following (after a short note on Harmoniemusik
in general that is in line with what Dan Leeson told us):

"... a number of musicians -- wether employed at court or freelancing
in taverns or in the streets -- attemted to land a "hit" with their
arrangements af new pieces. The number of arrangements became a gauge
of a work's popularity.
In the light of these facts, it is not surprising that the publisher
S.A. steiner and Comp. supplemented the orchestral parts of his first
edition of Beethoven's symphonies Nos. 7 and 8 in 1816 with six arrangements
for various forces, including a wind setting expanded to include a double
bassoon. Although it is assumed today that Beethoven himself was not
directly involved with these arrangements, the publisher nevertheless boasted
in his advertisements that 'all of these editions' would be 'produced under
the direct supevision of their creator Mr. Ludwig van Beethoven'."

This concerns the arrangement of the 7th on the CD. The 8th appears
to be lost and the version on the CD was done by Joan Barcons,
commissioned by the Blaeserensemble Sabine Meyer.

Roel de Vrijer
Amsterdam