In May 1814, Beethoven composed a short work for two tenors and bass at the request of his friend Mathias von Tuscher, a magistrate who would one day serve as guardian to Beethoven’s nephew. The occasion was a going-away party for their mutual friend Dr. Leopold Weiss.
Beethoven’s “Abschiedsgesang” is adapted from a text by Austrian musician and composer Ignaz Ritter von Seyfried, but personalized for Dr. Weiss, saying of his destination “Steyer is not at the end of the world.” It concludes “Geliebter Bruder! Lebewohl, lebewohl, leb’wohl!”
#Beethoven250 Day 268
“Abschiedsgesang” for Two Tenors and Bass (WoO 102), 1814
A soprano is substituted for a tenor in this charming performance at a church in Toronto.
Seeing the word “lebewohl” at the end of Beethoven’s “Abschiedsgesang,” we almost expect it to be set to the same three descending notes as in Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 26 (Day 216), but Beethoven knows more than one way to set that word.
#Beethoven250 Day 268
“Abschiedsgesang” for Two Tenors and Bass (WoO 102), 1814
An animated score accompanies this studio recording. Ad warning!