Of the three settings of Beethoven composed of Joseph Ludwig Stoll’s “An die Geliebte” (“To his beloved”), the first two date from 1811 (Day 150). The third version has a very different piano accompaniment not suitable for guitar. It appeared in a journal dated 12 July 1814.
#Beethoven250 Day 270
“An die Geliebte” (WoO 140, v. 3), 1814
A studio recording by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
In his indispensable book The Beethoven Song Companion, Paul Reid discusses how the 1814 setting of “An die Geliebte” has become more nuanced:
In the first stanza, syncopation reflects the agitation of the hypersensitive love as he anticipates the loss of the tear. After a briefly panicked interlude, the lover realizes that the tear has not yet fallen and its lingering on the cheek is delicately conveyed by half-staccato markings and shaded dynamics. When he plucks up courage to kiss the tear from the girls’ cheek, his newfound confidence is reflected first in the legato flow of the bass line and finally in repeated full chords which underline his certainty of having done the right thing. His anticipation of ultimate success in his suit is finely communicated in the last bar, where ‘mein!’ is heard twice; first loudly, in joyful affirmation, then quietly, to suggest inward certainty and contentment. (p. 60)
#Beethoven250 Day 270
“An die Geliebte” (WoO 140, v. 3), 1814
An at-home performance by Jaime Mandujano.
#Beethoven250 Day 270
“An die Geliebte” (WoO 140, v. 3), 1814
A live performance by Rocco Sharkey in a recital at Elon University in North Carolina.
The journal that published “An die Geliebte” on 12 July 1814, also printed a “Word to His Admirers,” apparently written by Beethoven himself. With Fidelio on the stage, those admirers would no longer need to make excuses that Beethoven’s music is too modern:
How often in your chagrin, that his depth was not sufficiently appreciated, have you said that van Beethoven composes only for posterity! You have, no doubt, been convinced of your error since if not before the general enthusiasm aroused by his immortal opera “Fidelio”; and also that the present finds kindred souls and sympathetic hearts for that which is great and beautiful without withholding its just privileges from the future. (Thayer-Forbes, pp. 586–7)