Freudvoll und Leidvoll, from Egmont, in A, for Voice and Piano, Hess 93 (mp3)

Freudvoll und Leidvoll, Song in A from Goethe's Egmont op. 84 for voice and piano Hess 93 (1810). This appears to be a continuity draft of Claerchen's song from Egmont, in A, probably written as part of working out the song for the stage version now known as opus 84. There are actually two versions drafted in A, one of which is somewhat more ornate than the other. The vocal lines are similar, but not identical between these two versions. Both are provided here. Beethoven also wrote versions in G (Hess 94) and in F (Hess 95).

While the version of the continuity draft we have denoted as Hess 93 is more complete than the one with the music file we have called Hess 93a (Willy Hess did not differentiate between the two drafts in this manner and the '93a' designation is entirely ours, used for convenience), it is likely that Hess 93a is the last of the four versions. Hess 93a includes the 32nd note run upwards that is present in bar 18 of the final version but is missing from Hess 93.

Thus from internal evidence the likely order of composition of these four versions was: 1. Hess 95; 2. Hess 94; 3. Hess 93; 4. Hess 93a. Since Beethoven occasionally changed his mind during the compositional process and returned to an earlier version, we cannot say this is definitely the order of composition, but there is a logical progression from one draft to the next, until we arrive at a version very near that used in opus 84. Any of them would have made a fine setting to Goethe's words, but Beethoven was ever the perfectionist.

The text (Goethe) is as follows:

Freudvoll und leidvoll, gedankenvoll sein,
Langen und bangen in schwebender Pein,
Himmelhoch jauchzend, zum Tode betruebt,
Glucklich allein ist die Seele, die liebt,
Gluecklich allen ist die Seele, die Seele, die liebt!

Opus: 84
Hess: 93

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