BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Friday, March 11, 1825

Beethoven, being buried in proofreading of copies and trying to make headway on the remaining quartets for Prince Galitzin, sends the score of the first three movements and the individual parts (except for the contrabassoon) of the Finale of the Ninth Symphony to Ferdinand Ries in Bonn, for use at the Lower Rhenish Music Festival in May. The full score of the Finale will follow, he promises. Along with the symphony are the score of the Consecration of the House Overture, op.124, and Opferlied with chorus, op.121b.

Beethoven’s cover letter, if there was one, does not survive, but the date and contents of what is shipped today to Ries via mail coach are known from Beethoven’s follow-up letter of March 19, 1825, Brandenburg Letter 1948; Anderson Letter 1353. The overture and the Opferlied are not presented at the festival.