BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Wednesday, November 20, 1822 (very approximately)

In November and December, 1822, Beethoven is hard at work on the three songs for Peters, which he has decided will be Der Kuss (initially op.121, later op.128), Opferlied op.121b, and Bundeslied op.122. They are completed by early December. The autograph score of Der Kuss bears the date December 1822, and the version of Opferlied for three solo voices and chorus will be performed at an Akademie concert in Pressburg on December 23. The final version from 1824 will be for soprano and chorus. Schindler notes that the Bundeslied probably was intended for that same December 23rd concert, and given that Beethoven seldom wrote such choral lieder, he appears likely to be correct in his surmise.