Contredanse in B-flat for Orchestra, Gardi 11 (completed by Willem) mp3 version
This contredanse (labeled as such by Beethoven) is found on the verso of folio 14 of autograph 28, the Fischhof Miscellany, a collection of sketches from before 1800 held by the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin, as transcribed by Douglas Johnson in his doctoral dissertation. The paper type is one known to have been used by Beethoven only in 1796, so that dating for the composition is fairly confident. This might possibly have been intended to have been one of the set WoO 14, which was written over a lengthy period of time between 1791 and 1800.
The piece is sketched in melody line only. However, it is clearly meant to be a dance for orchestra, since the beginning of the Trio specifies "clarinett," and the last phrase of the Trio B section is denoted as being for flutes, clarinet and bassoon. Following these instructions, Willem has produced a completion and orchestration for this dance. We premiere here both the original sketch and MIDI and .mp3 versions of Willem's completion and orchestration.
Gardi: 11