thumb|upright|[[Ludwig van Beethoven (1824) by Johann Stephan Decker]]
The Six Bagatelles, Op. 126 are six pieces for solo piano composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. They were composed in 1824 and published the next year. Beethoven dedicated them to his brother Nikolaus Johann van Beethoven (1776–1848), and wrote to his publisher, Schott Music, that these bagatelles "are probably the best I've written".
Form
This set comprises six short works. The odd-numbered pieces are slower, the even-numbered pieces are faster. A performance of the collection takes approximately 18 to 19 minutes.
1. Andante con moto, Cantabile e compiacevole, G major,
<score sound>
\relative c {
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff {
\key g \major \time 3/4 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo %{ "Andante con moto." %} 4=86 \partial 4
g4 %{ ^\markup { \italic { Cantabile e compiacevole. } } %} ( fis2 g4 a2 b4 c8. b16) a4-. d-.
b( g') g( ~ g fis8 a g4~ g a,8 c b4)
r8 c( e4. <fis c>8) <a c,>4( <g b,>)
}
\new Dynamics {
\override TextScript #'whiteout = ##t
s4-\markup { \dynamic p \italic dolce } s2. s s
s4 s\cresc s s2. s s4 s4.\> s8\! s\p
}
\new Staff { \key g \major \time 3/4 \clef bass
<b,, d,>4 <d d,> <c d,> <b d,> <c d,> <fis, d> <g d> <e d> <f d> <fis d>
g8( [ fis e d] <e c> <d b> <c a>2 <d b>4 <e c>2 <g d>4
<g e>8. <f d>16 <e c>4) << { c8 d d4( g) } \\ { a,4 g2 } >>
}
>>
}
</score>
2. Allegro, G minor,
<score sound>
\relative c' {
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff {
\key g \minor \time 2/4 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo %{ "Allegro." %} 4=116 \partial 8.
g16\f bes g d'8 r r16 g,16 bes g d' c bes a r4
c16 d c bes r4 \clef bass fis16 g a fis d8
}
\new Staff { \key g \minor \time 2/4 \clef bass
r16 r8 r16 g bes g es'8 r8 r4 g,16 a bes g r4 a16 bes a g r4 r8
}
>>
}
</score>
3. Andante, Cantabile e grazioso, E major,
<score sound>
\relative c' {
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff {
\key es \major \time 3/8 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo %{ "Andante." %} 4=33
r8 %{ ^\markup { \italic { Cantabile e grazioso. } } %} \clef bass <es g,>( <c aes>)
<aes' c,>( <f c aes> <es bes g>) <es aes, f>( <d aes f> <c aes f>)
<<
{
<c aes f> <bes aes f> bes bes^\< ( es^\> d\! ) \clef treble
c^\< ( bes'^\> aes\! ) aes4( g16 aes)
}
\\
{ s4 g,16( aes) bes4( aes16 bes) c4( d16 es) es8( [ f] bes,16 c) }
>>
<g' es>8( [ <f d>] <g es>16 <aes f>)
}
\new Staff { \key es \major \time 3/8 \clef bass
<es, es,>4.~ q~ q4 q8 q[ <d d,>] es,16( f) g4( f16 g) aes4( bes16 c)
c8( [ d] es16 aes,) << { bes8[ bes'] ~ bes16 aes } \\ { bes,8 s s } >>
}
>>
}
</score>
4. Presto, B minor, (cut time)
<score sound>
\relative c {
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff {
\key b \minor \time 2/2 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo %{ "Presto." %} 4=250 \partial 4.
s8 \clef bass fis4 fis2 <b fis>
<< { cis4( b8 ais b4) d d2 fis fis fis4 }
\\ { fis,2 fis4 d\rest b'2 b4( cis8 d) e4( d8 cis d4) } >> \clef treble fis4
g b d b e cis d g b d g <d, b> <e c> <fis a,> <g g,> \bar ":|."
}
\new Dynamics {
s8 s4\f s1 s s s s2 s\sf s\sf s\sf s\sf s4\sf s\p
}
\new Staff { \key b \minor \time 2/2 \clef bass
s8 fis,,,4 fis b, d b ais( b8 cis b4) fis' fis b, d b ais( b8 cis b4) <fis' fis,>
<g g,> b d b e cis d g b d g <g,, g,> <g g,> q q
}
>>
}
</score><br />
<score sound>
\relative c {
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } {
\key b \minor \time 2/2 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo "" 4=250 \partial 4
r4 \bar "||" \key b \major r b\p ( dis fis) r fis( e dis)
r dis( cis b) r b( ais gis) r fis( gis ais) r ais( b cis)
r cis( dis e~ e dis ais' b)
}
\new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } { \key b \minor \time 2/2 \clef bass
<<
{
fis,,,4_~ \key b \major fis2. fis4~ fis2. fis4~ fis2. fis4~ fis2. fis4~
fis2. fis4~ fis2. fis4~ fis2. fis4~ fis2.
\shape #'((1 . -3) (1 . -2.8) (1 . -2.8) (1.5 . -2.3)) Slur
\shape #'((1 . -4) (1 . -4) (1 . -4) (1.5 . -3.5)) PhrasingSlur
<b fis>4*1/2^( ^\( \hideNotes <b fis>8) \)
}
\\
{ s4 b,1 b b b b b b b }
>>
}
>>
}
</score>
5. Quasi allegretto, G major,
<score sound>
\relative c {
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff {
\key g \major \time 6/8 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo %{ "Quasi allegretto." %} 4=99
g8( b c d4.~ d8 e cis d4.) b8( g a b4.~ b8 c! ais b4.)
c8( d e~ e d g~ g fis a~ a g b,) b( a b d c a) g( fis g b a fis)
}
\new Staff { \key g \major \time 6/8 \clef bass
<b, g>4.( ~ q8 <c a> <b g>) <a fis>4.( ~ q8 <g e> <fis d>)
<g e>4.( ~ q8 <a fis> <g e>) <fis dis>4.( ~ q8 <g e> <f d>)
<e c>4._( <d b> <c a> <d b>4 <d g,>8)
<< { e4. e4 c'8 b( a b d c a) } \\ { c,2. d } >>
}
>>
}
</score>
6. Presto, E major, , then Andante amabile e con moto,
<score sound>
\relative c {
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff {
\key es \major \time 2/2 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo "Presto." 4=250
r8 bes c d es f g es aes g aes f f' es f d
d es d c bes c bes aes g aes g f es d c d
es4-. <es bes g>-. <g es bes>-. <bes g es>-. <es bes g>-. r r2\fermata
}
\new Staff { \key es \major \time 2/2 \clef bass
es,,,,8 <es' bes g> es, <es' bes g> es, <es' bes g> es, <es' bes g>
es, <d' bes aes> es, <d' bes aes> es, <d' bes aes> es, <d' bes aes>
es, <d' bes aes> es, <d' bes aes> es, <d' bes aes> es, <d' bes aes>
es, <d' bes aes> es, <d' bes aes> es, <d' bes aes> es, <d' bes aes>
es,4-. <es es,>-. <bes bes,>-. <g g,>-. <es es,>-. r r2\fermata \bar "||"
}
>>
}
</score><br />
<score sound>
\relative c {
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff {
\key es \major \time 3/8 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo "Andante amabile e con moto." 8=90
\bar ".|:" r8 r <bes g>^\markup ten. r r <es g,>^\markup ten.
<g es>16.( [ <aes f>32] ) <g es>8( <f d>)
r r <aes f>^\markup ten. r r <f aes>^\markup ten.
<aes, f>16.( [ <bes f>32] ) <aes f>8( <g es>)
}
\new Staff { \key es \major \time 3/8 \clef bass
\mergeDifferentlyDottedOn
<<
{
es,,8 bes'4~ bes8 bes4~ bes8 bes4\sustainOff~
bes8 bes4~ bes8 bes4~ bes8 bes[ c16 d]
}
\\
{ es,4._\p \sustainOn es es es\sustainOn es es8\sustainOff }
>>
}
>>
}
</score>
Analysis
In prefatory remarks to his edition of the works, Otto von Irmer notes that Beethoven intended the six bagatelles be played, in order, as a single work, at least insofar as this can be inferred from a marginal annotation Beethoven made in the manuscript: (cycle of little pieces).
Maurice J. E. Brown, writing in the Grove Dictionary, says of the Bagatelles that they "are thoroughly typical of their composer and show affinities with the greater instrumental works written at the same time." Some possible such affinities are as follows: No. 1 shares the terse, elliptical expression of the first movement of the Piano Sonata, Op. 101; No. 3 shares the style of elaborate, high-register elaboration of a slow melody in triple time, seen in the slow movement of the Hammerklavier Sonata; and the final Bagatelle opens with a chaotic passage reminiscent of the opening of the finale of the Ninth Symphony.
See also
- Bagatelles, Op. 33
- Bagatelles, Op. 119
References
External links
- Analysis (2010) of the Bagatelles, Op. 126, played by Ashley Wass: ,