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Beethoven's Tenth Symphony?
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A while back a visitor mailed me requesting information on Beethoven's Tenth Symphony.
I looked around for some info, but quickly gave up since I though that this was
just another
urban legend. Then I came across something written in 1912 (See Below) that has sparked
my
interest and I included it for visitors to read.
Since then several knowledgeable visitors have told me that Beethoven left behind
sketchs of the Tenth Symphony. And even better than that, a man by the name of
Barry Cooper has reconstructed the symphony from these sketchs and has released a CD
showcasing his
efforts. The
Liner Notes from this CD are avaliable.
An Unknown Symphony
Of all the works of this grandiose composer, this 10th Symphony, which nobody knows, is
one the most sumptuous. Its proportions are on a palatial scale; its ideas are fresh and plentiful;
the developments are exact and appropriate.
This Symphony had to exist: the number 9 just wouldn't suit Beethoven. He liked the
decimal system: "I have ten fingers," he used to explain.
Certain admirers who came dutifully to take in this masterpiece with thoughtful and attentive
ears, quite wrongly felt it to be one of Beethoven's inferior works and went so far as to say so.
They even went further than that.
In no way can Beethoven be inferior to himself. His form and technique are always
portentous, even in his slightest works. In his case the word rudimentary cannot be used. As an
artist he can easily stand up to any counterfeit attributed to him.
-- Erik Satie --
Memoirs of an Amnesiac, 1912
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