Manuscripts

Original Beethoven Manuscripts 

The Beethoven Center owns several original Beethoven manuscripts, including seven letters from Beethoven to his publishers, friends, and other associates. Most of these letters were acquired by Ira Brilliant and donated to the Beethoven Center; one is on loan from his son, Robert Brilliant.

Other manuscripts that contain Beethoven handwriting include a musical sketch leaf entirely in Beethoven's hand, a signed receipt, and a leaf from one of his household account books. Six pencil markings in Beethoven's hand also appear in an early edition of J.C.Bach鈥檚 Keyboard Sonates, Opus 17, that the Center acquired in 2004.

A few of the original manuscripts are on display during the Center's open hours. Other manuscripts of Beethoven's music are available at the Center in published facsimile editions, on microfilm, or in photocopies.

List of Manuscripts 

  • IFBms1: (Vienna, March 21, 1824)
  • IFBms2: (Vienna, Nov. 16, 1824)
  • IFBms3: (Vienna, July 15, 1825)
  • IFBms4: (Vienna, Feb. 15, 1817)
  • IFBms5: (Vienna, well before Feb. 27, 1814)
  • IFBms6: , [1823?]
  • IFBms8: (?Vienna, Aug. 8 or Sept. 26. 1826)
  • ABSms1:
  • ABSms2: (Vienna, Oct. 1, 1816)
  • ABSms3:
  • ABSms15: (February 1822)
  • ABSms16:
  • ABSms18:

Facsimiles, Microfilms, Photocopies

The Center owns copies of published facsimiles of Beethoven autographs, including sketchbooks, autograph manuscripts, copyists鈥� manuscripts, letters, and other documents. 

Microfilms and photocopies of some of Beethoven's sketches and autographs owned by other libraries are available for study at the Center. The complete collection of Beethoven manuscripts located at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin is available on microfiche.

Microfilms are not yet cataloged online. To inquire if the Center's owns a microfilm of a particular manuscript, please contact the Curator.

Copyist Manuscripts

The Center owns a small collection of manuscripts of Beethoven鈥檚 music prepared by copyists.

Ones that date from Beethoven's lifetime include:

  • IFBms9: , prepared between 1808-1822
  • ABSms4:
  • ABSms5: , from 1816
  • ABSms6:
  • ABSms7: Score for
  • ABSms8: A set of manuscripts parts for an English performance of , in 1814
  • ABSms9: A from 1824
  • ABSms10:
  • ABSms11: Arrangement of the
  • ABSms12: Copy of the , from 1807
  • ABSms13: Score for the
  • ABSms14: Scene from Fidelio
  • ABSms17: Copyist score for the
  • m1b0007: Manuscript copy of an
  • m1b0019: Autograph manuscript signed by William Mason of his , Opus 58
  • m1c0011: Manuscript parts for the
  • m1c0013:
  • m1c0015: Manuscript copy of the
  • m1c0016: Manuscript copy of the
  • m1d0002: Manuscript copy of the

Other Manuscripts

The Beethoven Center has a small collection of autograph letters and signatures of other composers, performers, and Beethoven scholars.

Updated March 2026