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Libraries of the city of Mainz

Ludwig van Beethoven's letters to the music publisher Schott

Virtual exhibition on the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven

Address of the Schott publishing house on a letter from Beethoven to Schott

Introduction

The Mainz-based music publisher B. Schott's Söhne was the last of Ludwig van Beethoven's (1770–1827) total of 31 publishers. The fact that it published a significant portion of the composer's late works, which were celebrated as the "culminating splendor" (as Gottfried Weber described Beethoven in 1824) of the music world, can be considered the first high point in the company's history.

Schott Publishing was founded by Bernhard Schott (1748–1809) during the reign of the last Elector and Archbishop of Mainz, Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal (1719–1802), who was a great patron of literature, art, and music. The beginnings of Bernhard Schott's publishing activities cannot be clearly dated. He had learned music engraving from his father Nicolaus and completed an apprenticeship as a copper engraver, type founder, and printer in Strasbourg from 1762 to 1764. In addition, he received musical training as a clarinetist from 1761 onwards. According to the catalog of the Frankfurt Fair of 1770, Schott sold copperplate engravings and music at the stand of the Mainz engraver Hugo Koentgen. It has not yet been confirmed that this was also the year of the first Schott edition. The oldest known prints from the publishing house can be found in the music supplement to Georg Josef Vogler's Betrachtungen der Mannheimer Tonschule (Mannheim 1779–1781), for which Schott took over the engraving of the music from the 9th delivery onwards. In 1780, Bernhard Schott received from Erthal the privilegium exclusivum, awarded to Mainz for the first and only time, and the title of court music engraver.

After Bernhard Schott's death in 1809, the company was continued by his sons Johann Andreas (1781–1840) and Johann Joseph (1782–1855). From the time of the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt, the business enjoyed the privilege of being a court music dealer. The Schott brothers expanded the company by acquiring other publishing houses and manufacturing wind instruments and pianos. In 1816, they opened the first musical lending library in Mainz, and in 1824, they founded the music magazine Cäcilia. This was also the reason why they came into contact with Beethoven.

Front page of the magazine Cäcilia from 1824

At the beginning of 1824, the editorial staff of Cäcilia, namely Gottfried Weber (1779–1839), sent out a circular letter requesting contributions for the newly founded magazine. Among the recipients was Ludwig van Beethoven. There had already been contact between Schott and the composer, who was still living in Bonn, but at that time, in 1791, he was largely unknown and promised little renown. After moving to Vienna at the end of 1792, Beethoven sought out local publishers, and it was only after he had made a name for himself that large publishers elsewhere became interested in his works. This included Schott, who now approached Beethoven at an opportune moment, as he was looking for a publisher for his Missa solemnis and Ninth Symphony. He had fallen out with his former partners, including Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig, Simrock in Bonn, and Haslinger in Vienna.

Johann Joseph Schott, who was primarily responsible for correspondence with Beethoven, quickly gained his trust, as is evident from the tone of the letters. Nevertheless, even this initially good relationship was not without its clouds, as Schott suspected that Beethoven might have offered or even sold the works he had promised to the publisher to others. These doubts hurt Beethoven, as did his displeasure at the publication of passages from his letters in Cäcilia without his consent. Gradually, however, the relationship regained its friendly character, which lasted until Beethoven's death.

Letter dated January 26, 1825

Franz Schott (1811–1874, son of Johann Andreas), who ran the publishing house from 1855 and also held the office of honorary mayor of Mainz from 1865 to 1871, bequeathed part of the publishing house's correspondence to the city, a total of around 600 letters. The most valuable items in this collection were 32 letters from Beethoven and his circle (two letters were from Beethoven's brother Johann, one from Anton Schindler; some of the letters were written by others and only signed by Beethoven) to the Schott publishing house, which have since been kept in the city library. The rest of the "Schott autograph collection" has been in the city archives since 1977. In 1991, another handwritten letter from Beethoven to Schott was acquired from an antiquarian book dealer, so that the collection "Beethoven letters to B. Schott's sons" with the signature Hs III 71 now contains 33 items.

A selection of the letters is reproduced and commented on here. The spelling of the originals has been retained.

Clicking on the images will enlarge them.

All of Beethoven's letters to Schott from the Mainz City Library collection have been digitized and can be viewed on dilibri (opens in a new tab).

The exhibition on radio and television

Sat1 report on the exhibition (opens in a new tab)

Contact us

Address

Woman Silja Geisler
Head of Department (Special Collections, Autographs, Bequests and Conservation)

Bereich Medienbearbeitung, Bestandserhaltung und Digitalisierung

Wissenschaftliche Stadtbibliothek
Room609
Rheinallee 3 B
55116 Mainz

Postal address

P.O. Box 3820
55028 Mainz

Telephone, fax and e-mail address

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Explanations and notes

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