Beethoven, Sonata Kreutzer

The notable violinist George Bridgetower was a mulatto musician. His father, who claimed to be the son of an African prince, was probably born in Barbados, and his mother came from the historic region of Suavia, now Germany. The racial amalgam made George tall, handsome, besieged by the opposite sex, and therefore lucky in love affairs.

George had spent the last decade of the century of enlightenment showing his genius through all the theaters of London and the south of England, offering nearly fifty concertos greatly applauded. In 1803 he traveled to Vienna and met Beethoven, who immediately recognized his talent to the point that they played together at least once. In view of the occasion, George suggested to Beethoven to compose a sonata for violin and piano, to be released by both, when the occasion arises.

Interested in finding out the greatness of the young mulatto, Ludwig agreed. To make things easier, he borrowed the last movement of a previous sonata, added a new slow movement and a very difficult allegro, and handed them to George on the day before the performance.

On the morning of May 24, 1803, the prestigious Augarten Pavilion on the outskirts of Vienna was brimming with influential personalities and art lovers. Shortly after the sonata had started, at bar 35, George dismissed an indication for the piano to repeat a passage and, in front of a stupefied Ludwig, he tackled the repetition with his violin, playing it without blemish. Contrary to what might be expected, Ludwig got up from the stool and walked over to George, hugging him, excited. (This scene, which may seem unusual and not very credible, is completely plausible for that time, as musical evenings did not have the solemnity that distinguishes them today).

George Bridgetower (1779 - 1860)

Tradition tells that afterwards, while they were celebrating the premiere and the successful performance with a lively chatting and Viennese musts, Ludwig announced to the mulatto violinist that he would dedicate the sonata to him. Right there, before an exultant George, Ludwig wrote in the score: Sonata mulattica composta per il mulatto Brischdauer.

When it came the time for the third bottle, the conversation took its natural course and drifted towards the eternal feminine. Excited by the twist, George relaxed and made a discourteous comment about a lady who happened to be a friend of Beethoven. The maestro stood up indignant and tore the manuscript from George, announcing that he had changed his mind and preferred to dedicate it to who was at that time the best violinist in the world: the Frenchman Rudolphe Kreutzer.

As much as George begged, Beethoven did not budge an inch. They said goodbye resentful, perhaps warned that they would never see each other again.

The best violinist in the world received the manuscript shortly after, in Paris. As soon as he saw it, he commented that the piece was untouchable: Beethoven does not understand the violin, he said. A man of honor, Kreutzer never performed in public the piece dedicated to him.

Sonata Kreutzer - Mov. 1
Sonata No. 9 for violin and piano, known today as the Kreutzer Sonata, is in three movements and takes about 40 minutes to complete. The first movement is presented here in the release of a very young and beautiful Martha Argerich at the piano, accompanied by the Latvian-born violinist, Gidon Kremer. The video offers an annotated analysis.

The picture at the top of these lines (painted by René Prinet, 1901) is inspired by the novel The Kreutzer Sonata, published by Leon Tolstoi in 1899. The novel took its title from Beethoven's sonata and was censored by the Russian authorities of the time.