Scholar finds 'Beethoven's last piano work' in library
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An Australian musicologist has discovered what he believes to be the last piano work written by Beethoven.
Peter McCallum, associate professor of musicology at the University of Sydney, found the 32 bars of handwritten music while looking at one of the composer's sketchbooks in Berlin's state library. Most of his books have been studied in detail but the final one has attracted less attention.
McCallum said that he didn't know instantly that it was a piano piece because Beethoven often used a chaotic sort of shorthand. "The sketchbooks ... are very difficult to read and need a bit of deciphering, but you can work it out if you look at it for long enough," he said.
McCallum said he believed the piece was written in October 1826, five months before Beethoven died.
"It's got a few little unusual harmonic features which we don't normally associate with Beethoven," he said.
McCallum's pianist wife Stephanie used her husband's transcription to make the first recording of the piece - Bagatelle in F minor – which lasts just 54 seconds. McCallum said he believed the piece, although brief, was complete.
"I suspect if Beethoven had come to it as he very often did with these things he would have added more because it's not very long," he said. reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments