Re: GG: Beethoven's the Second Concerto

[Michael Brenner <mibrenner@vassar.edu>]

The cadenza was originally intended as a place for the soloist to show off
and improvise on the themes of the concerto.  Until Beethoven wrote out a
complete cadenza into the Emperor, no one had ever down that before.  Up
until then, scores sort of came to a stop where the cadenza started, with
an orchestral tutti, usually on a I6/4 chord.  It was implied that the
cadenza started there.  After Beethoven broke with tradition by writing his
cadenza into the Emperor, cadenzas were written into the music.

Beethoven did write out cadenzas to all of first four concertos, and
sometimes more than one; most people use Beethoven's own.  However, it was
fairly common for nineteenth century and early twentieth century pianists
to write out their own cadenzas.  There are cadenzas to the Beethoven and
Mozart concertos by Moscheles, Kalkbrenner, Mendelssohn, Brahms and others.
This century it has become less common, although Gould, Alfred Brendel (I
think), and some others have written their own cadenzas.

Michael Brenner
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