About this edition
Composed in 1809–1810 for a revival of Goethe's tragedy at Vienna's Burgtheater, Beethoven's Egmont, Op. 84, stands as one of his most powerful dramatic statements outside the symphonies and operas. The famous F minor Overture — with its weighted Sarabande-like opening and blazing F major "Victory Symphony" coda — has long enjoyed an independent concert life, but the complete incidental music, including the two Klärchen songs ("Die Trommel gerühret" and "Freudvoll und leidvoll"), four entr'actes, the Melodrama, and Klärchen's Death, reveals the full scope of Beethoven's response to Goethe's tale of liberty and self-sacrifice. To perform or study the work in its entirety is to encounter Beethoven at the height of his middle-period dramatic powers.
This volume reproduces the score as it appears in Ludwig van Beethovens Werke, Serie 2, No. 12, published in Leipzig by Breitkopf & Härtel around 1864 (plate B.12). The Breitkopf Gesamtausgabe — the first complete edition of Beethoven's works, prepared over roughly two decades in the mid-nineteenth century — established the textual foundation upon which virtually all subsequent Beethoven editions, scholarly and practical alike, have been built. For more than a century and a half it has remained an indispensable reference for conductors, performers, and researchers.
About this edition:
- Full orchestral score (conductor's score), including all vocal and melodrama movements
- Generous 8.5 x 11 inch page size for clear, comfortable reading at the podium or desk
- Faithfully reproduced from the historical Breitkopf & Härtel Gesamtausgabe of 1864
- Printed on quality paper with a durable cover suitable for repeated study and rehearsal use
- Published by Purple 4R Publishing, specialists in carefully prepared reprints of historic orchestral scores
This edition reproduces a public domain historical score, making one of Beethoven's most stirring dramatic works readily available to today's musicians, conductors, and scholars. We're delighted to help keep these foundational editions in active circulation — on music stands, in libraries, and in the hands of anyone who loves this remarkable music.
