Funeral March (Beethoven)

Overview

Marie never says which Beethoven march she means. Two famous candidates exist: the Marcia funebre sulla morte d'un Eroe, third movement of the Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-flat major, Op. 26 (composed 1800-01; Source: Wikipedia, "Piano Sonata No. 12 (Beethoven)", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_No._12_(Beethoven)), and the "Marcia funebre" of the Eroica Symphony (1803-04), which is an orchestral piece and was commonly played in piano arrangements. Because Marie plays and wants to learn it at the piano (099.0151, 099.0226), the sonata march is the more likely candidate, but this is an inference. The IMSLP link is to the sonata only.

Marie and this work

• 081.0510 (21 Jul 1878, Soden): item 3 of the planned mock serenade for the two princes, between Chopin's march and one by Mendelssohn (unidentified; Chopin).
• 099.0151 (18 Apr 1883): "les deux divines marches de Chopin et de Bethoveen" begin her playing (LAN notes the spelling).
• 099.0226 (27 Apr 1883): "la marche de Bethoveen" is one of two masterpieces she is gripped to learn.

Marie's spellings: "Bethoveen".

Sources

• Wikipedia (above); diary paragraphs as cited.