A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Leonore Prohaska

by George Grove

LEONORE^[1] PROHASKA, a romantic tragedy by Friedrich Duncker, for which Beethoven in the autumn of 1814 composed a soldiers' chorus for men's voices unaccompanied; a romance with harp accompaniment; and a melodram with harmonica, besides scoring the march in his Sonata op. 26. The melodram has been already printed in this Dictionary. [ Vol. i. p. 663.] The opening bars of the two others are given by Thayer, Chron. Verzeichniss, No. 187. The march is transposed into B minor,^[2] and scored for 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, 4 horns, and either strings or brass instruments—it seems uncertain which. (See the account in Thayer, iii. 317.) The autograph is in possession of Mr. Adolph Müller of Vienna. Dr. Sonnleithner—no mean authority—believed that Beethoven had also written an overture and entr'acte for the piece. For some reason or other the play was not performed.

[ G. ]

1. Mr. Nottebohm gives it 'Eleonore.'
2. A 'black key' according to Beethoven. [See vol. i. p. 643a.]