The Beethoven Sketchbooks History, Reconstruction, Inventory

A comprehensive description of Beethoven's sketchbooks--bound books of music paper in which Beethoven made sketches for his compositions from about 1798--has been long felt by Beethoven scholars. Although almost all the sketchbooks have survived in one form or another, it became clear in the 1960s that they were in a state of disarray. A reconstruction of their original condition was essential to the proper study of their musical contents.