Beethoven: Urtext, An die ferne Geliebte.

Beethoven: Urtext, An die ferne Geliebte fur Singstimme und Klavier, Op. 98 (To the Distant Beloved, Op. 98) for Voice and Piano, Original Version for High Voice, G. Henle Verlag, 579, edited by Helga Luhning. G. Henle USA, Inc. (www.henle.de/index.cfm?lang=en&coun try=us), 200. 18 pp. $29.95.

Beethoven's late period of composition was affected by extreme personal turmoil and shifting stylistic trends in music composition. After 1812, there is a noticeable lack of compositional activity by Beethoven, particularly of prominent works, and often an attraction to folk-like melody and a more sincere, direct musical communication. His song cycle, An die ferne Geliebte, dated "1816 im Monath April," reflects this simpler approach, both in his choice of poetry and the strophic musical renditions.

An die ferne Geliebte is a setting of six poems by Aloys Jeitteles, who was studying medicine in Vienna in 1816. With the central themes of the poetry being Sehnsucht (yearning) and ferne Geliebte (distant beloved), the cycle has been associated by some writers with Beethoven's mysterious 1812 letter to the "Immortal Beloved." Perhaps Jeitteles' lyrics revived those emotions in Beethoven. At any rate, Beethoven felt strongly enough about the poetry to create what is now considered the first song cycle: a string of six strophic songs connected with piano interludes. In this extended work of songs, Beethoven elevates the contribution of the piano toward equal partnership with the voice.

This Henle edition is divided into four parts: a preface, detailing the historic and stylistic considerations of the music and poetry for An die ferne Geliebte; the lyrics of the six poems in the original German and translated into English and French; the musical score, including Beethoven's corrections of Sigmund Anton Steiner's first edition; and the comments section with qualifying notes on corrections.

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As with all Henle editions, this is a handsome and carefully edited musical score. A bonus is the inclusion of the texts of the cycle in part two, separate from the music, allowing the performer to study the literary components independent of the music. The information provided by Luhning in the "Preface" and "Comments" sections is not only enlightening but nudges the performer towards a deeper appreciation of Beethoven's final years as a man and composer.--Reviewed by Melanie DeMent, NCTM, University of Deleware