ABSTRACT
Despite the current resurgence of interest in the Beethoven sketchbooks, few studies probe the genesis of individual works. Locating, describing, and reconstructing sources rightly have claimed priority. Apart from Joseph Kerman's analysis of the genesis of the second movement's development section, no interpretation of these sketches has appeared. Efforts have been hindered by two factors: the nature of the transcription and the nature of the sketchbook. The first-movement sketches fall into four sections: work on the exposition and its continuity drafts, preparatory sketches for the development, continuity drafts and modifications for the remainder of the movement, and work on two critical places: the retransition and the coda. The transition is handled in a manner uncharacteristic for Beethoven. The retransition, leading from the instability of the development section to the main harmonic point of arrival in a sonata movement, was more difficult, since a strong or triumphant return to the tonic would upset the qualities inherent in the Pastorale world.
