Peanuts comic strip, drawn by Charles M. Schulz (c)PNTS
Plaisir d’aimer WoO 128 for voice and piano (1798-99, Beethoven aged 28)
Dedication not known
Text Anon
Duration 1’15”
Listen
Background and Critical Reception
This Romance has a text of unknown source, set to music by Beethoven either in late 1798 or early 1799. Beethoven hardly set any songs in French, so this is a notable if very short piece of work, lasting little over a minute.
The singer is worried about the power a lover can have over their soul, and that they might lose their peace in pursuit of a happiness that is far from guaranteed.
Thoughts
A short song, and a worrisome one too. The vocal melody is simple but affected, followed closely by the piano.
Recordings used and Spotify links
Peter Schreier (tenor), Walter Olbertz (piano)
Pamela Coburn & Leonard Hokanson
You can chart the Arcana Beethoven playlist as it grows, with one recommended version of each piece we listen to. Catch up here!
Also written in 1799 Salieri Falstaff o sia Le tre burle
Next up Neue Liebe, neues Leben, WoO 127
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The texte has been written by Charles-François de Bonnay, former President of the French National Assembly and ambassador of exiled King Louis XVIII to Vienna, where he was a neighbour of Beethoven, as discovered by professor Jean-Claude Bologne in a communication to the Royal Academy of Belgium, 8 February 2025.
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