Meeres stille und Gluckliche Fahrt, Op. 112

In his op. 112, Beethoven sets two poems by Goethe: Meeresstille (Calm Sea) and Gluckliche Fahrt (Prosperous Voyage). Several sketches reveal that Beethoven had already begun to take an interest in the poems by the end of 1814. The composer conducted the premiere at a benefit concert for the Viennese Citizens Hospital Fund in 1815. As the publication of this work was long delayed, Goethe, the dedicatee, didn't receive a copy of the score until May 1822. The old but commendable Breitkopf material has now been definitively replaced by the new edition based on the Complete Beethoven Edition, save for the tried-and-true piano reduction by Carl Reinecke, which boasts more than simply historical merits. Its endurance is assured by the revised and simplified form in which it appears in the new piano reduction. It will no doubt continue to be a much-appreciated aid at choral rehearsals. In the piano/vocal score, the articulation and dynamics were adapted to the music text of the Complete Edition.