Origins, Performances, and Reception History of Beethoven's Late Quartets

Abstract

In 1967 the members of the renowned LaSalle Quartet came upon Ivan Mahaim's book at a second-hand music store in Munich. Given their established reputation for investigating the text and context of scores as an integral part of the preparation of new repertoire, the quartet members immediately asked that the two-volume set be reserved for them, only to discover that it had been sold by the time they returned to the shop. Furthermore, since the work had been privately published, it was not readily accessible in libraries or through booksellers.1 Almost a decade later, however, the members of the LaSalle Quartet were fortunately presented with the volumes in 1976 by the deceased author's son, Dr. Charles Mahaim, following a concert in Lausanne, which had been Mahaim's place of residence. These circumstances are described in an introduction to Monika Lichtenfeld's program notes included with that ensemble's 1977 Deutsche Grammophon recording of Ludwig van Beethoven's late string quartets;2 her reliance on Mahaim's research brought it to the belated attention of an international audience. Mahaim's still untranslated volumes remain of great significance for students and professional or amateur performers of Beethoven's late string quartets. Those who read French will find in them voluminous information about the history of the original and succeeding performances of those works as well as their critical reputation and reception, particularly during the nineteenth century in Europe. This review surveys them from a contemporary perspective. Ivan Mahaim (1897-1965) was a highly regarded cardiologist, professor at Lausanne University, and author of medical studies of