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Beethoven: A Guide to Primary and Secondary Resources at the Library of Congress

Special Collections

Ludwig van Beethoven, composer. Romance No. 2 in F major, op. 50. 1802. Gertrude Clarke Whittall Foundation Collection. Library of Congress Music Division.

Special collections accessed through the Performing Arts Reading Room consist of the papers of individuals, organizations, and collectors significant to research in music, theater, and dance. Special collections materials can include:

  • Correspondence
  • Notebooks
  • Diaries
  • Scrapbooks
  • Newspaper or magazine clippings
  • Photographs
  • Printed or handwritten music
  • Artwork

Find materials in special collections relevant to Beethoven by searching with the Finding Aids Tool or by browsing the Music Division's list of Special Collections. Collections with no finding aids or other guides are described by brief catalog records in the Online Catalog.

Finding Aids

The following finding aids describe some special collections with Beethoven-related materials.

These finding aids describe special collections in the Music Division that include arrangements of the composer's works by others:

Accessing Special Collections

Some collections are housed off-site and require advance notice to retrieve. Contact us through Ask-A-Librarian if you have questions about researching a specific collection.

Other Library of Congress Research Centers

Collections with materials relevant to Beethoven may exist in several divisions within the Library of Congress. Search across multiple divisions' finding aids using the Library's Finding Aids Tool.