What question did this study set out to answer?

To present newly discovered arrangements of Beethoven and Mozart for guitar and other instruments in Victorian London.

May 15, 2026Open Access

Beethoven and Mozart arranged for guitar, flute and strings: newly discovered chamber repertory from Victorian London

Key Points

To present newly discovered arrangements of Beethoven and Mozart for guitar and other instruments in Victorian London.
Discovery of four arrangements by George Pigott for a septet including guitar, flute, violins, viola, cello, and bass.
Highlighting the musical context of the 19th century and the guitar's role in it.
Contextualizing the arrangements created for Alexander George Fraser, 16th Lord Saltoun.
Four new arrangements of movements by Mozart and Beethoven were discovered.
The arrangements demonstrate the flourishing popularity of guitar music in Victorian England.
George Pigott's role as a violinist and arranger contributes to understanding the guitar's place in music history.

Abstract

Abstract Despite the great vogue for the guitar of 1800–1840, traceable throughout Western Europe, the guitar has still to find its due place in most surveys of musical history in the 19th century. A new discovery of four arrangements of movements by Mozart and Beethoven for a septet of guitar, flute, two violins, viola, cello and bass shows that the vogue for the guitar not only flourished in England, but also inspired exceptional musical results. The four new septets were all made by the London professional violinist George Pigott (1798–1853). This article introduces the new finds and shows that they were created for Alexander George Fraser, 16th Lord Saltoun, for use with his aristocratic friends in London.

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