Official title: WoO 168 Das Schweigen — Das Reden Rätselkanon und Kanon (F-dur) nach Worten von Johann Gottfried Flerder bzw. nach einem eigenen Text Widmung: – NGAXII/2 AGA 256/5 und 4 = Serie 23/S. 183-185

WoO 168/1 “Das Schweigen”: “Lerne Schweigen”, Canon, sketched in late 1815 and later inscribed on 24 January 1816 in the album of the English musician Charles Neate on the occasion of his departure from Vienna; first published as Musical Appendix no. 3 to no. 10 of 6 March 1817 in the Wiener Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung. GA no. 256/5 (series 23/183) – B. 208 – KH (WoO) 168 – N. p. 162, no. 6 – Thayer 202.

[By Biamonti Giovanni – Catalogo cronologico e tematico delle opere di Beethoven comprese quelle inedite e gli abbozzi non utilizzati, Torino, ILTE 1968, pagina 406]

Some sketches, also referenced by Nottebohm (II, p. 330), are preserved in the Miller sketchbook of the Koch collection. An autograph is held by the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna. Further sketches attributable to the canon are found in the Mendelssohn-Stiftung 1 sketchbook, preserved at the Jagiellonska Biblioteka in Krakow (see Biamonti 600).

Text: The poem derives from the Persian poet Saadi, but the wording follows the translation by Johann Gottfried Herder in Blumen aus morgenländischen Dichtern gesammelt (Zerstreuten Blättern, fourth collection): “Lerne, lerne schweigen, o Freund. Dem Silber gleichet die Rede, aber zu rechter Zeit schweigen ist lauteres Gold.”

This is an enigmatic canon. See also M.A., pp. 124 ff.

WoO 168/2 “Das Reden”: “Rede, Rede”, Canon, sketched at the end of 1815 and subsequently inscribed on 24 January 1816 in the album of the English musician Charles Neate on the occasion of his departure from Vienna; first published in the G.A. (1864). GA no. 256/4 (series 23/185) – B. 209 – KH (WoO 168/2) – N. p. 162, no. 6 – Thayer 202.

The text is likewise derived from the Persian poet Saadi, in the translation by Johann Gottfried Herder: “Rede, rede, wenn’s um einen Freund dir gilt; rede, rede einer Schönen Schönes zu sagen” (Speak, speak, when it concerns a friend; speak, speak to say something beautiful to a fair one). The autograph is preserved at Princeton University Library, in the Scheide Skizzenbuch, p. 57, lines 5–13. The canon is in F major and written for three voices in unison. It is also catalogued in the Biamonti thematic catalogue as Biamonti 650; Biamonti notes: “Text likewise derived from Saadi [13th-century Persian poet] in Herder’s translation: ‘Rede, Rede, wenn’s um einem Freund dir gilt; rede, rede, einer Schönen Schönes zu sagen.’”

Rudolf Klein observes: “Der Kanon ‘Das Reden’ ist das Gegenstück zum ‘Schweigen’ (siehe No. 10) und wurde ebenfalls am 24. Januar 1816 in das Stammbuch des englischen Komponisten, Cellisten und Pianisten Charles Neate eingetragen. Dieser war im Mai 1815 nach Wien gekommen, hatte sich in Baden in der Nähe Beethovens eingemietet und durfte auch im folgenden Winter mit dem Meister Umgang pflegen. Der Ort ihrer häufigen Begegnungen dürfte das Lambertische Haus auf der Seilerstätte (jetzt durch das Haus Nr. 21 ersetzt) gewesen sein. Die Wertschätzung, die Beethoven für den englischen Musiker hegte, geht auch daraus hervor, daß er ihm beim Abschied Abschriften der Cellosonaten op. 102 widmete. Die Herkunft des Textes zum Kanon konnte bisher nicht festgestellt werden.”

Neate remained in Vienna from October 1815 until early February 1816; on 24 January, two weeks prior to his return to London, Beethoven inscribed both canons, “Das Schweigen” and “Das Reden”, in his Stammbuch with the dedication: “Mein lieber englischer Landsmann, gedenken Sie beim Schweigen und Reden Ihres aufrichtigen Freundes Ludwig van Beethoven” .

It is plausible that Beethoven prepared the sketches for this canon, as for its companion canon “Das Schweigen”, in advance before entering them into Charles Neate’s Stammbuch. This may suggest that Beethoven occasionally drafted canons ahead of time, just as he sometimes prepared studies for improvisations to astonish the audience (see Unv. 14 and our reconstruction of the 8 Variations with Coda).

BIBLIOGRAPHY
G. Biamonti: Beethoven – Catalogo tematico
R. Klein: Beethoven – Sämtliche Kanons