Biamonti 764 – “Edel Hülfreich sey der Mensch”, sketch of a canon, 1818–1822. Notebook III, page 127. (Nottebohm, Zweite Beethoveniana, II, page 475).

This brief canon sketch, titled “Edel Hülfreich sey der Mensch,” reflects Beethoven’s frequent use of moral or philosophical aphorisms in his contrapuntal exercises. The phrase translates as “Noble, helpful may man be,” echoing Enlightenment ideals of virtue and service. Though the musical material is minimal, the text suggests a didactic or reflective tone, possibly inspired by Goethe’s famous line from Faust: “Edel sei der Mensch, hilfreich und gut.”

Some insights from the Beethoven Music Research Center (May 2026): This draft canon is located in Berlin, at the Staatsbibliothek, manuscript Artaria 201. It is not on page 127, as Nottebohm, and therefore also Biamonti, writes, but on page 125, lines 15-16. It is a three-part canon in Eb major. The text is complete and the voices are superimposed in four measures in 2/4 time. At the beginning of the piece, Beethoven himself refers to it as a “canon”; as a canon, however, it is a bit strange since, when the voices cross, it often happens that two second voices cross each other (second and third measures). The voice on the second line is not specified as to whether it should be read in the treble or bass clef: if it is read in the bass clef, it would be an octave with the first voice on the upper line; if we read it in the treble clef, it would be a third with the upper voice. Naturally, I read it in the treble clef.