Hess Anhang 63 is a four-part canon titled “Ein anders ist das erste Jahr” (“Something Different Is the First Year”), catalogued as H. (A) 63 – N., SA., I, p. 20. The work was copied by Beethoven from the January 1, 1800 issue of the Leipziger Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, which featured musical canons commemorating the advent of the new century. The canon was later resolved by Albert Willem Holsbergen.

The piece appears in the Kessler notebook, used by Beethoven between December 1801 and July 1802. However, scholarly consensus suggests that Beethoven was not the original composer. Rather, the canon is believed to be a transcription or quotation of a pre-existing work.

Ein anders ist’s das erste Jahr, ein anders ist’s ein Jahr;
ein anders ist’s, ein anders ist’s’;
ich singe dieses zum ersten mal zum ersten mal;
gebt acht ich zaehl nun eins.

In his study Ein Skizzenbuch von Beethoven, Beethoven scholar Gustav Nottebohm provides context for the canon’s origin. He notes that at the turn of the century, there was considerable debate over whether the 19th century began in 1800 or 1801. This controversy extended into musical circles. An article published in the Leipziger Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung on 18 September 1799 attempted to argue—via a canon—that 1800 marked the beginning of the new century. However, the matter remained unresolved.

A subsequent response, dated 21 December 1799 and published on 1 January 1800, addressed the confusion between cardinal and ordinal numbers. This second article, signed simply “p,” also employed a four-part canon to illustrate its argument. The canon found in Beethoven’s notebook appears to be identical to the one featured in this exchange. While the precise reason Beethoven chose to copy the canon remains unclear, its presence in his notebook suggests a degree of intellectual engagement with the cultural and theoretical debates of his time.