Hess 36 Transcription of a Händel Fugue for String Quartet
The autograph manuscript of this transcription is preserved in the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek in Berlin, catalogued as Grasnick 13. The fugue in question is drawn from the second part (Allegro moderato) of the overture to Handel’s oratorio Solomon, originally scored for two oboes, two violins, viola, and basso continuo. In the original orchestration, the oboe parts—except for a few simplified measures—merely double the violins. Beethoven, in his transcription, chose to omit the oboes entirely, focusing exclusively on the string parts and introducing only minimal modifications.
The precise date of this transcription remains uncertain. Scholars therefore place it within the broader chronological framework of Beethoven’s few known arrangements of works by other composers, namely between 1801 and 1817. Barry Cooper, in C/C (p. 275), proposes a much earlier date of composition, around 1789. However, this remains speculative.
The transcription consists of 69 measures and was not published during Beethoven’s lifetime. A facsimile of the manuscript appeared in the December 1959 issue of Österreichische Musikzeitschrift (Vol. XIV, No. 12). Another facsimile was later included in Willy Hess’s article Eine Bach- und Händelbearbeitung Beethovens, published in Beethoven-Studien (Beethoven-Haus, Bonn; G. Henle Verlag, Munich-Duisburg, 1972, pp. 60–63). A more recent edition was prepared by Hess for Breitkopf & Härtel in Wiesbaden and published under the title Fugue aus Händels Ouverture “Solomon” (HWV 67): für Streichquartett, von Ludwig van Beethoven, circa 1994.
Analytical Commentary
Beethoven’s transcription is notable for its fidelity to Handel’s contrapuntal writing, yet it also reveals subtle interventions that reflect his own compositional sensibilities. For instance, in measure 15, second half, Beethoven alters the viola’s final eighth note into a quarter note—likely to rhythmically distinguish the viola from the cello. A similar rhythmic adjustment occurs in measure 37, where the cello’s first two quarter notes are subdivided into four eighth notes, suggesting Beethoven’s discomfort with the abrupt interruption of the flowing eighth-note motion.
In measure 41, Beethoven attempts to extend the cello’s thematic line by one measure beyond the original. However, this leads to a harmonic inconsistency in the following bar: the seventh of the secondary chord fails to resolve to the third, instead leaping upward. The doubling of the seventh by the viola appears to be a scribal error; the original reads G, not F.
The manuscript itself bears signs of haste. Beethoven draws bar lines across the entire page rather than per system, and clef usage is inconsistent—particularly in the viola part, where treble, alto, and bass clefs appear in chaotic succession. Despite these irregularities, the transcription offers compelling insight into Beethoven’s engagement with contrapuntal technique. Autograph annotations such as “abbreviato” in measure 30 underscore his attention to linear structure and voice leading.
Judging by the handwriting and stylistic features, this transcription likely postdates Beethoven’s quintet arrangement of the B minor fugue from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier and predates his string quartet transcription of the same fugue. Thus, it can be situated between 1801 and 1817.
The Deutsche Staatsbibliothek in Berlin, which holds the autograph, kindly granted permission for its first publication. For further reference, see Willy Hess’s article Ein ungedruckter Streichquintettsatz Beethovens, with first edition of the piece (Schweizer Musikzeitung, October 1955, pp. 424–427). Since the piece was later included in Volume VI of the Supplemente zur Beethoven-Gesamtausgabe, reprinting the article is no longer necessary.
