Hess 39 – Quintet in F Major for Strings

Attributed to Beethoven – Possibly composed in his youth – Lost work

Historical Background

The String Quintet in F Major, catalogued as Hess 039, is one of the most elusive works attributed to Ludwig van Beethoven. According to 19th-century sources, a copy of this quintet—allegedly composed during Beethoven’s youth—was once in the possession of Prince Nikolai Galitzin, a Russian nobleman and patron of Beethoven’s late string quartets.

The only known reference to this work comes from Wilhelm von Lenz, a biographer and early scholar of Beethoven, who mentions it in his book Beethoven: Eine Kunststudie (Vol. 5, Ernst Balde, Hamburg, 1860, p. 341). Lenz claims that Beethoven himself gifted the manuscript to Galitzin in 1826. However, no trace of the score has survived, and no other contemporary documentation confirms its existence.

Status and Attribution

• Unpublished: The quintet was never printed or publicly performed.
• Lost: No manuscript or copy is known to exist today.
• Unverified: The attribution to Beethoven is based solely on posthumous accounts.

Because of the lack of physical evidence, the quintet remains a hypothetical work—a tantalizing possibility rather than a confirmed entry in Beethoven’s catalogue. It is listed in the Hess catalogue of Beethoven’s unpublished and fragmentary works, but its authenticity and content are entirely speculative.

Scholarly References

In addition to Lenz’s account, musicologist Martin Staehelin discusses the quintet in his essay Another Approach to Beethoven’s Last String Quartet Oeuvre: The Unfinished String Quintet of 1826/27, published in String Quartets of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven: Studies of the Autograph Manuscripts (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1980, pp. 304–311). Staehelin explores the idea that Beethoven may have been working on a string quintet during the final years of his life, possibly as a continuation of his late quartet cycle.

Interpretive Insights

If the quintet did exist, it would offer a fascinating glimpse into Beethoven’s early or transitional style. The key of F major suggests a lyrical and pastoral character, often associated with warmth and clarity in Beethoven’s chamber music (e.g., the String Quartet Op. 18 No. 1 and the Sixth Symphony).

The instrumentation—presumably two violins, two violas, and cello—would align with the standard string quintet format used by Mozart and others. This ensemble allows for richer harmonic textures and more flexible voice distribution than the traditional quartet.

Conclusion

The Quintet in F Major, Hess 039, remains one of the great mysteries of Beethoven’s oeuvre. Whether it was a youthful experiment, a lost late work, or simply a misattributed manuscript, it continues to intrigue scholars and performers alike. Until further evidence emerges, it stands as a symbol of the gaps and silences that still haunt the study of Beethoven’s creative legacy.