Hess 274 – Canon for 2 voices in G major, copy after Johann Mattheson
The musical examples and videos on this page are by Graziano Denini and Alessandro Lettieri.
Hess 274 – Canon for 2 Voices in G Major, Copy after Johann Mattheson.
This canon is located at the Glinka Museum in Moscow, within the Wielhorsky Sketchbook, on page 89, lines 8–15. Biamonti catalogued it as number 351. This two-voice canon was originally composed by Johann Mattheson (1681–1764). Beethoven copied it from Mattheson’s treatise Der vollkommene Capellmeister (Hamburg: Christian Herold, 1739), likely for study purposes. However, when the autograph was discovered, it was mistakenly believed to be an original composition by Beethoven and was published under his name in the Supplement to the Gesamtausgabe by Hess, Volume 9.
Mattheson was a composer, music theorist, and friend of Georg Friedrich Handel—famously known for nearly killing Handel in a duel. Mattheson should not be confused with Friedrich Matthisson, the poet who authored “Adelaide” and was a contemporary of Beethoven.
Comparative Analysis of the Two Versions: Upon analyzing both versions, we observe that Beethoven made several changes while transcribing Mattheson’s canon: Measure 6: In the second movement, Mattheson writes B–C, whereas Beethoven writes only C. The same discrepancy appears two movements later in the cello part. Measure 22 and following: Beethoven becomes distracted and misreads the notes in the violin staff, writing everything one line higher—effectively a third above—thus altering the meaning of the canon. This mistake leads to several contrapuntal errors, such as a series of parallel fifths. Measure 23: Mattheson ends the piece halfway through this measure, while Beethoven concludes it two measures later.
About Johann Mattheson
Johann Mattheson (Hamburg, September 28, 1681 – Hamburg, April 17, 1764) was a German composer, writer, singer, lexicographer, diplomat, and music theorist.
The son of a tax collector, Mattheson received a liberal education and studied harpsichord, violin, composition, and singing. By age nine, he was singing and playing the organ in church and was a member of the choir at the Oper am Gänsemarkt in Hamburg. He debuted as a soloist in 1696 in a female role and, after his voice changed, sang as a tenor and composed operas.
In 1704, his first opera Die betrogene Staats-Liebe oder Die unglückselige Cleopatra, Königin von Egypten was performed. In 1705, he played Fernando in the premiere of Handel’s Almira. He later served as cantor at Hamburg Cathedral from 1718 until deafness forced him to resign.
During Handel’s stay in Hamburg, Mattheson became a close friend, despite nearly killing him during a quarrel at a performance of Mattheson’s opera Cleopatra in 1704. Handel was saved by a large metal button that deflected Mattheson’s sword. The two reconciled and remained lifelong correspondents. After Handel’s death, Mattheson personally translated John Mainwaring’s biography of Handel into German and published it in Hamburg at his own expense in 1761 (“auf Kosten des Übersetzers”).
From 1706, Mattheson’s main occupation was diplomacy. Fluent in English, he became tutor to the son of British ambassador Sir John Wich and later served as the ambassador’s secretary. He traveled abroad on diplomatic missions and married an Englishwoman in 1709.
Mattheson is best known as a music theorist. His treatise Der vollkommene Capellmeister, published in 1739, is one of the most important texts of the Baroque period. It covers taste, performance practice, ornamentation, and music theory. Mattheson also discusses the training of chapel masters, emphasizing their skills, duties, and expectations. The book includes anecdotes and insights on musicians such as Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi.
Many composers in subsequent decades referred to Mattheson’s treatise for guidance on performance and musical aesthetics.
Most of Mattheson’s compositions are vocal works, including eight operas, numerous oratorios, and cantatas. He also wrote sonatas and keyboard music. All his works—except one opera, one oratorio, and some instrumental pieces—were looted during World War II. In 1998, the Armenian government donated the recovered materials to the city of Hamburg. The manuscripts are now housed at the Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg.
After his death in 1764, Mattheson was buried in St. Michael’s Church in Hamburg, and his tomb remains accessible to visitors today.
Hess 274 (and WoO 212) are part of the “Research Becomes Art” project
A New Life for the Unknown Works of Ludwig van Beethoven: An Artistic Exploration by pianist maestro Alessandro Lettieri