Hess 322 – “Gott allein ist unser Herr, er allein” (God alone is our Lord, He alone)

This short canon, composed in 1818, is written in E-flat major and consists of 4 bars. It appears on page 137 of the autograph manuscript A 45 (SV 275), preserved at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna.

Facsimiles of folios 20v and 20r, which contain entries Hess 322 and 323, were published by Johnson, Tyson, and Winter in their book The Beethoven Sketchbooks: History, Reconstruction, Inventory (University of California Press, Berkeley, 1985), specifically on page 352 under the heading “Hess 322 – Gott allein ist unser Herr.”

The title translates to “God alone is our Lord, He alone”, suggesting a devotional or spiritual intent. Though brief, the canon reflects Beethoven’s interest in contrapuntal writing and religious themes during this period.