Hess Anhang 48–50, 53–56 – A Cappella Songs on Texts by Pietro Metastasio
Written by Baron Carl Doblhof-Dier and copied by Beethoven
These nine a cappella vocal works are catalogued in the Thayer index as items 7–15 under entry no. 264. Though long attributed to Beethoven, modern scholarship has clarified that these pieces were not original compositions but rather copies made by Beethoven for study purposes. The texts are drawn from the poetry of Pietro Metastasio, a central figure in 18th-century Italian opera and lyric drama.
? Catalog of Works
| Hess No. | Title | Key | Type | Author |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A 48 | Nel mirarvi o boschi | D major | Quartet | Carl Doblhof-Dier |
| A 49 | Nel mirarvi o boschi | — | Duet | Carl Doblhof-Dier |
| A 50 | Quanto è bella la campagna | G major | Trio | Carl Doblhof-Dier |
| A 53 | La pastorella al prato | C major | Quartet | Carl Doblhof-Dier |
| A 54 | O care selve antique | E♭ major | Trio | Carl Doblhof-Dier |
| A 55 | Se lontan ben mio | G major | Trio | Carl Doblhof-Dier |
| A 56 | L’onda che mormora | D major | Trio | Carl Doblhof-Dier |
These works were all copied by Beethoven, but the original compositions are by Baron Carl Doblhof-Dier (1762–1837), a student of Antonio Salieri and a composer of vocal chamber music.
? Scholarly Clarification
- The mistaken attribution to Beethoven originated with Alexander Wheelock Thayer, who listed these pieces as original works.
- Hans Böttcher, in Beethoven als Liederkomponist (1928), criticized this error, noting that no modern scholar had corrected it. However, this claim is unfair: Willy Hess addressed the issue decades later, and the correct attribution is now widely accepted.
- Gustav Nottebohm, in Beethovens Studien (p. 232), confirmed that Hess Anhang 48–50 and 53–56 derive from Doblhof-Dier’s Sei divertimenti campestri a due, tre e quattro voci.
- The remaining two pieces (Hess Anhang 51 and 52) are by Alexander Cornet, a Viennese vocal teacher around 1796. Nottebohm traced them to Cornet’s Sei duetti per 2 soprani con accompagnamento di cembalo, published by Artaria in 1793.
? Biographical Note: Carl Doblhof-Dier
- Born in 1762, Doblhof-Dier studied under Salieri and composed primarily vocal music.
- He and his brother Ignaz inherited the Sauerhof estate in Baden and commissioned architect Joseph Kornhäusel to build a hotel complex with a bathhouse, restaurant, and chapel between 1820 and 1822.
- His contributions to vocal chamber music are preserved in Austrian biographical lexicons:
- Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich (1872, 1874)
- Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 (1957)
? Musical Examples
The page includes audio samples of several pieces, curated by Graziano Denini. These are available in both vocal ensemble and wind instrument arrangements. Interested scholars may request access via the
Relatively little is known about Baron Karl Doblhoff-Dier (1762–1837). He was a pupil of Antonio Salieri and primarily composed songs. Together with his brother Ignaz, he inherited the Sauerhof in Baden and had Joseph Kornhäusel build a hotel with a bath, restaurant, and chapel surrounded by an English garden between 1820 and 1822.
Bibliography
- Constantin von Wurzbach: Doblhoff-Dier, Karl Freiherr. In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich. 24. Theil. Kaiserlich-königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1872, S. 391.
- Constantin von Wurzbach: Doblhoff-Dier, Karl Freiherr. In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich. 26. Theil. Kaiserlich-königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1874, S. 372.
- Doblhoff-Dier Karl Frh. von. In: Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 1, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1957, p. 189.
