A cappella songs based on lyrics by Pietro Metastasio. Hess Anhang 51 and 52
Written by Alexander Cornet and copied by Beethoven.
Copied by Beethoven for study purposes; original compositions by Carl Doblhof-Dier and Alexander Cornet
These nine vocal chamber works are catalogued in Thayer’s index as items 7–15 under entry no. 264. Although once attributed to Beethoven, they are now recognized as transcriptions he made for pedagogical study. The original compositions are by Baron Carl Doblhof-Dier and Alexander Cornet, both fellow students of Beethoven under Antonio Salieri.
? Scholarly Attribution
- Hess Anhang 48–50 and 53–56: Composed by Carl Doblhof-Dier (1762–1837), drawn from his Sei divertimenti campestri a due, tre e quattro voci.
- Hess Anhang 51–52: Composed by Alexander Cornet (formerly Alessandro Cornetti), from his Sei Duettini con accompagnamento di cembalo o forte piano, published by Artaria in Vienna in 1793.
Beethoven copied these works in his own hand, likely for compositional study. Thayer erroneously catalogued them as original works, a mistake later corrected by Gustav Nottebohm in Beethovens Studien (p. 232) and by Willy Hess.
? Complete Catalog Table
| Hess No. | Title (Italian) | Key | Vocal Forces | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 51 | Venne contento | G major | Duet | Alexander Cornet |
| A 52 | Su questo colle erboso | A major | Duet | Alexander Cornet |
| 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 |
? Composer Profiles
- Carl Doblhof-Dier: Austrian nobleman and amateur composer. His vocal chamber works reflect a refined Classical style. He studied with Salieri and was active in Viennese musical circles.
- Alexander Cornet (Cornetti): Viennese tenor and vocal instructor. Collaborated with Mozart and Salieri on the 1785 cantata Per la ricuperata salute di Ofelia (K. 477a). His surname was Germanized from Cornetti to Cornet, in line with Viennese custom.
? Scholarly Notes
- Hans Böttcher criticized the misattribution in Beethoven als Liederkomponist (1928), though Willy Hess corrected the record decades later.
- These works are valuable for understanding Beethoven’s engagement with vocal counterpoint and Classical-era text setting.
- The texts by Metastasio were widely used in 18th-century vocal music and reflect pastoral, romantic, and lyrical themes.
? Musical Examples
Audio recordings of all six duets by Cornet are available on the page, curated by Graziano Denini. These include:
- Se fedel cor mio tu sei
- Odi l’aura che dolce sospira
- Se infida tu non m’ami
- Chiedi invano amor da me
- Dicesti di amarmi
- Su questo colle erboso
? Editorial Notes
-
All texts and documents on this page were curated by Luigi Bellofatto and reviewed by the editorial team of the Beethoven Music Research Center (C.R.M.B.).
Composer Profiles
- Carl Doblhof-Dier: Austrian nobleman and amateur composer. His vocal chamber works reflect a refined Classical style. He studied with Salieri and was active in Viennese musical circles.
-
Alexander Cornet (Cornetti): Viennese tenor and vocal instructor. Collaborated with Mozart and Salieri on the 1785 cantata Per la ricuperata salute di Ofelia (K. 477a). His surname was Germanized from Cornetti to Cornet, in line with Viennese custom. It is listed in the Neues historisch-biographisches Lexikon der Tonkünstler, welches Nachrichten von dem Leben und den Werken musikalischer Schriftsteller, berühmter Komponisten, Sänger, Meister auf Instrumenten, kunstvoller Dilettanten, Musikverleger, auch Orgel- und Instrumentenmacher, älterer und neuerer Zeit, aus allen Nationen enthält (Leipzig 1812, Volume 1, page 791)
Alexander Cornet or Alessandro Cornetti? The mystery of the “Third Man”
Very little is known about this author. In Italian, it’s best to refer to the blog “Mozart Minore,” where the topic is discussed, albeit marginally. Below is the link to the blog and an interesting video.
