Opus 42 – Nocturne in D major for piano and viola, op. 42, from the Serenade for violin, viola and cello, op. 8, summer 1803, published in Leipzig, Hoffmeister and Kuhnel, January 1804, and more recently by Hess in the ninth volume of the Supplemente zur GA., 1965. B. 42 – H.(A) 13 – KH. 42 – L. II, p. 230 – N. 42 – T. 50.

Official title: Opus 42 Notturno (D-dur) nach der Serenade op. 8 für Klavier und Viola Fremdes Arrangement SBG IX/30 (Hess A 13)

This reduction, like that of the previous work, was carried out by others (Ries or Kleinheinz) and only revised by Beethoven. Regarding Opp. 41 and 42 together, the KH reports these words from a letter Beethoven wrote to the publishers Hoffmeister and Kühnel in September 1803:
“The reductions were not executed by me, but I have reviewed them and made radical corrections in some passages. Consequently, do not dare to state in writing that the reductions are my work. You would be telling a lie, especially since I could never have found the time and patience necessary to perform such a task.”

The arrangement was written between 1797 (composition of the original Op. 8) and September 1803 (when it was offered for publication to Hoffmeister) by an unknown arranger (possibly Franz Xaver Kleinheinz). The first edition in parts was published by Hoffmeister & Kühnel in Leipzig, probably in February 1804. (See also Op. 41.)

First edition (parts): circa February 1804, Leipzig, Hoffmeister & Kühnel, VN/PN 282. Title: “NOTTURNO / pour / Fortepiano et Alto / par / LOUIS van BEETHOVEN. / Arrangé d’un Notturno pour Violon, Alto, et Violoncelle et revue / par l’ Auteur. / Proprieté des Editeur. / Leipzig chez Hoffmeister & Kühnel / (Bureau de Musique) – Oeuvre 42.” Format: horizontal. Piano part: 15 pages (page 1 ornamental title); (Heading title: “NOTTURNO di BEETHOVEN.”): 6 pages. Advertisement: Leipziger Zeitung, 6 March 1804.

For further details, see the previous work.