WoO 190 Ich war hier, Doktor, ich war hier!, Canon
WoO 190 “Ich war hier, Doktor, ich war hier!”, Canon for Braunhofer, 4 June 1825, published several times in facsimile from 1912 onwards; in print by M.A.L. in 1957 and more recently by W. Hess in the fifth fascicle of the Supplemente zur GA, 1962. Hess 267 – KH. (WoO)190.
The original manuscript is in the possession of Mrs Agathe von Philipp of Leipzig, to whom it came in 1918 from an auction by K. E. Henrici. The Canon is addressed to Dr Braunhofer, whom Beethoven, having gone to visit him on his return from Baden, had not found at home.
[By Biamonti Giovanni – Catalogo cronologico e tematico delle opere di Beethoven comprese quelle inedite e gli abbozzi non utilizzati, Torino, ILTE 1968]
Official title: WoO 190 Ich war hier, Doktor, ich war hier Rätselkanon (C-dur) nach einem eigenen Text Widmung: – NGAXII/2 AGA- SBG V/48 (2. Auflage: 49; Hess 267)
Origin and publication: Written on 4 June 1825 in Baden. The first edition appeared posthumously in 1957 in the literal edition by Donald W. MacArdle and Ludwig Misch. Beethoven himself probably mentioned on 6 June 1825 the creation of the Canon “als ich meinen Arzt [Anton Georg Braunhofer] nicht zu finden glaubte u doch fand, jedoch hatte ich doch schon in dieser Voraussezung schon diesen Kanon unterwegs gemacht.” Beethoven had already announced in his letter of 13 May from Baden (BGA 1967) that he would visit Braunhofer as soon as he arrived in the town. Rudolf Klein resolves the enigmatic Canon in two parts following Beethoven’s indications, while Willy Hess recommends four parts.
The sketches will be featured in an article specially created for the Beethoven Music Research Center, www.lvbeethoven.org
