WoO 192 Ars longa, vita brevis, Canon for Smart (second version), 16 September 1825, published in Thayer’s catalogue, 1865, and more recently by W. Hess in the fifth fascicle of the Supplemente zur GA, 1962. Bruers 330 – Hess 268 – KH (WoO) 192 – Thayer 254.

It was composed by Beethoven for the English musician Sir George Smart on the occasion of a farewell visit paid by Smart to him at Guttenbrunn near Baden. For the musical solution, see Hess, Supplemente, pp. 131–132. For the other two canons Beethoven wrote on the same words, see WoO 170 and 193. The text used is taken from the opening of the Aphorisms of Hippocrates as cited by Seneca (De brevitate vitae, 1,1):

Original Greek: «Ὁ βίος βραχύς, ἡ δὲ τέχνη μακρή, ὁ δὲ καιρὸς ὀξύς, ἡ δὲ πεῖρα σφαλερή, ἡ δὲ κρίσις χαλεπή» (Ho bíos brachýs, he de téchne makré, ho de kairós oxýs, he de peîra sphaleré, he de krísis chalepé).

From this derives Seneca’s version (De brevitate vitae, 1,1): “Inde illa maximi medicorum exclamatio est: «vitam brevem esse, longam artem»” (“Hence that famous exclamation of the greatest of physicians: ‘Life is short, art is long’”).

R. Klein writes: “The English organist and conductor Sir George Smart was present on 9 September 1825 when the Schuppanzigh Quartet rehearsed Beethoven’s A minor Quartet, Op. 132, in a room at the ‘Wilder Mann’ inn on Kärntnerstrasse, and also two days later at the luncheon given in honour of the master by the Parisian publisher Schlesinger. On 16 September, he visited Beethoven in Baden and later recorded in his diary: ‘The lunch was prepared with great care… Much wine was drunk; I heard Beethoven say, “Let us see how much this Englishman can drink.” The worst came out in this attempt. I gave him my diamond-pointed needle in commemoration of the great pleasure I had received in honour of his invitation and kind reception, and he wrote me the following canon at the speed with which his pen could write, in about two minutes, while I was already at the door ready to leave…’”

J. Green informs us that on the autograph of this little musical souvenir Beethoven inscribed the following dedication: “Geschrieben am 16. September 1825 in Baden, als mich ein lieber talentvoller Musikkuenstler u. Freund Smart (aus England) allhier besuchte. Ludwig van Beethoven”.