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BEETHOVEN – Canon ‘Das Gottliche’ WoO 185 – 6 CELLOS (easy)

Other Identification: We know that Beethoven was familiar with Goethe’s “Das Göttliche” because in 1823 he based two short compositions on similar passages from the poem: the song “Der edle Mensch” (The Noble Man, WoO 151) the canon “Edel sei der Mesch” (Let Man be Noble, WoO 185)
Beethoven composed this six-part canon based on the opening lines of the poem for Darmstadt court conductor Louis Schlösser (b. 1800), who was well acquainted with Beethoven in 1822 and 1823. Beethoven wrote the canon as Schlösser departed Vienna in early May 1823.
The text of the WoO 185 from the beginning of Goethe’s “Das Göttliche”:
Edel sei der Mensch, / Hülfreich und gut!
Noble be Man, / Helpful and good!

Movements or sections: Marked ‘Langsam’

Instrumentation: SEXTET OF SIX CELLOS
Prepared by David Johnstone

3 PDFs:
PDF 1 – Individual Parts for Cellos 1 to 3
PDF 2 – Individual Parts for Cellos 4 to 6
PDF 3 – Original Vocal Score

Approximate difficulty: EASY to MEDIUM
It is merely necessary to make a six-part cello version to bring everything down one octave. The playing register now becomes very comfortable (possible with only first, second and third position), even if the E Major key means numerous extensions (especially forward extensions) which very elementary players might find a little hard. But those with just a few years’ experience and all advanced players should certainly have a lot of fun with this amazing mental mastery of Beethoven!

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