"Es muss sein!", four-voice canon WoO 196

Beethoven usually wrote canons as a special, humorous form of communication with friends or acquaintances instead of letters.

Beethoven's String Quartet op. 130 was premièred by his friend Ignaz Schuppanzigh on 21 March 1826. After the performance Ignaz Dembscher, an amateur cellist and music patron well-known in Vienna, let it be known that he could have the quartet performed at any time in a private recital with better artists (he had not been present at the première). Nor would obtaining the music pose any problems (Beethoven had supplied him with copies of several quartets in the past). When Beethoven heard of this arrogant claim he became very annoyed. Shortly afterwards Dembscher had someone ask Beethoven for the quartet. The composer decided not to let him off lightly and told him that he could indeed have the parts, but only if he paid 50 florins to Schuppanzigh for borrowing them. When Karl Holz passed on the composer's message, Dembscher replied with a sigh, 'If it must be'. Hearing this, Beethoven answered laughingly with the canon, Es muss sein (It must be). An entry in a conversation book proves that the canon was written on 1 August 1826.

In October 1826 Beethoven included the motto 'Es muss sein' in the last movement of his final String Quartet op. 135. (J.R.)