Hess, Willy
Hess, Willy
Hess, Willy, noted Swiss musicologist; b. Winter-thur, Oct. 12, 1906; d. there, May 9, 1997. He studied piano and theory at the Zürich Cons, and musicology at the Univ. of Zürich. He played bassoon in the Winter-thur Stadtorchester (1942–71). As a musicologist, he devoted most of his effort to the compilation of a Beethoven catalog. He ed. a valuable Verzeichnis der nicht in der Gesamtausgabe veröffentlichten Werke Ludwig van Beethovens (Wiesbaden, 1957); also ed. the extensive Supplement Ludwig van Beethoven: Sämtliche Werke: Supplement zur Gesamtausgabe (14 vols., Wiesbaden, 1959-71). His other important writings include Ludwig van Beethoven (Geneva, 1946); Beethovens Oper Fidelio und ihre drei Fassungen (Zürich, 1953); Beethoven (Zürich, 1956; 2nd ed., rev., 1976); Die Harmonie der Künste (Vienna, 1960); Die Dynamik der musikalischen Formbildung (2 vols., Vienna, 1960; 1964); Vom Doppelantlitz des Bösen in der Kunst, dargestellt am Beispiel der Musik (Munich, 1963); Vom Metaphysischen im Künstlerischen (Winterthur, 1963); Parteilose Kunst, parteilose Wissenschaft (Tutzing, 1967); Beethoven-Studien (Munich, 1972); also an autobiography, Aus meinem Leben: Erlebnisse, Bekenntnisse, Betrachtungen (Zürich, 1976). He was also a prolific composer, including in his works several fairy-tale operas, a Sym., a Sonata for Bassoon and Small Orch., a Horn Concerto, and numerous pieces of chamber music, including a curious work for double bassoon and string quartet.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire