{"id":5686,"date":"2020-01-13T08:00:49","date_gmt":"2020-01-13T07:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.henle.de\/blog\/en\/?p=5686"},"modified":"2020-01-14T16:13:40","modified_gmt":"2020-01-14T15:13:40","slug":"a-short-foray-into-beethovens-sets-of-variations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/2020\/01\/13\/a-short-foray-into-beethovens-sets-of-variations\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00abPlus \u00e7a change, plus c\u2019est la m\u00eame chose\u00bb \u2013 a short foray into Beethoven\u2019s sets of variations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dressler-Variations WoO 63, beginning of the theme<\/p><\/div>\n

The \u201cvariations\u201d form type plays an important role in Beethoven’s work during his entire life. His very first work to be published, by his teacher Christian Gottlob Neefe in 1782, was his 9 piano variations on a march by Dressler WoO 63. \u201cBeethoven begins with variations,\u201d the music critic Paul Bekker wrote in 1911<\/a>, to which we could add that he also ends with variations: The Diabelli Variations<\/em> op. 120 are amongst his last piano works, crowning not only his creativity, but probably equalled only by Bach’s Goldberg Variations<\/em> in the history of the piano variation.<\/p>\n

In addition, of course, the panoply of variations within his multi-movement works indicates how important the variation principle is in Beethoven’s musical thinking \u2013 just consider the profound closing movement of the last piano sonata op. 111 or the grand finale of the 3rd symphony. Normally, the themes of these single movements are of his own invention \u2013 a famous exception is the finale of the \u201cGassenhauer Trio\u201d op. 11. Here, however, we only want to take a quick look at the pieces composed as independent variation sets usually on a theme of a very popular melody and to introduce a few of the lesser known works.<\/p>\n

In honour of the Beethoven year, we have prepared a table of all the variations listed in the authoritative new Beethoven works\u2019 catalogue (HN 2207<\/a>):
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Instr.<\/em><\/td>\nNumber<\/em><\/td>\nOriginal<\/em><\/td>\nComposer of the original<\/em><\/td>\nKey<\/em><\/td>\nOpus<\/em><\/td>\ncomposed<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n9<\/td>\nMarch<\/td>\nErnst Christoph Dressler (doubtful)<\/td>\nc minor<\/td>\nWoO 63<\/td>\n1782<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n\u201cEs h\u00e4tt\u2019 e\u2019 Buur e\u2019 T\u00f6chterli\u201d<\/td>\nfolk song (Switzerland)<\/td>\nF major<\/td>\nWoO 64<\/td>\n1790\u201392<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n\u201cVenni Amore\u201d<\/td>\nVincenzo Righini<\/td>\nD major<\/td>\nWoO 65<\/td>\n1790\u201391<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n\u201cEs war einmal ein alter Mann\u201d from Das rote K\u00e4ppchen<\/em><\/td>\nKarl Ditters von Ditters\u00addorf<\/td>\nA major<\/td>\nWoO 66<\/td>\n1792<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n\u201cMenuett \u00e0 la Vigan\u00f2\u201d from the ballet Le nozze disturbate<\/em><\/td>\nJakob Haibel<\/td>\nC major<\/td>\nWoO 68<\/td>\n1795\u201396<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n\u201cQuant\u2019 \u00e8 pi\u00f9 bello\u201d from La Molinara<\/em><\/td>\nGiovanni Paisiello<\/td>\nA major<\/td>\nWoO 69<\/td>\n1795<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n\u201cNel cor pi\u00f9 non mi sento\u201d from La Molinara<\/em><\/td>\nGiovanni Paisiello<\/td>\nG major<\/td>\nWoO 70<\/td>\n1795\u201396<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n12<\/td>\nRussian Dance from the ballet Das Waldm\u00e4dchen<\/em><\/td>\nPaul Wranitzky<\/td>\nA major<\/td>\nWoO 71<\/td>\n1796\u201397<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n\u201cUne fi\u00e8vre br\u00fblante\u201d from Richard C\u0153ur-de-Lion<\/em><\/td>\nAndr\u00e9-Ernest-Modeste Gr\u00e9try<\/td>\nC major<\/td>\nWoO 72<\/td>\n1795\u201396<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n\u201cLa stessa, la stessissima\u201d from Falstaff<\/em><\/td>\nAntonio Salieri<\/td>\nB flat major<\/td>\nWoO 73<\/td>\n1799<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n\u201cKind, willst du ruhig schlafen\u201d from Das unterbrochene Opferfest<\/em><\/td>\nPeter von Winter<\/td>\nF major<\/td>\nWoO 75<\/td>\n1799<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n\u201cT\u00e4ndeln und scherzen\u201d from Soliman II<\/em><\/td>\nFranz Xaver S\u00fc\u00dfmayr<\/td>\nF major<\/td>\nWoO 76<\/td>\n1799<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n6<\/td>\nown theme<\/td>\nBeethoven<\/td>\nG major<\/td>\nWoO 77<\/td>\n1800\u20131801<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n6<\/td>\nown theme<\/td>\nBeethoven<\/td>\nF major<\/td>\nop. 34<\/td>\n1802<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n15<\/td>\nown theme (\u201cEroica\u201d)<\/td>\nBeethoven<\/td>\nE flat major<\/td>\nop. 35<\/td>\n1802<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n\u201cGod save the King\u201d<\/td>\nunknown<\/td>\nC major<\/td>\nWoO 78<\/td>\n1803<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n\u201cRule Britannia\u201d<\/td>\nThomas Arne<\/td>\nD major<\/td>\nWoO 79<\/td>\n1803<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n32<\/td>\nown theme<\/td>\nBeethoven<\/td>\nc minor<\/td>\nWoO 80<\/td>\n1806\u201307<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n6<\/td>\nown theme<\/td>\nBeethoven<\/td>\nD major<\/td>\nop. 76<\/td>\n1810<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n33<\/td>\nwaltz<\/td>\nAnton Diabelli<\/td>\nC major<\/td>\nop. 120<\/td>\n1823<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n\u201cIch hab\u2019 ein kleines H\u00fcttchen nur\u201d<\/td>\nunknown (text by Gleim)<\/td>\nB flat major<\/td>\nAnh. 10 (doubtful)<\/td>\nunknown<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano solo<\/td>\n8?<\/td>\nown theme<\/td>\nBeethoven<\/td>\nA major<\/td>\nUnv 14 (sketches)<\/td>\n1794\/95<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano four hands<\/td>\n8<\/td>\ntheme<\/td>\nFerdinand Ernst von Waldstein<\/td>\nC major<\/td>\nWoO 67<\/td>\n1790\u201392<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano four hands<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n\u201cIch denke dein\u201d<\/td>\nBeethoven (text by Goethe)<\/td>\nD major<\/td>\nWoO 74<\/td>\n1799\u20131803<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and violin<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n\u201cSe vuol ballare\u201d from Le nozze di Figaro<\/em><\/td>\nWolfgang Amadeus Mozart<\/td>\nF major<\/td>\nWoO 40<\/td>\n1792\u201393<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and violoncello<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n\u201cSee, the conqu\u2019ring hero comes\u201d from the oratorio Judas Maccabaeus<\/em><\/td>\nGeorg Friedrich H\u00e4ndel<\/td>\nG major<\/td>\nWoO 45<\/td>\n1796<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and violoncello<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n\u201cEin M\u00e4dchen oder Weibchen\u201d from Die Zauberfl\u00f6te<\/em><\/td>\nWolfgang Amadeus Mozart<\/td>\nF major<\/td>\nop. 66<\/td>\n1796\u201398<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and violoncello<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n\u201cBei M\u00e4nnern, welche Liebe f\u00fchlen\u201d from Die Zauberfl\u00f6te<\/em><\/td>\nWolfgang Amadeus Mozart<\/td>\nE flat major<\/td>\nWoO 46<\/td>\n1801<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n\u201cThe cottage maid\u201d<\/td>\nfolk song (Wales)<\/td>\nG major<\/td>\nop. 105 No. 1<\/td>\n1818<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n\u201cOf noble race was Shenkin\u201d<\/td>\nfolk song (Wales)<\/td>\nc minor<\/td>\nop. 105 No. 2<\/td>\n1818<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n\u201cA Sch\u00fcsserl und a Reinderl\u201d from Die Kaufmanns\u00adbude<\/em><\/td>\naccredited to Johann Baptist Henneberg<\/td>\nC major<\/td>\nop. 105 No. 3<\/td>\n1819<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n\u201cSad and luckless was the season\u201d<\/td>\nfolk song (Irland)<\/td>\nE flat major<\/td>\nop. 105 No. 4<\/td>\n1818<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n\u201cPut round the bright wine\u201d<\/td>\nfolk song (Irland)<\/td>\nE flat major<\/td>\nop. 105 No. 5<\/td>\n1818<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n\u201cEnglish bulls\u201d<\/td>\nfolk song (Irland)<\/td>\nD major<\/td>\nop. 105 No. 6<\/td>\n1818<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n\u201cI bin a Tyroler Bue\u201d from Der K\u00f6rbchenflechter<\/em><\/td>\nFriedrich Satzenhofen<\/td>\nE flat major<\/td>\nop. 107 No. 1<\/td>\n1818<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n\u201cBonny laddie, highland laddie\u201d<\/td>\nfolk song (Scotland)<\/td>\nF major<\/td>\nop. 107 No. 2<\/td>\n1818<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n\u201cAir de la Petite Russie\u201d<\/td>\nfolk song (Ukraine)<\/td>\nG major<\/td>\nop. 107 No. 3<\/td>\n1819<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n\u201cThe pulse of an Irishman ever beats quicker\u201d<\/td>\nfolk song (Irland)<\/td>\nF major<\/td>\nop. 107 No. 4<\/td>\n1818<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n\u201cA Madel, ja a Madel\u201d<\/td>\nfolk song (Tyrol)<\/td>\nF major<\/td>\nop. 107 No. 5<\/td>\n1818<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n\u201cMerch Megan\u201d<\/td>\nfolk song (Wales)<\/td>\nE flat major<\/td>\nop. 107 No. 6<\/td>\n1819<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n\u201cAir cosaque\u201d (\u201cSch\u00f6ne Minka\u201d)<\/td>\nfolk song (Russia)<\/td>\na minor<\/td>\nop. 107 No. 7<\/td>\n1819<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n\u201cOh Mary, at the window be\u201d<\/td>\nfolk song (Scotland)<\/td>\nD major<\/td>\nop. 107 No. 8<\/td>\n1818<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n\u201cOh! thou art the lad of my heart\u201d<\/td>\nfolk song (Scotland)<\/td>\nE flat major<\/td>\nop. 107 No. 9<\/td>\n1818<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano and flute (violin) ad lib.<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n\u201cThe highland watch\u201d<\/td>\nfolk song (Scotland)<\/td>\ng minor<\/td>\nop. 107 No. 10<\/td>\n1818<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano trio<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n\u201cIch bin der Schneider Kakadu\u201d from Die Schwestern von Prag<\/em><\/td>\nWenzel M\u00fcller<\/td>\nG major<\/td>\nop. 121a<\/td>\n1816?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
piano trio<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n\u201cJa, ich muss mich von ihr scheiden\u201d from Das rote K\u00e4ppchen<\/em><\/td>\nKarl Ditters von Ditters\u00addorf<\/td>\nE flat major<\/td>\nop. 44<\/td>\n1792<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2 oboes and english horn<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n\u201cL\u00e0 ci darem la mano\u201d from Don Giovanni<\/em><\/td>\nWolfgang Amadeus Mozart<\/td>\nC major<\/td>\nWoO 28<\/td>\n1795<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
mandolin and piano<\/td>\n6<\/td>\nown theme<\/td>\nBeethoven<\/td>\nD major<\/td>\nWoO 44b<\/td>\n1796<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/small>
\nCounting the individual variations of the 16 independent variation sets from opp. 105 and 107 actually comes to 48 works! \u2013 though with two small qualifications: Beethoven’s authorship is considered doubtful for the variations on \u201cIch hab\u2019 ein kleines H\u00fcttchen nur\u201d, since its only source is a posthumous print of about 1830. And the A-major piano variations with the unusual identity number \u201cUnv 14\u201d, are, as this abbreviation suggests, incomplete (unv<\/em>[ollendet]) and extant only in the so-called \u201cFischhof\u201d sketchbook<\/a> (they may possibly have been originally intended as part of the A-major piano sonata op. 2, no. 2, rather than as an independent work).<\/p>\n

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Countess Josephine von Clary-Aldringen (1777\u20131828)<\/p><\/div>\n

Some interesting finds come to light from this overall view. Would you have known, for example, that Beethoven composed variations also for the mandolin? In 1796 his Andante with 6 variations WoO 44b originated in Prague together with other short pieces for mandolin and piano (HN 499<\/a>), composed for the countess Josephine von Clary-Aldringen who played this instrument. That the variations can incidentally be played, unmodified, also on the violin is hence an ideal (and easier) addition to Beethoven’s only \u201creal\u201d variation work for this instrument, the 12 variations for violin on Mozart’s \u201cSe vuol ballare\u201d WoO 40 (HN 291<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Then again, it\u2019s hardly surprising that Beethoven, as one of the greatest piano virtuosos of his time, wrote the vast majority of his variations for piano solo, presenting to audiences with these showpieces his own pianistic and compositional skills. His 24 variations on Righini’s arietta \u201cVenni, Amore\u201d already require considerable technical skill \u2013 when he visited the renowned pianist Franz Xaver Sterkel in 1791, these variations seemed to Sterkel too difficult, whereupon Beethoven not only completely performed his composition at the piano from memory, but, to the astonishment of the listeners, also virtuosically improvised further variations on the theme.<\/p>\n

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Variations on \u201eVenni amore\u201c, beginning of the 9th variation<\/p><\/div>\n

Amongst the more pianistically demanding works of this kind are the 7 variations on the canzonetta \u201cKind, willst du ruhig schlafen\u201d from an opera by the now almost totally forgotten composer Peter von Winter. The opening of the text could be reminiscent of a kind of lullaby, though not at all suited to the coquettish melody in 2\/4 time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And, in fact, it\u2019s actually a facetious song by three girls wanting to talk a friend out of her heartache:<\/p>\n

Child! If you\u2019d easily sleep,
\nFollow my custom,
\nAnd flirt, just as with monkeys,
\nAlso with the men:
\nTease and taunt them. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Don’t let them steal your heart!
\nThis is not clever.
\nFalse are the souls of men,
\nTreach\u2019rous, full of scams:
\nNobody\u2019s good for anything.
\n<\/em>[\u2026]<\/p>\n

Et cetera…. Anyone wanting to read the German libretto of the \u201cheroic-comic\u201d opera, taking place incidentally in the Peruvian Inca period, can locate it here<\/a> in the Bavarian State Library digital collections.<\/p>\n

The title of Dittersdorf’s opera Das Rote K\u00e4ppchen<\/em> [\u201cLittle Red Cap\u201d] could also be misleading. The play has nothing to do with the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood, but is a marriage farce about a young woman suffering from her elderly husband\u2019s morbid jealousy, curing him of it with a trick (an allegedly miraculous red cap). Serving in the opera as a self-reflective story-within-the-story is the somewhat raunchy song \u201cEs war einmal ein alter Mann<\/a>\u201d: this old man also has a young wife who suspiciously often goes to get \u201ctreated\u201d by a young doctor:
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Beethoven was well acquainted with this opera, having participated in several performances as a Bonn Hofkapelle violist in 1792. That was when he also used another theme (\u201cJa, ich muss mich von ihr scheiden\u201d, a jealous husband\u2019s irate aria) for his op. 44 piano trio variations (its higher opus number is explained by the much later publication). A nice, shorter piece for piano trio \u2013 it doesn’t always have to be the \u201cSchneider Kakadu<\/a>\u201d… (see our HN 26<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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Graf Ferdinand Ernst von Waldstein (1762\u20131823)<\/p><\/div>\n

Also little known is that besides the famous \u201cWaldstein\u201d sonata, there is also a set of \u201cWaldstein\u201d variations, named for Ferdinand Ernst von Waldstein, who, as Beethoven\u2019s first important patron in Bonn, sponsored his trip to Vienna in 1792. Whereas for the piano sonata Waldstein is \u201cmerely\u201d the dedicatee, for the variations he even personally contributed the theme (possibly improved upon by Beethoven). The very musical count played the piano well \u2013 might he well have commissioned the variations for piano duet to play together with Beethoven…?<\/p>\n

In any case, the two sets of piano duet variations (HN 568<\/a>) are, in the best sense, wonderful \u201cdomestic music\u201d that should much more often find their way onto the piano music rack.<\/p>\n

The two opera 105 and 107 (HN 716<\/a>), based altogether on catchy folk melodies, also offer an often overlooked treasure trove of pretty variations. Whilst the piano part already requires an accomplished piano player, the flute part (which can also be performed on the violin) is deliberately kept simple and could very well already be mastered even by younger students. Anyone looking for effective performance pieces for flute and violin instruction will surely find them here. Since Beethoven’s flute part was added only ad libitum<\/em> at the request of the person commissioning them, these variations can also be performed as piano solos \u2013 an ideal short but smart encore for a Beethoven piano recital. Even after 250 years of Beethoven, there is still so much to discover in his oeuvre…!<\/p>\n