Phone
Tablet - Portrait
Tablet - Landscape
Desktop
Toggle navigation
Performers
Steinway Performers
Albright, Charlie
Anderson, Greg
Arishima, Miyako
Benoit, David
Biegel, Jeffrey
Birnbaum, Adam
Braid, David
Brown, Deondra
Brown, Desirae
Brown, Gregory
Brown, Melody
Brown, Ryan
Caine, Uri
Chen, Sean
Chulochnikova, Tatiana
Deveau, David
Farkas, Gabor
Feinberg, Alan
Fung, David
Gagne, Chantale
Golan, Jeanne
Goodyear, Stewart
Graybil, Matthew
Gryaznov, Vyacheslav
Gugnin, Andrey
Han, Anna
Han, Yoonie
Iturrioz, Antonio
Khristenko, Stanislav
Kim, Daniel
Li, Zhenni
Lin, Jenny
Lo Bianco, Moira
Lu, Shen
Mahan, Katie
Mao, Weihui
Melemed, Mackenzie
Min, Klara
Mndoyants, Nikita
Moutouzkine, Alexandre
Mulligan, Simon
Myer, Spencer
O'Conor, John
O'Riley, Christopher
Osterkamp, Leann
Paremski, Natasha
Perez, Vanessa
Petersen, Drew
Polk, Joanne
Pompa-Baldi, Antonio
Rangell, Andrew
Roe, Elizabeth Joy
Rose, Earl
Russo, Sandro
Schepkin, Sergei
Scherbakov, Konstantin
Shin, ChangYong
Tak, Young-Ah
Ziegler, Pablo
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Back 1 step
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Variations (12) for Cello and Piano in F major on "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen", Op. 66
Interpretations
About This Work
Controls
Cover
Artists
Label
Movements
×
Add To Playlist
Success
This selection has been added.
Playlist
Create
Cancel
Confirm
Cancel
About This Work
By the end of his life, Beethoven had composed nearly seventy sets of variations. Most of the early ones were based on themes by other composers and were not given opus numbers, which Beethoven reserved for what he considered more substantial, important works. Beethoven composed his variations on "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen," Op. 66, in the wake of a surge in popularity of Mozart's works in the years following his death. They were first published in September 1798 by Traeg in Vienna; after they were taken over by Artaria, they were designated "Opus 66."
The variations of Op. 66 are in the decorative, high Classical style and maintain the harmonic movement of the theme. We find none of the probing of tonal relationships of the Variations in F major, Op. 34, and none of the multiplicity of material to be varied of the Variations in E flat, Op. 35. What we do find is a virtuosity and control unparalleled in Beethoven's earlier works. Also, the variations are notable in that Beethoven had few examples on which to model his compositions for the unusual combination of cello and piano.
Beethoven combines the melodies of two contrasting sections in the original aria to create one lengthy theme, the second half of which (setting the words "Dann schmeckte mir Trinken und Essen?" in the original aria) is changed from 6/8 to 2/4 time. This entire theme is outlined in a highly decorated fashion in the first variation, for piano alone. In the second variation, the piano provides the decorative elements, both melodic and harmonic, while the cello provides a close reading of the theme. Variation No. 4 is notable for its division of material between the two instruments, while the imitative passages in No. 5 contrast moments of maximum independence between the instruments with those of homorhythmic playing. Only the harmonic progression and basic outline remain of the theme in the seventh, eighth and ninth variations; the tenth, in F minor, features a return of the dotted rhythms of No. 5. The cello part is at its most lyrical in Variation No. 11, also in F minor and marked "Poco Adagio." With the twelfth variation comes a shift from 2/4 to 3/4 and an extended, harmonically adventurous coda.
×
Add To Playlist
Success
This selection has been added.
Playlist
Create
Cancel
Confirm
Cancel
1F16C5EBFDFF3AEC3F9CF58C1BDE41F6