Classical Music | Cello Music

Recorded on 10/16/2007, uploaded on 01/21/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Beethoven composed his 7 Variations on Theme from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte in 1801. The theme comes from the duet “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen” (“In men who know the feeling of love”), and is sung by Pamina and Papageno as praise to the love between husband and wife. The choice of theme here possibly may have been significant for Beethoven. It is well-known the composer long desired to find a soul mate, and even late in life held to his enigmatic Immortal Beloved. Beethoven scored his variations for cello and piano, yet the piano takes a decidedly prominent role. The theme is announced first by the piano for four measures, mimicking the Pamino’s opening lyrics in the original duet, with a countermelody for the cello soloist; in the next four, the roles are reversed. The melody then returns to the piano, in a slightly embellished manner, for the remainder of its course. The variations that follow vary greatly in mood, from energetic and joyful to sorrowful, and even determined. All, however, hold to the theme’s fifteen-measure structure. Variation 4 turns to the tonic minor key, while Variation 6, in accordance with Classical tradition, is marked Adagio. Ending in a somewhat quicker tempo than the theme itself, the final variation is succeeded by a lengthy coda beginning resolutely in C minor. In keeping with the intricate variations that preceded it, the coda, free of the restrictions of melodic variation, approaches the sort of thematic development one would expect in the course of a sonata form. In the final measures, the head motif of the theme returns in a gentle decrescendo before the final fortissimo chords that close the piece.      Joseph DuBose

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Theme and Seven Variations on "Bei Mannern, welche Liebe fuhlen"

In 1796, Beethoven composed the Twelve Variations on a theme from Handel for cello and piano, and Twelve Variations on a theme from Mozart's The Magic Flute.  A final set, composed in 1801, offered seven variations on the duet of Pamina and Papageno from The Magic Flute.  This set is clearly a duet between the two instruments, with the shift of melodic material between them creating contrasts and a subtle give-and-take.  While Beethoven often used the variation form to display technical brilliance, this set is a more lyrical expression of the genre.    D. Skoraczewski

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.