Thirty-two variations on an original theme, in C minor, for piano
Variations · in C minor
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
C minor
Key
Variations
Form
Score
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Themes & character
Ground-bass variations·Relentless momentum·Beethoven dismissed it·Composed 1806
At a glance
- Key
- C minor
- Form
- Variations
About the piece
Composed in 1806, these thirty two variations are built over a short, repeating eight-bar harmonic pattern in C minor, closer to a Baroque chaconne than to the decorative variation sets of Beethoven's day. The variations run continuously, gathering force rather than pausing between numbers.
Beethoven thought little of the piece. Years later, hearing a pupil play it and asking whose it was, he was told it was his own, and reportedly exclaimed, "Oh Beethoven, what an ass you were!" Pianists have disagreed with him ever since.
The composer
Ludwig van Beethoven
1770–1827
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer, conductor, and pianist. Regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music, he was mentored during the Classical period, and his musical style was a key driver of the transition to Romantic music, and the expansion of instrumental forms such as the symphony, the piano sonata and the string quartet. His compositions have attracted extraordinary casual and scholarly interest, and remain among the most performed in the world.
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