WoO 75 – Seven Variations in F Major for Piano on the Quartet “Kind, willst du ruhig schlafen” from Das unterbrochene Opferfest by Peter von Winter
Theme – Allegretto
WoO 75 – Seven Variations in F Major for Piano on the Quartet “Kind, willst du ruhig schlafen” from Das unterbrochene Opferfest by Peter von Winter. Theme – Allegretto.
Composed in 1799 (before December) and published in Vienna by Mollo in December 1799. Catalog References: GA No. 173 (Series 17/12) Biamonti 186 Kinsky-Halm (WoO) 75 L. IV, p. 319 N. p. 158 P. 107 T. 67.
Official Title: WoO 75 Sieben Variationen (F-dur) über das Quartett „Kind, willst du ruhig schlafen“ aus der Oper „Das unterbrochene Opferfest“ von Peter von Winter für Klavier.
Dedication: None specified. Manuscript Status: The original manuscript is unknown. Sketches are found in a notebook from 1799, among others related to the Septet and the String Quartet Op. 18 No. 5. A sheet containing the seventh variation is held by the Beethoven-Haus. Composition and Publication: The opera Das unterbrochene Opferfest by Peter von Winter was first performed in Vienna on June 15, 1796, and repeated several times in the following years—six times in 1799 alone. The sixth variation, though thematically orthodox, is in a minor key and displays a certain romantic color. The seventh and final variation, as in many similar cases, takes the form of a dance—specifically, a Polonaise.
Sketches and Dating: Composed late July to early August 1799. The original edition was published by Mollo in Vienna in December 1799. The most extensive sketches are found at the end of the “Grasnick 2” sketchbook, whose final annotations, according to Sieghard Brandenburg, date to late July or early August 1799.
Source of the Theme: The opera Das unterbrochene Opferfest by Peter von Winter (1754–1825), libretto by Franz Xaver Huber. The quartet “Kind, willst du ruhig schlafen” is No. 18 in the piano reduction arranged by Carl Zulehner, published around 1797/98 by Simrock, Bonn. The heroic-comic opera premiered on June 14, 1796, at the Kärntnertortheater in Vienna, and was performed 65 times until 1807, with interruptions in 1800 and 1803–1805 (Hadamowsky/Hoftheater Part 1, p. 128). The quartet was published by various publishers in a single edition (cf. RISM A/I W 1529–1533).
Other Piano Variations on the Quartet: Composed by: F. J. Kirmair (Kreitner, Worms) C. G. Müller (Lucius, Braunschweig) J. Rumler (Schödl, Prague) J. Wölfl (Böhme, Hamburg).
First Performance: Unknown.
Sketches: D-B, Mus. SM. autogr. Beethoven Grasnick 2, pp. 74–80. One sheet in D-BNba, BH 115. Dating: Late July / Early August 1799 (Brandenburg/Op. 18 No. 2, p. 140). Facsimile and transcription: Virneisel/Grasnick 2. Facsimile: Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (SBB). Facsimile in D-BNba: DBH/online. Transcription of the theme: GB-Lbl, Add. Ms. 29997, folio 8 verso. Numerous deletions and corrections suggest this may be an original version of the theme, not a copy. One sheet: unidentified sketches for string quartet on recto; theme of WoO 75 variations on verso. Paper: horizontal format, 21 × 29 cm, full staves.
Provenance: Artaria Publishing Archive, Vienna. Johann Nepomuk Kafka, Vienna. Acquired in 1875.
Original Edition: Published: December 1799, Vienna, T. Mollo & Co., VN/PN 121. Title: VII VARIAZIONI / dell(‘) Quartetto – Kind willst du richtig [!] schlafen / Dell’ Opera das Opferfest, / per Clavicembalo o Piano-Forte / Dal Sigr / LUIGI VAN BEETHOVEN / N° 9. / In Vienna presso T. Mollo e Co.
