Anhang 10 – Eight Variations in B-flat Major for Piano on Gleim’s “Ich hab’ ein kleines Hüttchen nur” KH (A) 10 – L. IV, p. 340/k

Origin of the Theme: The text to which, according to the title, the theme of these variations is supposedly linked was published under the title “An Solly” in 1775 in the periodical Iris, edited by J. G. Jacobi. Several popular-style melodies were adapted to this text, as documented by Friedländer in his work Das deutsche Lied im 18. Jahrhundert (1902), p. 63.

However, according to Friedländer himself, the theme used by Beethoven does not derive from any of those melodies. It may instead be considered a variant of the well-known aria “Vetter Michel” (“Cousin Michel”), which was developed in the form of keyboard variations by various composers (ibid., p. 77), and appears in G. M. Fink’s Musikalischer Hausschatz der Deutschen (1819, No. 86).

This form closely resembles the theme in question, which also bears some resemblance to the melody of a song by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752–1819) based on Gleim’s poem: “Ich habe ein kleines Hüttchen nur” (“I have but a little cottage”).

Authenticity and Manuscript: Due to the uncertain origin of the theme and the modest musical substance of Beethoven’s elaboration, Friedländer raised doubts about the strict authenticity of these variations. The manuscript belongs to the Beethoven estate and was published several years after his death, similar to the Rondo on the Lost Penny (see catalog no. 162). This invites speculation of a similar nature regarding authorship.