WoO 65, 24 Variations in D major on the theme “Venni amore” by Righini
Theme – Allegretto
WoO 65 Variations (24) in D major on the theme “Venni amore” by Righini, dedicated to Countess Hatzfeld, 1801, published in Vienna, Traeg, 1802. GA. number 178 (series 17/17) – Bruers 177- KH.(WoO)65 – L.IV, page 320/13 – Nottebohm page 154 – Peters 24 – Schunemann pages 217/24 Thayer 11.
We previously reported on the first, rare edition of this work, which appeared in 1791. It is not possible to know whether and to what extent it differed from the present version. Considerable revisions have been speculated, but the issue remains unresolved due to the impossibility of making a comparison. (Concerning this statement by Biamonti, which has now been superseded, we refer to our article dedicated to: Hess 55, 24 Variations in D major on the theme “Venni amore” by Righini – a puzzle solved).
Certainly, if no significant differences exist, these Variations must be considered one of the most important piano works composed by Beethoven during his Bonn period. (In fact, a copy of the supposed first edition was recently rediscovered in 1984 and shows no substantial differences from the later editions. See the title page on the side and the two examples below – Editor’s note).
The theme consists of two sections, each featuring two phrases of four bars, in detached notes, with a certain light affectation. In the first variation, the melody becomes more fluid and develops into a movement of small contrapuntal phrases, increasing both the depth and interest of the overall piece. The second variation gradually imposes a brief rhythmic pattern on all the notes of the thematic course, supported by full detached chords in syncopation. The third intertwines a rapid scale movement.
The characteristic of the fourth variation is the trilled phrase that accompanies the main melody; in the fifth, octaves dominate, in a triplet figuration of the right hand, above the simple bass line. In the sixth, the theme is treated in a movement of eighth notes in thirds, alternating in the second part with a syncopated figure, adding a greater sense of variety. The seventh returns to the procedure of repeating a stereotypical pattern, here developed in close imitations. The melody of the eighth is smooth and lively, and is made even more agile in the second part through the syncopated phrasing of the melody. The ninth has a dynamic character, with its chromatic scales, each time concluding with a percussive, detached chord in fortissimo. In the hopping rhythm of the first part of the tenth variation, the theme seems to be channeled between two pedal notes, one high and one low; the second part, on the other hand, rests on a legato figure that alternates between the upper and lower registers, fading into pianissimo.
In the eleventh, the uniform heavy march rhythm in full chords is tempered by register alternations, creating a certain variety of colour.
With the two variations that follow – the central ones of the work – we enter the realm of the minor mode, always so expressive in Beethoven. The twelfth, a pathos-laden melody with accompaniment, is reminiscent, also due to the key (D), of other previous and more developed works by the master, particularly the Adagios of the Serenade op. 8 for string trio and the Sonatas for piano op. 10 no. 3 and op. 28. The thirteenth variation brings us back, more forcefully, to the stormy images already present in the ninth, with its movement of scales in triple octaves, punctuated in the bass by the staccato of the theme in the first part, and the brief, dark-imploring alternations in the second. The serenity of the return to major in the fourteenth variation is combined with the interest of a new treatment of the theme: each period is presented twice, in different forms and expressive qualities: first in the ordinary 2/4 movement with an easy fluidity, then in a 3/4 Adagio, which seems to respond with a certain gravity, both benevolent and caricatural.
The fifteenth variation appears as a brilliant study, with the theme enveloped in a legato movement of ascending and descending triplets. In the sixteenth, the constant displacement of melodic accents led Müller-Blattau to think of Brahms and Schumann. The seventeenth variation takes on, by virtue of its harmonic progression and cadences that slow and soften into pianissimo (particularly in the second cadence, following the pause marked by an unexpected fermata), a certain air of mystery.
Softer in tone is the eighteenth, whose light fluttering motion is brought to a close at the end of each phrase by the emphatic punctuation of strong octaves. The nineteenth once again employs octaves, in a figuration shaped in 6/8 and carried out as a dialogue through a regular alternation between the upper and lower registers. Simpler and playful, the twentieth stands out for its timbral and instrumental character, evoking the sound of horns with a touch of the pastoral or the rustic.
The twenty-first gives the theme a new character: in the first part through a different handling of the harmonies, and in the second through descending imitations that, for Müller-Blattau, recall a device found in the late Bagatelles.
The twenty-second variation, like the eleventh, is built on a march rhythm, though without that variation’s incisiveness and rhythmic-harmonic compactness, and is lightened by the movement of the bass. The twenty-third (Adagio, 3/4) can be considered the gravitational centre of the work, due to its broad and expansive phrasing (as in the final variations of Opp. 34 and 35), where a melodic breath occasionally emerges, giving it a character that recalls at points the Andante amabile (in the same key of D major) from the Trio Opus 97 for piano, violin, and cello. This, in turn, invites us to view the more ornate articulations introduced in the repetition of each of the two sections as directed towards the progressive attainment of broader expressivity.
The twenty-fourth (Allegro), in a pattern of slurred quavers grouped in twos, returns to the simplicity of the original theme—though with a resolution to the tonic (instead of the suspension on the dominant) at the end of the first part, and a freer unfolding of the second.
What follows (Un poco meno allegro) has the character of an improvisation, with tonal digressions on fragments of the theme—a device not new, as already observed in other variation sets by Beethoven—which only in the end return to the home key of D major in a lively stretta (Allegro), then plunging into an Assai presto. In the closing bars, the theme, taking the form of the horn figure already heard in the twentieth variation, gradually slows its rhythm and descends octave by octave (accompanied by the same motion that had earlier supported it), leading to the conclusion in the deep fifths D–A (a synthesis of its tonal-melodic foundation), to which F-sharp is finally added in the upper part, thus forming the defining chord.
This work, by virtue of its artistic and technical merit, deserved full inclusion in the official Beethoven catalogue. Composed in the spring of 1791, it was published twice: first, in mid-1791 in Mainz by the publisher Gotz, and then again in Vienna in 1802 by Traeg. For a long time, the 1791 edition was considered lost, and this absence gave rise to the idea that Beethoven might have revised the work between the two publications, effectively creating a second version—as he did with other compositions.
Because of this uncertainty, Biamonti listed the Variations twice in his catalogue: the first dated to the spring of 1791, the second to 1801. Hess, for the same reason, and to distinguish this presumed earlier version from the one in the Kinsky–Halm catalogue, assigned it a separate number: Hess 55.
Supporters of the two-version hypothesis argued that the high level of compositional technique evident in the work made it unlikely that Beethoven could have written it as early as 1791. However, with the rediscovery in 1984 of the original 1791 edition, it became clear that the two versions are identical in every respect. This confirms that, already in 1791, Beethoven’s compositional abilities had reached a remarkably high standard. Nevertheless, these Variations remain unique in their depth and scope among the works he composed during his Bonn years.
Piero Rattalino, in his Guida alla musica pianistica, emphasises the originality of the work. From what he calls Righini’s “graceful and schematic theme”, Beethoven develops a “kaleidoscope of variations, as multifaceted as they are inventive and brilliant, independent of the conventional fashions of the time”. He also praises the surprising conclusion of the set, which “fades into nothingness, rather like the final number of Schumann’s Papillons.” [1] With these Variations, Beethoven shows himself already capable in 1791 of creating a personal structure and of moving freely between contrasting characters—sentimental, elegiac, pathetic, humorous, grotesque—while maintaining a strong sense of form and coherence throughout. [2]
The work was dedicated to Countess Maria Anna Hortensia von Hatzfeld. Luigi Della Croce notes that it is almost certain that Christian Gottlob Neefe, Beethoven’s teacher and mentor, suggested the theme. Neefe himself had, shortly before, dedicated a set of Variations to the Countess, based on the priests’ march from Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The Countess was known as an enlightened patron of musicians in Bonn.
[3]In analysing the Variations, Della Croce observes that Beethoven already transforms the gentle, measured melody in the very first variation into a more expressive line, and by the third variation, through the use of repeated notes, it becomes more biting. He concludes that the final two variations take on the character of miniature sonata movements, confirming once again the work’s ambitious design and Beethoven’s precocious mastery. [4]
[1]Piero Rattalino: Guida alla musica pianistica. Zecchini editore
[2] Piero Rattalino: Guida alla musica pianistica. Zecchini editore
[3] Luigi Della Croce: Ludwig van Beethoven. La musica pianistica e da camera. L’Epos editore
[4] Luigi Della Croce: Ludwig van Beethoven. La musica pianistica e da camera. L’Epos editore
XII ITALIAN ARIETTE
Composed and Dedicated to Her Royal Highness Princess Frederica of Prussia. From the Humble and Devout Servant Vincenzo Righini Director of Music and Maestro of the Chapel of H.E.H. of Mainz
Thanks to Carlo Vitali
WoO 65 is a part of the project “Research becames Art”
A New Life for the Unknown Works of Ludwig van Beethoven: An Artistic Exploration by pianist and maestro Giuseppe Bruno