WoO 66, 13 Variations in A major for piano on the theme of the aria: “Es war einmal ein alter Mann” (Once upon a time there was an old man), from the opera “Das rothe Käppchen” (Little Red Riding Hood) by Dittersdorf, 1792, published in Bonn, Simrock, autumn 1793. GA. no. 175 (series 17/14) – B. 178 – KH. (WoO)66 – L. IV, p. 314/1/b – N.p. 155 – P. 36 – Sch. p. 218/31 – T. 32.

The original manuscript is lost. Dittersdorf’s opera “Das rothe Käppchen”, known in Vienna since 1788, was first performed in Bonn in February 1792. It cannot be surprising that the music soon became popular and offered easy material for transcriptions and different elaborations. This is probably how Beethoven’s Variations were also born, probably destined to meet with immediate favour with the public. At the same time as Beethoven’s Variations, his teacher Neefe had also composed thirteen on the same theme, dedicating them to Count Waldstein. Both have some points of contact: the tonality, the conclusion in a form defined as rhythmic dancing (a Polonaise in Neefe, a March in Beethoven), the expressive centre of gravity in the minor and, in some, the middle interruption with a different movement and of a different character. (Giovanni Biamonti)

Official Title : WoO 66 13 Variationen (A-dur) über die Ariette „Es war einmal ein alter Mann“ aus der Komischen Oper „Das rothe Käppchen“ von Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf für Klavier Widmung: — NGA VII/5 AGA 175 = Serie 17/14

Creation and publication: probably composed in 1792 inspired by performances of Dittersdorf’s operetta “Das rothe Käppchen” in Bonn (see also op. 44). The original edition was published by Simrock in Bonn in August 1793. Beethoven was probably referring to the variations of WoO 66 when he wrote in a letter to Eleonore von Breuning in the summer of 1792: „Zu einer kleinen Wiedervergeltung für ihr gütiges Andenken an mich, bin ich so frey, ihnen hier diese Variationen und das Rondo mit einer violin [WoO 41] zu schicken.“ (BGA 4.) Beethoven asked for the return of the two compositions in a letter probably addressed to Stephan von Breuning dated the end of October 1792, i.e. shortly before his departure for Vienna (BGA 5). The WoO 66 Variations were Beethoven’s first work to be published by Simrock in Bonn. The engraving was not made in Simrock’s engraving shop, which opened in 1793, but in Vienna, by an unknown engraver who had been working for Artaria since the 1770s. Later, the plates were probably sent from Vienna to Bonn, where they were used by the publisher for plate “number 3” and for subsequent editions (see Brandenburg/Simrock). The variations were announced as available by the music dealer Johann Jakob Gayl in the Frankfurter Staats-Ristretto as early as August 1793 (see Schneider/Götz p. 201) and only in 1794 in Breitkopf’s Ostermesskatalog (Thayer/1865 p. 186, Brandenburg/Simrock p. 30-32).

Several editions of the original work can be found at the bottom of the title page; however, their exact chronological order remains uncertain. The error identified by Beethoven in the sixth “minor” variation was not rectified. In his letter to Simrock dated June 8, 1794, Beethoven noted that “in den […] Variationen] ein wichtiger Fehler ist gemacht worden, indem man in der 6ten Variation, anstatt A moll anzuzeigen durch drey auflösungszeichen, hat A dur hat stehen laßen mit 3 Kreuzen, nur ein Exemplar schickten Sie mir, das war doch verflucht wenig — da mir artaria für die ändern ein gutes Honorarium und 12 Exemplare gab” (BGA 15). In Simrock’s 1799 publisher’s catalogs, the WoO 66 variations were considered the First set of piano variations, a detail that is not given in the title of the edition. Theme: Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, “Das rothe Käppchen”, Comic Opera, No. 9 Arietta “Es war einmal ein alter Mann”. For details of Dittersdorf’s work, see Op. 44. First performance unknown. Lost sketches.  Original edition 1793 (August). Bonn, Simrock, without VN/PN. – Title: “Ariette / tirée de l’Operette / das rothe Kaeppchen / Variée / pour le Clavecin ou Piano Forte / par / L. van Bethoven / à Bonn ches Simmrock (!) /