Composition and publication: probably composed in the second half of 1795, at the latest at the beginning of 1796. The original edition: March 1796 Traeg, Vienna. The revival of Giovanni Paisiello’s opera “L’amor contrastato ossia La Molinara”, which took place on 2 June 1795 at the Kärntnertortheater in Vienna and the publicity of the original edition of the WoO 70 Variations published by Traeg on 23 March 1796 in the Wiener Zeitung mark the probable period of origin. Gerhard Wegeler provides information on the circumstances that prompted Beethoven to write this composition:

„Beethoven war mit einer sehr werten Dame in einer Loge, als eben La Molinara aufgefiihrt wurde. Bei dem bekannten: Nel cor più non mi sento sagte die Dame: sie habe Variationen über das Thema gehabt, sie aber verloren. Beethoven schrieb in der Nacht die VI Variationen hierüber und schickte sie am ändern Morgen der Dame mit der Aufschrift: Variazioni usw. Perdute per la — ritrovate per Luigi van Beethoven. Sie sind so leicht, daß die Dame sie wohl a vista sollte spielen können.“ (Wegler / Ries pagina 80).

The original edition was published in March 1796 by Traeg in Vienna as Opus 3. Since Artaria published the string trio in E flat major in Vienna in the spring of 1797, attributing the same opus number to it, Traeg no longer counted the variations as “opus” in later editions, but simply as “No. 3”.  The mention of a Traeg edition with the printed number “302” in the Kinsky-Halm catalogue refers to the Cappi & Diabelli edition.

The subject is the duet “Nel cor più mi sento” by Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816) For the opera “L’amor contrastato” (Act II, Scene 2, Andantino, G major):

Nel cor più non mi sento brillar la gioventù;
cagion del mio tormento,
amor, sei colpa tu.
Mi pizzichi, mi stuzzichi,
mi pungichi, mi mastichi;

che cosa è questo ahimè?
Pietà, pietà, pietà!
Amore è un certo che,
che disperar mi fa.

The Aria was – and still is – the subject of numerous cycles of variations, from Paganini (Scena amorosa in G major, MS 44 – Introduction and variations in G major for violin, composed around 1821) to Giovanni Bottesini (1821 – 1889) (variations for piano and double bass Op.23) arriving at Henry Farmer (1819-1891) (Introduction, Theme and variations) organist and little-known composer who should be analyzed in more depth. At the time it was changed by G. Franchi (Pleyel, Paris), C.A. Gabler (Breitkopf & Härtel Leipzig), Abbot J. Gelinek (Cappi, Vienna), J.N. Hummel (André, Offenbach), F. Kauer (Maisch, Vienna), Count Moritz Lichnowsky (Traeg, Vienna), J.C. Rieff (Gombart, Augsburg and Schott, Mainz) and J. Vanhal (Eder, Vienna).

The six variations by Josepha Barbara Auernhammer were played by Professor Antonietta Cappelli for the column Research becomes Art – Beethoven’s female composers of time. and, together with those of Abbot J. Gelinek, in the article “The variations on the theme “Nel cor più mi sento” by Giovanni Paisiello – A comparative study – , always by our collaborator Antonietta.

The first execution is not known.

No sketches are known for the work; Hans Schmidt identifies a sketch in the Miscellanea “Kafka” as belonging to WoO 70 (SV 185; GB-Lbl, Add. Ms. 29801, folio 50r. However, neither Joseph Kerman nor Douglas Johnson confirm this speculation (Kerman/Kafka volume 2 page 202; Johnson/Fischhof volume 1 p. 55, 58, 253f).