Variations for violin and piano

Two modest precursors of Beethoven's ten magnificent violin sonatas also pre-date those ‘more important works’: the suave Rondo in G major, WoO 41, and the popular Variations in F for violin and piano on ‘Se vuol ballare’ from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, WoO 40, which he touchingly dedicated to his ‘first love’ in Bonn, Eleanore von Breuning. Suspecting that other composers were appropriating ideas from the Figaro Variations and also from his celebrated improvisations, Beethoven reluctantly agreed to their publication by Matthias Artaria as his opus 1 in 1793. He soon regretted his decision, however, and the Figaro Variations, today listed as WoO 40, were downgraded to ‘no. 1’ in time for the ‘official’ relaunch of his career in Vienna on 20 August 1795, with his three historic piano trios, op. 1, discussed in Chapter 5. However, there is at least one important sign pointing to the future in the Figaro Variations: both instruments are equally involved. ‘First of all’, Beethoven noted crossly, ‘there is a mistake on the title page where it is stated “avec un violon ad libitum”. Since the violin is inseparably connected with the pianoforte part, and since it is not possible to perform the v[ariations] without the violin, this should be worded “avec un violon obligate” – exactly as I corrected it moreover in one [proof] copy!’ Whatever their strengths and weaknesses, however, most of those early works seem rather unadventurous when compared to the freshness and originality of the three op. 1 piano trios, and this must surely explain the almost tangible sense of excitement which the trios induced among Beethoven's new patrons and friends in Vienna.

Variations for cello and piano

Two of Beethoven's three sets of variations for cello and piano were written during his fruitful visit to Berlin in 1796 at much the same time as his two seminal cello sonatas, op. 5, discussed in Chapter 6. The first set, WoO 45, was based on the celebrated march and chorus, ‘See the conqu'ring hero comes’ from Handel's oratorio Judas Maccabaeus, which was performed in Berlin during his visit; the second, op. 66, was based on Papageno's comic aria with glockenspiel in Mozart's The Magic Flute –‘Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen’, one of King Friedrich Wilhelm II's favourite operas by his favourite composer.