The Diabelli Variations....

[Tegan]

I was reading about how Diabelli, a not-very-famous composer, wrote a simple waltz and then sent it off to most of the composers in Vienna, asking them to write a variation for it. Some of the composers who wrote variations included Czerny, Liszt, and W.A. Mozart the younger. Has anybody ever heard of this set of variations, or know where I could learn more about it? Thanks!

[Rutradelusasa]

Originally posted by Tegan:
I was reading about how Diabelli, a not-very-famous composer, wrote a simple waltz and then sent it off to most of the composers in Vienna, asking them to write a variation for it. Some of the composers who wrote variations included Czerny, Liszt, and W.A. Mozart the younger. Has anybody ever heard of this set of variations, or know where I could learn more about it? Thanks!

It is the bigger set of variations by Beethoven and the most surprinsing too, if you can, try to find Alfred Brendel playing it, maybe on Vox Box label or Great Pianists of the 20th century.

It is absolutely amazing.

[Tegan]

Originally posted by Rutradelusasa:
It is the bigger set of variations by Beethoven and the most surprinsing too, if you can, try to find Alfred Brendel playing it, maybe on Vox Box label or Great Pianists of the 20th century.

It is absolutely amazing.

Actually, although Beethoven's set of variations is named for Diabelli, Diabelli himself wrote this piece, and then other composers wrote the variations.

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by Tegan:
Actually, although Beethoven's set of variations is named for Diabelli, Diabelli himself wrote this piece, and then other composers wrote the variations.

Tegan,
No, you have confused the two different parts of the form. Diabelli, although he was a minor composer, was primarily a music publisher, so he had a motive for doing all this. What he set out was just a few little bars of a theme in 3/4 time. The fact that it had little or no merit on its own is precisely what made it so good for writing variations on. In any case, Beethoven spent the better part of 2 years not only writing variations but also putting them together in a structure that turned the variation form away from being a simple progression of difficulty into an actual sonata form! He ended up with 33 variations all told, and when he submitted them to Diabelli, they made up an entire book of their own, while those of all the other composers together made up another volume.
W.A. Mozart the Younger??????

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Regards,
Gurn
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That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[This message has been edited by Gurn Blanston (edited January 30, 2004).]

[Opus131]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:

W.A. Mozart the Younger??????

Maybe he is referring to his son...

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by Opus131:
Maybe he is referring to his son...

Yes, this must be so, WAM the Y lived until 1844 and did compose in a minor way, but even though I had read quite a bit about the Diabelli history, I never saw the Mozart name associated with it. Just caught me by surprise, I guess.



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Regards,
Gurn
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That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[Tegan]

I'm a girl, actually, and I don't really know much about Diabelli or Mozart the younger... I just read about his variations in a biography of Beethoven.

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by Tegan:
I'm a girl, actually, and I don't really know much about Diabelli or Mozart the younger... I just read about his variations in a biography of Beethoven.

Tegan,
Well, you seem to have survived it, so let's move ahead There really is not much to know about Diabelli, he was around with B for the last 10 years or so of his life, published some of his stuff, was fanous for the Variations, and was there after his death when B's scores and papers were divided up, coming away with a handful of them. He finished and published a few (i.e. - Rage Over a Lost Penny) and gradually faded away as lesser men will. Of course his association with B makes him immortal. As for Mozart the Younger, there is very little written about him. He died in 1844, tried to be a composer but apparently this talent is not genetically passed along. I am curious which biography of B that you read that in.


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Regards,
Gurn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[Tegan]

Survived what? Being a girl ? I read about it in Beethoven: The Music and the Life, by Lewis Lockwood. Thanks for the additional information!

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by Tegan:
Survived what? Being a girl ? I read about it in Beethoven: The Music and the Life, by Lewis Lockwood. Thanks for the additional information!

Tegan,
Yes, that's what I meant, although I never considered it a great handicap or anything! In any case, I appreciate that book info. I have been hearing more and more about that book, to where it seems that I will end up having to purchase it.


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Regards,
Gurn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Tegan]

I like being a girl. I've always wanted a little sister, but instead I got four younger brothers. I was able to request the Lewis Lockwood book from the library. It seems to be getting more popular. I want to read Beethoven's first biography (I forget the title), but I can't locate a copy.

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by Tegan:
I like being a girl. I've always wanted a little sister, but instead I got four younger brothers. I was able to request the Lewis Lockwood book from the library. It seems to be getting more popular. I want to read Beethoven's first biography (I forget the title), but I can't locate a copy.

Tegan
Well, it is not probably the first one, but the best one, written in the 1800's and revised in the early 1960's in "Thayer's Life of Beethoven" edited by Elliot Forbes. Perhaps knowing the title will allow you wo ask for it specifically with more success. Certainly worth your while. No library here, I have to buy or go without. So it goes.
PS - I had 4 sisters, it's not all that it's cracked up to be, Of course, the 2 brothers were no help either!




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Regards,
Gurn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Joy]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
In any case, I appreciate that book info. I have been hearing more and more about that book, to where it seems that I will end up having to purchase it.

I just went to the library this weekend and took out the Lockwood's book, am just starting on it. Very good, lots of information, and worth checking out. Starts with his youth, on through the Bonn years, into Vienna, and onward to the end of his life. Also includes a very detailed look at all his music especially the 9th symphony, a full chapter on that alone. Can't wait to get to that part. Lots of illustrations too. If you have to buy it, Gurn, the price that's on the book is $39.95, not bad!



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'Truth and beauty joined'

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by Joy:
I just went to the library this weekend and took out the Lockwood's book, am just starting on it. Very good, lots of information, and worth checking out. Starts with his youth, on through the Bonn years, into Vienna, and onward to the end of his life. Also includes a very detailed look at all his music especially the 9th symphony, a full chapter on that alone. Can't wait to get to that part. Lots of illustrations too. If you have to buy it, Gurn, the price that's on the book is $39.95, not bad!

Joy,
Thanks for the info. The review I read at Amazon complained that there was too much about the music, but of course, that is my real interest. I was hoping it would come out in trade paperback soon at about half the price, but that just doesn't seem to be happening, so perhaps I shall have to jump in there. Just think, I could get 3 different versions of the 9th for that money!




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Regards,
Gurn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Pastorali]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
Just think, I could get 3 different versions of the 9th for that money!

Aaaaahrrg – just my problem! Not just that I'd like to have much more versions of the 9th... it's a basicly problem, that my dreams are much bigger then my moneybag...

but the little I can buy, makes me extremly happy