DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (November 27, 2020)

Beethoven composed two rondos for piano under this opus number in 1797, just two years after his Opus 1. He had studied Mozart intensively during his student years, and the main theme of this Rondo reminds us of the aria, "Il Mio Tesoro" from Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni." We include a recording of that aria from, believe it or not, 1916. John McCormack's ability to shape long phrases was so legendary, that even the conductor would stop to applaud:

A Rondo is a form that keeps returning to the same idea. If we call that main idea "A", then a Rondo can can have many different variations: " A B A C A", "A B A C A B A", "A B A C A D A" etc. In 17th century French music, the “Rondo” form tended to be fairly strict and predictable. In the hands of a Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven, the main element is surprise. When we expect "A", we get something else, and vice-versa. Even when "A" comes right where it should, it is still often a surprise. See if you can discern Beethocen's many surprises in this playful work: