Lanterna Rally

Author: Eliana Maria Murphy

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13:

The correlations between J.S. Bach's Aria mit verschiedenen Veranderungen, BWV 988 ("Goldberg Variations") (1741) and the variation movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata in E Major, Op. 109 (1820) may not be apparent at a cursory glance, yet upon closer examination, some striking parallels emerge. This document compares relevant excerpts of J.S. Bach's "Goldberg Variations" and Beethoven's Op. 109 variation movement, offering evidence that Beethoven indeed did use the "Goldberg Variations" as the inspiration for his musical invention in Op. 109's last movement. While there is no proof that Beethoven ever heard a performance or read through a score of the "Goldberg Variations," much circumstantial evidence points to the conclusion that he had several opportunities to do so. In the first chapter, I explore how Beethoven's exposure to Bach's music influenced his development as a composer, especially in his last compositional period. Special emphasis is given to the role that Gottfried, Baron van Swieten played in introducing Beethoven to many of Bach's scores. The second chapter describes many possible connections between the two works, including the following: 1. Many editions of the "Goldberg Variations" had been published by the time Beethoven was composing Op. 109, meaning that Bach's work was more accessible than many of the composer's other works; 2. Beethoven could have encountered the score in the libraries of Swieten or the composer's patron Archduke Rudolph; 3. Johann Philipp Kirnberger's theory text Die Kunst des reinen Satzes in der Musik (1773/77), a book Beethoven owned, includes two brief excerpts of the "Goldberg Variations" 4. Carl Czerny, a member of Beethoven's inner circle, claimed that he had been familiar with the "Goldberg Variations" during the time that Beethoven composed Op. 109; and 5. Scholars have noted the similarities between the "Goldberg Variations" and other works by Beethoven, especially Op. 120, the "Diabelli Variations." In the third chapter I summarize the compositional history and form of the "Goldberg Variations" and Op. 109. The majority of score analysis occurs in the fourth chapter, where I present related excerpts of Op. 109 and the "Goldberg Variations" including not only those discussed by previous scholars but also ones left previously unnoticed or summarily acknowledged by other authors. Finally, in the fifth chapter, I explore unexamined connections between the "Goldberg Variations" and Beethoven's sketches for the Op. 109 variation movement by juxtaposing excerpts of both and providing analytic comparisons, thus shining new light on the correlations between these two works.