William Rich

on a Theme of Beethoven

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The theme on which this piece is based was used by Beethoven in his opus 80 Choral Fantasy for piano, chorus and orchestra which pointed the way to the choral finale of his ninth symphony. It is noted that this theme first appeared in a sketch for his lieder-Gegenliebe.

This work uses that theme to create a set of variations finishing with a similarly derived fugal section. It is possible for the conductor to take some interpretive liberties with the tempi. At A, taking a somewhat broader tempo can be effective with a pressing forward at C.

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