Klarinet Archive - Posting 000329.txt from 1995/08

From: Fred Jacobowitz <fredj@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Beethoven Op. 11
Date: Thu, 24 Aug 1995 20:30:19 -0400

Jay,
If you get the Urtext edition (a very worthwhile investment IMO)
you'll find that the theme is a melody which was all the rage at the
time. It is from a justly forgotten opera by one Joseph (I think)
Wiegel called "A Sailor's Loves", or
some such, and it was called "Before I Work, I Must Eat". According to
the research I did, Beethoven was contemptuous of this simpleminded work
and, indeed, having performed the work a number of times, we have found
that these variations are rather sophisticated musical jokes which could
easily have been Beethoven's way of thumbing his nose at this melody.

Fred Jacobowitz

On Wed, 23 Aug 1995, Jay Winick wrote:

> Somewhere I heard that the trio's third movement theme was suggested by the
> clarinettist and that it was based on an operatic theme to some opera with a
> funny name that involved food (more convoluted ??)
>
> Anyone know anything about this?
>
> Regards,
>
> Jay
>