The second song of Beethoven’s Opus 82 Four Arietta and a Duet is known by its Italian first line “T’intendo sì, mio cor” (“I understand you well, my heart”) but was published under the German title “Liebes-Klage” (“Love Lament”). The text is by Metastasio.
The second song of Opus 82 addresses the singer’s heart:
I understand you well, my heart;
From your vigorous throbbing
I know you wish to complain
That you are in love.
Ah, do not reveal your sorrow;
Ah, bear your anguish:
Keep it silent, and do not betray
My fond feelings.
#Beethoven250 Day 234
“Liebes-Klage” / “T’intendo sì, mio cor” (Opus 82, No. 2), 1809
The Senior Recital of Joshua Cavanaugh at Chapman University.
In his invaluable “The Beethoven Song Companion” (p. 262), Paul Reid writes about Opus 82 No. 2:
“Beethoven finds a rising demisemiquaver [32nd note] couplet figure, separated by short rests, as an analogue for his suffering heart. This touching figure, suggestive of sighing or sobbing, a persistent tug at the heartstrings, opens and closes the song, and recurs in regular short interludes, lending the song musical and semantic unity. The fact that the figure is not replicated in the vocal melody and hardly overlaps the voice creates a real sense of dialogue: the piano is the beating heart, to which the singer responds with his first phrase and with whom he maintains an emotional exchange throughout.”