Beethoven’s Opus 121a variations for piano trio are based on an aria from Wenzel Müller’s 1794 singspiel “Die Schwestern von Prag” (The Sisters of Prague). The aria was originally “Ich bin der Schneider Wetz und Wetz” (I am the tailor whet and whet), but since “Wetz und Wetz” could also mean “grind and grind” and thus have sexual connotations, it was later changed to “Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu,” the German word for “cockatoo,” possibly alluding to high hairstyles word by dandyish man and women.
The Kakadu Variations, as they are often called, have a complicated compositional history. The work seems to have originated in 1803, soon after the Prometheus Variations (Day 161). When offering the work to his publisher on 19 July 1816, Beethoven described it as:
“variations with an introduction and a beginning for pianoforte, violin and violoncello on a well-known theme by Müller. These belong to my early works, but they are not poor stuff.” (Beethoven Letters No. 642)
There are indications that Beethoven revised the work in 1816, and it might have undergone another layer of revisions before being eventually published as Opus 121a in 1824.
The Kakadu Variations have an odd structure that perhaps attests to its composition over a period of years. The work begins with a long engaging fantasy-like Adagio introduction. The theme from Müller’s singspiel follows (reminiscent of Papageno), but the first eight of the ten variations seem reluctant to demonstrate a full integration of the three instruments: The 1st Variation is for piano only, the 2nd for violin with piano accompaniment, the 3rd for cello with piano accompaniment. The 4th Variation shifts back to a prominent piano part with violin and cello adding flourishes. The 5th has more integration but the 6th puts the emphasis on the piano again. The 7th Variation is for violin and cello, and the 8th mostly alternates the piano and strings.
The 9th Variation is a minor-key Adagio that finally achieves some authentic beauty, and the 10th is a rollicking 6/8 Presto finale with some fugal exploration that leaves us wishing for more substance in Variations 1 through 8. A coda is based on the original theme.
#Beethoven250 Day 296
Variations on “Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu” (Opus 121a), c. 1816
Pinchas Zuckerman and the Zuckerman Trio with Amanda Forsyth on cello and Angela Cheng, piano, in a church in New Jersey.
The Kakadu Variations are Beethoven’s last composition for piano trio, and his last chamber music for piano and strings (if you don’t count Opp. 105 and 107).