DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (October 2, 2020)
No one is quite sure of the origin of Beethoven's 23 Folk Songs of Different Nationalities, WoO 158a. They are similar to the Scottish and Irish songs in that they are set for piano, cello, 2 violins, and various vocal combinations. However, the vocal parts are written in the original languages, with German translation underneath, and they cover an amazing array of German, Danish, Tyrolian, Polish, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian, Swedish, Swiss, Venetian and Hungarian.
This video provides the score and text. If you click on "show more" you will see the starting times.
The only song that is presented in German only, is the Ukrainian song “Schone Minke”, so here is the Ukrainian version of Beethoven's setting:
Beethoven also composed two sets of “Variations on National Airs, for flute and piano”, Op. 105 and 107. They are amazing in that not only the theme, but the variations maintain the national character. In this video of Op. 107, the variations on “Schone Minke” begin at 30:31.
We begin to sense a type of composition emerging that is both universal, and yet, proudly patriotic!
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