DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (June 25, 2020)
Beethoven composed ”ch denke dein, Song with Six-variations for Piano Four-hand, WoO74, in 1803.
Under the theme, Beethoven printed the words from the first verse of Goethe's poem “Nähe des Geliebten”:
Ich denke dein, wenn mir der Sonne Schimmer
Vom Meere strahlt;
Ich denke dein, wenn sich des Mondes Flimmer
In Quellen malt.
I think of you when the gleam of sunlight
Shines upon the sea;
I think of you when the shimmer of the moon
Is painted on the fountains.
Should the pianists sing it, or not? These variations are no too difficult but fun for middle level players.
Here is a not-too-fast version:
If you like, you can compare it to Schubert’s magnificent setting of the entire poem, “Nahe des Geliebten”. It is not without reason that Robert Schumann said the only progress made since Beethoven had been in Lieder.