Carl Czerny: Variations on a Theme by Rode, La Ricordanza, Opus 33
Program note written for the San Francisco Symphony.
When pianists think of mindless finger exercises, they often think of Carl Czerny. Though he is perhaps fairly maligned as a torturer of piano students, Czerny was also one of the most influential piano pedagogues of all time and a prolific composer of nearly 1,000 works in almost every genre. His music straddles the Classical and Romantic eras, reflecting his unique position in music history between two revolutionaries: Ludwig van Beethoven, his teacher, and Franz Liszt, his pupil.
The Ricordanza variations are a cover of a cover. The inspiration came to Czerny second-hand from a performance in 1820s Vienna by one of the great coloratura sopranos of the day, Angelica Catalani. In a spectacular feat, she sang her own solo voice version of Air varié, Opus 10, a violin showpiece by the violinist-composer Pierre Rode. Czerny was so taken with Catalani’s vocalise arrangement that he wrote his own from his memory of her performance (Ricordanza means “remembrance”). The multi-layered lineage of this piece reflects the vibrant exchange of ideas that swirled around Czerny in Vienna. There was no greater form of flattery than imitation.
These pastiche pieces, usually themes and variations or fantasies, were in great demand by publishers in Czerny’s day. Nearly every composer wrote many based on popular melodies. The forms really derive from improvisation, an art that Czerny literally wrote the book on: A Systematic Introduction to Improvisation on the Pianoforte. The Ricordanza variations are a charming example of Czerny’s wonderful contributions to the genre.
The variations open with a poised main theme which is followed by five variations and a coda. Czerny follows his own guidelines from his book, and we can find many of the compositional techniques described in his chapter “Concerning Improvisation on a Single Theme.” The third and fifth variations are pure showy pianistic fun, full of bubbly broken octaves and cascading runs. The fourth variation, marked sostenuto (sustained), brings us into a more reflective state with a slower tempo and expressive, singing melody. Following the fifth variation, Czerny writes an extended flourish mimicking the soloistic cadenza of a concerto. It is an improvisation written down, without barlines or rhythmic meter, creating a moment out of time. He ends the piece with a re-statement of the main theme, lightly embellished—a final whiff of elegance.