Anton Diabelli: Sonatina in C, Op.168 No.3

Allegro moderato; Andantino; Rondo (Allegro) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Austrian composer and music publisher Anton Diabelli (1781-1858) is remembered for two things. First, there was the waltz he sent around to various composers of the day in 1819, requesting them to write variations for an anthology. The challenge was, of course, best met by Beethoven, who wrote a whole set. Second, there are the eleven sonatinas (Opp. 151 and 168), which are still studied by many students to this day. I had never systematically studied them, although I probably learned one or two movements as a boy. However, I was given a copy of the Op. 168 set recently, and got much pleasure from playing through them - admiring the way Diabelli distilled the essence of a late classical sonata into miniature forms. This sonatina sets an odd musical problem, in that the first two bars of the RH melody and harmony of the first and second movements are identical, but in different keys. One has to be careful to take a markedly different tempo for the second movement to disguise this fact - otherwise the work does not hang together. I am not sure if Diabelli did this deliberately or if he compiled these sonatinas from movements he already had &stock& ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Played by Phillip Sear