Probably in June 1795, Beethoven was attending a performance of La Molinara (a 1790 opera by Giovanni Paisiello) with a woman he was fond of. During the duet “Nel cor più non mi sento,” the woman remarked that she once had some variations on that tune but had lost them.
The next day, Beethoven delivered to her six variations on “Nel cor più non mi sento” that he had composed following that evening performance, made easy enough for the woman to play on sight. These variations are now catalogued as WoO 70.
#Beethoven250 Day 59
Variations on “Nel cor più non mi sento” from Paisiello’s “La molinara” (WoO 70), 1795
13-year-old piano student Sophie Woodward performs these variations at Rutgers in New Jersey.