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Sources :
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Source : Elf Bagatellen [Eleven Bagatelles], 1820-1822.
Although the French word Bagatelle means trifle, these short piano pieces were highly regarded by Beethoven.
Beethoven's Eleven Bagatelles, Opus 119, nowadays considered as musical jewels of their genre, were the subject of a heated argument between Beethoven and publisher Peters Verlag to whom they were first offered, and who wrote to Beethoven : Your pieces are not worth the money that you are asking for them, and it is beneath your dignity to waste your time with such trivia that anyone could compose.
This Bagatelle in G minor, Opus 119, No. 1 is one of Beethoven's best known bagatelles, and is a favorite among intermediate piano players.
It was composed during Beethoven's mature period, when he was 53 years old.
It has the following form :
- M. 1-16 : Theme in G minor
- Mm. 17-32 : Contrasting section in E flat Major
- Mm. 33-36 : Transition modulating back to G minor
- Mm. 37-52 : Theme returns, in G minor, with its second phrase slightly varied
- Mm. 53-65 : Codetta in G minor
- Mm. 66-end : Conclusion in C minor, based on the first fragment of the theme, with an unusual ending on the dominant chord of C minor
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