Did Rossini really compose his Introduction, Theme and Variations?

Longtime readers of this blog know that there are countless unsolved mysteries of clarinet history, and I’m fascinated by these!

Today, we’re delving into a work which I consider to be one of the top 50 standard works for clarinet – Rossini’s Introduction, Theme and Variations!

Background

Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) composed Introduction, Theme and Variations around 1819, and it was dedicated to clarinetist Allesandro Abate. Abate was a clarinet professor in Naples, Italy, and he performed as principal clarinet at the Teatro La Munizione in Messina from 1815-1816.

The Introduction features lyrically florid clarinet passages, demonstrating the instrument’s expressive capabilities. The music is from Rossini’s opera Mosè in Egitto (Moses in Egypt). The specific aria is from Act II and is called “La pace mia smarrita” (My Lost Peace).

(Cheeky aside – I’ve lost a lot of peace trying to make this sound effortless! The difficulty of this piece is anything but peaceful when you’re first learning this!)

Next up is the Theme! This is from Rossini’s lesser-known opera La Donna del lago (The Woman by the Lake), specifically “Oh quante lagrime” (Oh how many tears).

Take some time to listen to these arias and you’ll hear a lot of familiar themes!

According to the notes for the Breitkopf & Härtel edition by Nicolai Pfeffer: “A number of surviving parts of the work can now be found at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz and includes the individual printed parts for the orchestral instruments and the solo clarinet. This is the main source for this edition. However, a piano reduction always published by Breitkopf & Härtel under plate number 3978 has not survived.”

Clarinetist fans of Rossini will be pleased to learn that he also wrote another solo work for clarinet when he was a student! His Variations for Clarinet and Small Orchestra in C was written circa 1809, and you can find the solo part on IMSLP. He also wrote a wind quartet for flute, clarinet, bassoon, and horn.

So, why do some historians believe that Rossini didn’t actually compose this Introduction, Theme and Variations?

The creation and debut of Rossini’s Introduction, Theme and Variation is shrouded in obscurity and leaves many questions unanswered. When exactly did Rossini write this? When was it premiered?

Some musicologists believe that Rossini didn’t actually write this piece, and that is because the manuscript appears to have been written by two different people.

The leading theory is that a student of Rossini actually wrote this piece by taking actual themes from Rossini’s music and embellishing them to create the variations.

Another theory is that a secondary composer wrote this for a music publishing company. Supposedly, some publishers during this time would hire composers who would create theme and variations based on other popular works and attribute it to that composer. This would increase sales and boost popularity of that composer’s music.

Yet another theory is that Rossini worked with a clarinetist (or clarinetists) to take his existing themes and create a virtuosic showpiece based on these.

Without any definitive proof, it’s unlikely we will know exactly who composed this Introduction, Theme and Variations. Despite this, clarinetists can still be dazzled by the sparkling virtuosity and beautiful bel canto phrases in this work.

If you’re still intrigued by this mystery, take a listen to Dieter Klöcker’s Rossini CD featuring works for clarinet and chamber orchestra. There are several works for clarinet, including TWO Introduction, Theme and Variations! (Listen to one here.) In the liner notes, he mentions that none of these could be considered authentic without further evidence. However, he mentions it might be possible that Rossini collaborated with Girolamo Saliero or Iwan Müller, although there are no sources for this.