Ex. 12-2: Variation 14 (edited)

From Beethoven's Variations and Fugue in E-flat major (Op. 35), composed in July–August 1802. When offering it to the publisher Breitkopf & Härtel, Beethoven described it as composed "in a truly entirely new manner."

The theme was a favorite of Beethoven's — he used it in four different works: the Contredanses (WoO 14), the ballet The Creatures of Prometheus (1801), this set of variations, and the finale of his Symphony No. 3 (Eroica, 1803–04). In a departure from tradition, the work opens not with the theme itself, but with its bass line alone, followed by three variations on the bass before the main theme finally appears — in the ballet, this represented the gradual creation of life by Prometheus.

Note: This version has been edited for sight-singing practice.