First Appearance

• Odeon Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1, No. 1, pp. 8-15; No. 2, pp. 35-43; No. 3, pp. 26-33.
• Nos. 1 and 3 were advertised in the Adresse newspaper on March 3 and April 30, 1827, respectively.

First Edition

Details of the First Edition Score

First Edition Information: Three Easy Rondos on Favorite Opera Melodies for the Pianoforte, composed by F. Kuhlau, Fourth Delivery of Opera Melodies, Op. 84, Copyright held by the publisher, Nos. 1-3, C.C. Lose, Copenhagen.

• Three volumes (1827), 9, 11, and 13 pages each, oblong format, engraved.
• The autograph manuscripts of the opening pages of Nos. 2 and 3 are preserved in the Royal Danish Library in Copenhagen. The latter has "Rondo on a Theme from the Opera of ~~~" written with a wavy line in the title section. Kuhlau likely used a wavy line because he was unaware that the theme of No. 3, which he himself arranged, was taken from Auber's Le Maçon.

Operatic Sources

Each piece is based on melodies from the following operas:

• Nos. 1 and 2 – Boieldieu: La Dame Blanche premiered in Paris on December 10, 1825. It premiered in Copenhagen on October 30, 1826.
• No. 3 – Auber: Le Maçon premiered in Paris on March 3, 1825. It premiered in Copenhagen (as Murmesteren, titled The Master Mason) in September 1827.