The Andante with variations in F minor (Hoboken 17/6), also known as Un piccolo divertimento, was composed for piano by

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

in 1793, and is among his most popular piano works. (The late British composer and pianist John McCabe, in his booklet note accompanying his boxed set of recordings of Haydn's complete solo keyboard music, was of the opinion that it was possibly inspired by the death of

Maria Anna von Genzinger Maria Anna Sabina (von) Genzinger (6 November 1754 – 26 January 1793), called Marianne, was a Viennese amateur musician, the mother of six children, and a friend of the composer Joseph Haydn. Her correspondence with Haydn preserves a personal vi ...

(1754–93, called "Marianne") . 23 McCabe also says that this piece is Haydn's "most extended and most resourceful such work for the keyboard" . 22) The

variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individual ...

here are a set of

double variation The double variation (also known as alternating variations) is a musical form used in classical music. It is a type of theme and variations that employs two themes. In a double variation set, a first theme (to be called A here) is followed by a ...

s, the first theme is in F minor and the second theme in F major. Two variations of each theme and an extended

coda Coda or CODA may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Movie coda, a post-credits scene * ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television *''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...

follow. The manuscript of the Variations is owned by th
Music Division
o

For the Haydn bicentennial in 2009, G. Henle Verlag published a facsimile of the manuscript.

References

*David Ewen, ''Encyclopedia of Concert Music''. New York; Hill and Wang, 1959.

External links

Franz Joseph Haydn - Kaiserlied & Variation in f-Moll, Sonata un picolo Divertimento, Hob. XVII/6 (up to 1:26)
*
BBC Discovering Music
Program for Symphony #98 and Variations in F minor 1793 compositions Variations Compositions by Joseph Haydn Compositions for solo piano Compositions in F minor {{classical-composition-stub