Vaterländischer Künstlerverein [SEP] instrumentation
Vaterländischer Künstlerverein
Vaterländischer Künstlerverein was a collaborative musical publication or anthology, incorporating 83 variations for piano on a theme by Anton Diabelli, written by 51 composers living in or associated with Austria. It was published in two parts in 1823 and 1824, by firms headed by Diabelli. It includes Ludwig van Beethoven's "Diabelli Variations", Op. 120 (a set of 33 variations), as well as single variations from 50 other composers including Carl Czerny, Franz Schubert, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Ignaz Moscheles, Friedrich Kalkbrenner
"Vaterländischer Künstlerverein", the second volume comprising the 50 variations by 50 other composers. Subsequent editions no longer mentioned "Vaterländischer Künstlerverein".
Title.
The title Beethoven gave to the work has received some comment. His first reference was in his correspondence, where he called it "Große Veränderungen über einen bekannten Deutschen Tanz" ("Grand Variations on a well-known German dance"). Upon first publication, however, the title referred explicitly to a waltz by Diabelli: "33 Veränderungen über einen Walzer