Twenty Variations in G major (Haydn)
piece by Joseph Haydn
Twenty Variations in G major, Hob. XVII/2, was written in the 1760s by Joseph Haydn. In 1788/1789, Artaria published the Arietta con 12 Variazioni in A major (Twelve Variations in A major), which is an abridged version of the Twenty Variations in G major, and in a different key.
History
There are two versions of these variations: Twenty Variations in G major and a shorter piece, Twelve Variations in A major, and are both referred to as Hob. XVII/2. This is due to the fact that Haydn wrote the Twenty Variations in 1765, but since he was in the employment of the Esterházy family at the time, he was not the owner of the music that he wrote, and consequently was not able to have his pieces published (this situation persisted to 1779, when his contract was revised to let Haydn publish.)
In 1788, Artaria published the Twenty Variations in G major as "Twelve Variations in A major". They have the same theme but differ in the number of variations. Both pieces are still performed; for example, the Twenty Variations in G major on Haydn: Piano Variations by Jenő Jandó, Arietta con 12 Variazioni in A major on Haydn: Piano Sonatas Vol. 9 by Jenő Jandó, and Twenty Variations in A major on The Virtual Haydn by Tom Beghin. The version most commonly recorded is the Twenty Variations in G major.
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