Twelve Variations on "La belle Françoise"
| Twelve Variations in E-flat major on "La belle Françoise" | |
|---|---|
| Theme and variations by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | |
 Mozart around 1780 | |
| Native name | Zwölf Variationen über "La belle Françoise" |
| Key | E-flat minor |
| Catalogue | K. 353/300f |
| Period | Classical music |
| Form | Theme and variations |
| Composed | 1778 – Paris (disputed) |
| Published | 1781 – Vienna |
| Duration | 16 minutes |
| Movements | 1 |
| Scoring | Piano |
Twelve Variations in E-flat major on "La belle Françoise" (German: Zwölf Variationen über "La belle Françoise"), K. 353/300f, is a set of theme and variations composed for piano by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Written after the popular French tune "La belle Françoise", it was presumably completed when Mozart was 22 years old.
Background
[edit]These variations were presumably composed by Mozart sometime between April and September 1778, during his stay in Paris. While little concrete evidence exists regarding the origin of the piece, it was later published in 1781 in Vienna, alongside other sets of variations and compositions based on French melodies—most notably the Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman". Because of this, the exact date of composition remains a subject of debate.[1] Sets of variations such as the Twelve Variations were generally well-received and marketable to both publishers and the public, which explains why Mozart dedicated part of his time in the 1780s to writing works in this form.[2][3] As of 2025, only fragments of the original autograph manuscript have survived, and the piece has been preserved primarily through subsequent publications and reprints.[4]
Structure
[edit]The piece is scored for piano and consists of fourteen sections: the theme itself and twelve variations, the last variation being followed by a coda which restates the theme. It has an approximate duration of sixteen minutes. It is in the key of E-flat major and both the theme and the vast majority of variations are in 6
8. Variation IX, the minore variation, is in E-flat minor. The sections can be presented as follows:[5][6]
| Variation | Title or tempo marking | Time signature | Bars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theme | — | 6 8 |
12 |
| I | — | 6 8 |
12 |
| II | — | 6 8 |
12 |
| III | — | 6 8 |
12 |
| IV | — | 6 8 |
12 |
| V | — | 6 8 |
12 |
| VI | — | 6 8 |
12 |
| VII | — | 6 8 |
12 |
| VIII | — | 6 8 |
12 |
| IX | Minore | 6 8 |
12 |
| X | Maggiore | 6 8 |
12 |
| XI | Adagio | 6 8 |
12 |
| XII | Presto | 2 4 |
29 |
| Coda | Tempo primo | 6 8 |
10 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Variations (12) on "La belle françoise," for ..." AllMusic. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ Keefe, Simon P. (24 October 2018). Mozart. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-55792-4.
- ^ Todd, R. Larry; Williams, Peter (13 February 2006). Perspectives on Mozart Performance. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-02406-8.
- ^ Kurt von Fischer, ed. (1962). "Nr. 7: Zwölf Variationen in Es über das französische Lied "La belle Françoise"". Neue Mozart-Ausgabe – Variationen für Klavier. Kritische Berichte, Serie IX, Werkgruppe 26. Bärenreiter. pp. 65–73. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (4 December 2017). 12 Variations on La Belle Francoise by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for Solo Piano (1782) K.353/300f. Read Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-5287-8063-6.
- ^ "Mozart: Piano Variations, Vol. 2". www.naxos.com. August 1993. 8.550612. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
External links
[edit]- Zwölf Variationen in Es, KV 353 (300f): Score in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe
- Twelve Variations on "La belle Françoise": Scores at the International Music Score Library Project