Keyboard Variations K24 and K25

[dennis]

On the return home from the "Grand Tour" of 1764 - 1766, Leopold Mozart received a proposal "so attractive" he could not turn down to stay in Holland from September 1765 to April 1766. During this time in Holland the Mozart children performed at numerous concerts in different cities. The Mozart family was in The Hague from September 16, 1765 until about January 27, 1766; then in Amsterdam until the beginning of March, when they returned to The Hague for the ceremonies surrounding the Installation of Prince Willem V of Orange.

On May 16, 1766 Leopold Mozart in Paris wrote to Lorenz Hagenauer in Salzburg: "In the same parcel there are two sets of variations, one of which little Wolfgang had to compose on an Aire, written on the occasion of the majority and installation of the Prince, the other set he dashed off hurriedly on another melody which everybody all over Holland is singing, playing and whistling. They are trifles! But if you want to add a copy of each, you may do so, as they are unusual". Leopold also listed these two sets of variations for keyboard in his 1768 list of his son's works.

The two sets of variations referred to here are those on a Dutch Song by Christian Ernst Graaf "Laat ons Juichen" (K24) and on the theme of "Willem van Nassau" (K25).

Both sets of variations were advertised in the S'Gravenhaegse Vrijdagse Courant of March 7, 1766. K24 as "A Dutch Song on the Installation of His Serene Highness Willem V, Prince of Orange &c. &c. &c. Set to music by C.E. Graaf, and furnished with 8 artful variations by the celebrated young composer J.G.W.. Mozart, aged 9, at 12 sivers". K25 as "the well-known ditty Wilhelmus van Nassau &c., varied for the clavier by the aforesaid young Mozart". [Translations from Deutsch Mozart: A Documentary Biography]. The first issues were announced to be from J.J. Hummel in Amsterdam, and B. Hummel at the Hague.

The song "Laaf ons Juichen" was composed for the Installation of Wilem V, Erbstatthalters der Niederlande, by the Dutch composer and Kapellmeister at the Hague, Christian Ernst Graaf. The Mozarts had probably been acquainted with Graaf dating back to the concert organized in The Hague on September 30, 1765. Regarding the theme of K25 it was also used by Mozart in the last part of his Galimathias musicum K32. There is also a resemblance between this theme and the theme quoted by Nissen that young Wolfgang sang to his father on the words "oragna figata fa marina gamina fa" every night until his tenth year.

It is not known exactly when Mozart composed these sets of variations. As the works were advertised on March 7, 1766, they must have been before written this date. Ludwig Köchel listed the two sets of variations in K¹ as K24 and K25, dating them 1765. The French researchers Wyzewa/St.Foix dated K24 in The Hague, January 1766 and K25 in Amsterdam in February 1766. Einstein in K³ followed this. This dating was based on Leopold Mozart's listing of his son's works of 1768, where it reads: "Variations for the Klavier engraved.--at The Hague 1766"; and the next entry "Further variations for the Klavier, engraved--at Amsterdam 1766". However it is now believed Father Leopold was referring here to the place of publication rather than place of composition. It should also be noted in this list of works by his 12-year old son, K25 was no doubt listed before K24, while in the above letter passage of May 16, K24 precedes K25. Thus order of composition can not be taken from these accounts.

As the children performed at court on March 11,1766, it can be assumed these variations were played.

The 8 Variations K24 was also listed in K¹ in the Anhang section for doubtful works under Anh. 208. From the remarks I am not sure if Köchel thought he was perhaps dealing with two different sets of variations (K.Anh 208 shows as its source the Breitkopf & Härtel manuscript catalogue, pg.44) or did not connect the two K-numbers as the same composition.

Dennis Pajot