The catalyst for
Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, which was to be one of his last and by far the longest works for solo piano, was the request of contemporary composer and publisher
Anton Diabelli, who invited 50 leading composers to submit variation sets on one of his waltzes.
Beethoven, who was a master of theme and variation, made easy work of this task. Despite submissions by other equally famous composers (including
Schubert and
Liszt),
Beethoven's work clearly stood out above the rest.
Diabelli himself was to have compared it to
Bach's Goldberg Variations. The theme and 32 variations run the gamut of varying temperaments, tempi, and emotions, providing a challenge to pianists' technique and listeners' attention.