Editing Anton Diabelli (section)

===Diabelli Variations===
{{listen|filename=Beethoven - Diabelli Variations - 00.ogg|title=Diabelli's Theme|description=Performed by Neal O'Doan}}
The composition for which Diabelli is now best known was actually written as part of an adventuring story. In 1819, as a promotional idea, he decided to try to publish a volume of [[variation (music)|variation]]s on a "patriotic" waltz he had penned expressly for this purpose, with one variation by every important Austrian composer living at the time, as well as several significant non-Austrians. The combined contributions would be published in an anthology called ''[[Vaterländischer Künstlerverein]]''. Fifty-one composers responded with pieces, including Beethoven, Schubert, [[Archduke Rudolf of Austria (1788–1831)|Archduke Rudolph of Austria]], [[Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart]] (jun.), [[Moritz, Prince of Dietrichstein]], [[Eduard de Lannoy|Heinrich Eduard Josef Baron von Lannoy]], [[Ignaz von Mosel|Ignaz Franz Baron von Mosel]], [[Carl Czerny]], [[Johann Nepomuk Hummel]], [[Ignaz Moscheles]], [[Simon Sechter]], and the eight-year-old [[Franz Liszt]] (although it seems Liszt was not invited personally, but his teacher Czerny arranged for him to be involved). Czerny was also enlisted to write a [[coda (music)|coda]]. Beethoven, however, instead of providing just one variation, provided 33, and his formed Part I of ''Vaterländischer Künstlerverein''. They constitute what is generally regarded as one of the greatest of Beethoven's piano pieces and as the greatest set of variations of their time, and are generally known simply as the ''[[Diabelli Variations]]'', Op. 120. The other 50 variations were published as Part II of ''Vaterländischer Künstlerverein''.<ref name=":0" />