Variations on the Hymn ‘Gott erhalte’

Haydn only made piano arrangements of his own works in very special cases. The popularity of his hymn “Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser” (God Save Emperor Francis) did not simply occasion him to write the famous movement for the “Emperor Quartet” op. 76,3. He also later made an arrangement of these variations for piano. He might have done so following the wishes of the publisher Artaria. We now present a new edition of Haydn’s arrangement on the basis of the recently revised volume of “Piano pieces”. Furthermore, the edition opens with a facsimile of the emperor’s hymn.