The reason why Mozart's "Notte e giorno faticar" is quoted in Beethoven's Diabelli Variations can be found in Czerny's Memoires. Apparently Diabelli was constantly pressing Beethoven to complete this work. On one particular occasion, Diabelli visited Beethoven after he had just completed Variation 21. As a humorous comment on being harangued by Diabelli, Beethoven consequently composed Variation 22 with quotations from Mozart's "Notte e giorno faticar" and a waltz tune titled Keine Ruh bei Tag und Nacht.

Index Classifications: 1800s

Contributed by: Lee Ann Roripaugh