This is Mozart's first surviving set of variations for keyboard, written about the time he reached his tenth birthday. He had spent the winter of 1765-1766 in Holland with his family and was inspired to write this set of variations based on a then-popular Dutch song, Laat ons juichen, composed by Christian Ernst Graaf. Naturally, this Mozart work is not as masterfully crafted as his mature compositions, but the writing is surprisingly assured and the music light and attractive. The piece opens with the delightful Laat ons juichen theme, a graceful and light melody in Mozart's treatment here, and Baroque-like with trills punctuating the beginning of key phrases. The first variation is lively and bouncy, while the second is more subtle in its syncopated rhythmic character, more imaginative in its sparse textures. The next variant is lively and playful, again showing the composer's inventive skills. The fourth hurries about gracefully in its digital patter across the keyboard, while the ensuing variation proudly and playfully prances in its jaunty, leisurely pacing. The hushed tones of the ensuing variant are light and lively, and the seventh is slow and dreamy. The concluding variation is joyous and effervescent, energetic but playful. This work typically has a duration of six to seven minutes.

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