While perusing this fascinating assortment, Brahms came upon a wind octet bearing the title Divertimento mit dem Chorale St. Antoni . Brahms was impressed by the variational potential the the theme that was marked St. Anthony Chorale . Brahms and Clara Schumann premiered the two piano version at an informal concert in Bonn during August of 1873. A few months later, the orchestral setting was first heard in a performance of the Vienna Philharmonic on November 2, 1873. Primarily interested in the inherent musical qualities of the St. Anthony Chorale , Brahms assumed that the theme was by F.J. Haydn and, most likely, never gave the origin of the theme another thought.
Subsequent scholarship suggests several other possibilities.
Some favor the idea that Haydn wrote the work, but borrowed the chorale theme from an older anonymous source. Whatever its origin, the theme owes its continued existence to Brahms' masterful set of variations. The years between these and the present work were largely devoted to vocal works and compositions in smaller forms. A triumph of this difficult period, the Haydn Variations was virtually impossible to criticize, for it combined both immediate appeal and passages that could only have been realized by a formidable musical mind. The success of this work also encouraged Brahms to return to his tabled First Symphony, which he then completed in 1876.