On December 24, 1912, Kōsaku Yamada became engaged to Dorothea Schmidt, the daughter of his landlady in Berlin, where he was studying abroad (the engagement was later broken off). The day of the engagement was also the day Yamada interrupted his composition of the Variations after the eighth variation. Yamada resumed work on this piece three years later, in 1915, after returning to Japan. He deleted the original draft from the sixth variation onwards, composed new material up to the tenth variation, and completed the work on February 5. The work was published five months later, in July 1915, in Ongaku (Music), Vol. 6, No. 7, a magazine published by the Tokyo Academy of Music. Its premiere took place on January 30 of the following year at a concert titled "Yamada Abend," performed by Paul Scholz, a professor at the Tokyo Academy of Music.

This work consists of a theme and ten variations. According to Yamada, the theme was taken from a hymn that his mother loved and that comforted her on her sickbed. Kōsaku's mother, Hisa (renamed from Kisa), passed away on January 24, 1904. Hisa was the person who understood Kōsaku's passion for music and, in her will, allowed him to enroll in the Tokyo Academy of Music. Remembering his mother, who had raised him with deep affection since childhood, Yamada composed these Variations. Rather than being a variation form in the strict sense, for the composer himself, this work was an attempt to express the diverse character of his mother.

Variations in C Major (December 24, 1912 – February 5, 1915)

This work is relatively frequently performed. The theme is a hymn favored by his mother.

The following inscription is found on the cover of the autograph manuscript:

A song beloved by my mother.

A song that my brothers and I

sang together to comfort her on her sickbed.

A song that choked me before her spirit

on the evening she entered eternal sleep.

Now, tracing those memories,

for my mother...

Furthermore, regarding these variations, Yamada wrote [3]: “These variations are not what are conventionally called variations in terms of form. I do not know how they will resonate with everyone, but at least I intended to express the diverse character of my mother through this short hymn excerpt. It goes without saying that their arrangement is based on musical sentiment.” He indicated the following regarding each variation:

• No. 1 represents a quiet, devout, and religious mother.
• No. 2, a light and healthy mother.
• No. 3, a very meticulous and distinct aspect of my mother.
• No. 4 is her maternal love for children. It depicts the heart of a mother watching over the face of an infant being rocked in a cradle.
• No. 5 is an energetic and active part of my mother. I wrote up to this point on December 24, 1912, and simply could not continue. Then, on February 5 of last year, I was able to complete Nos. 6 to 10.
• No. 6 is a melancholic day of my mother.
• No. 7 expresses my mother's character, who was indeed a good conversationalist.
• No. 8 is my mother's playful side, as she frolics with children.
• No. 9 would be my mother's splendid, cheerful countenance.
• No. 10 is nothing but my praise for my mother.

The autograph manuscript exists up to Var. 5, and the natural dynamic markings in the autograph manuscript were adopted. Furthermore, the initial tempo/expression markings for Variations 1 to 5 in the autograph manuscript are written in German, as follows:

• Var. 1: Ruhig (Quietly, calmly)
• Var. 2: leicht (Lightly)
• Var. 3: sehr rhythmisch (Very rhythmically)
• Var. 4: schwankend (Wavering)
• Var. 5: energisch (Energetically, full of spirit)

Additionally, Var. 6, Var. 7, and part of Var. 8 are written in the autograph manuscript but are crossed out with an 'X' mark. The pieces from Var. 6 onwards found in the copyist's manuscript and published editions were not present in the autograph manuscript.

Score Information

• Autograph Manuscript: Ms. 1054 (up to Var. 5)
• Copyist's Manuscript: Ms. 425 (complete work)
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