Robert Alexander Schumann initially aspired to be a pianist, but injured his fingers due to excessive practice, which led him to dedicate himself to composition. Consequently, for approximately ten years after focusing on composition, he immersed himself exclusively in composing piano works, writing numerous masterpieces for the piano.

This piece, dedicated to Countess Pauline von Abegg, was written by Schumann at the age of 20, between 1829 and 1830. Although this Countess Abegg is a fictional character, Schumann employed a novel method for the time: deriving the theme by assigning musical notes to the letters of her name (A-B-E-G-G).

The work as a whole consists of a theme (Animato, F major, 3/4 time), three variations (all in F major, 3/4 time), a Cantabile (A-flat major, 9/8 time), and a Fantasia-like Finale (F major, 6/8 time). Throughout, it is a captivating set of variations, rich in Schumann's characteristic ideas that significantly deviate from conventional norms.