Jean Françaix composed his Tema con variazioni for clarinet and piano in 1974 on a

commission from the Paris Conservatoire. Although used as that year's "Pièce de Concours" in
the Conservatoire's clarinet department, Françaix dedicated the Tema con variazioni to his
grandson, Olivier. The theme is soberly stated in a tempo marked Largo, and this is followed
by a florid and impressive set of six variations. The piece is generally cheerful, jazzy in feeling
and its appeal is immediate, rather unlike what you would expect from a contemporary
composer in that day and age. Luckily for Françaix, his decision to hold out against current
trends paid off in the long run, as this is one of only a few chamber works of the 1970s to enter
the standard repertoire. The Tema con variazioni has been recorded many times and may be
found listed as a required work in many collegiate level clarinet courses. Inasmuch as it may be
compared to other works within the long-running cycle of Pièces de Concours for clarinet,
the Françaix Tema con variazioni runs a close third in popularity to similar works by André
Messager (1899) and Henri Rabaud(1901). In 1978, Françaix dusted off the Tema con
variazioni and recast it for clarinet and string orchestra, and while the result was as good as
can be expected, this version has enjoyed nowhere near the popularity of the original for
clarinet and piano.