This is a variation set from Beethoven's experimental period. At the time, variation sets were typically unified in the same key, with the exception of relative or parallel keys. However, he inserted a key descending by a third. The theme in F major transitions to its relative minor, D minor, in Variation 5. Subsequently, where it would normally return to the tonic, it descends further by a third, leading to B-flat major in Variation 6. As a result, because it is the dominant key, it successfully returned to the tonic via a V-I progression. Three years later, he further explored this concept in his Piano Variations, Op. 34.

Incidentally, Franz Süssmayr (1766-1803) was a pupil of Mozart, known for completing his master's final work, the Requiem. His Singspiel, Soliman II, premiered in October 1799 and was a success. Beethoven's variations are said to have been composed shortly thereafter.