Carnival of Venice Variations

“The Carnival of Venice Variations Op.801” was composed in October 2024 by Andy Firth ostensibly to provide a version designed for the alto saxophone that can also be played by the Bb clarinet as well.

The history of the theme known as “Carnival of Venice” is somewhat sketchy and unknown however, what is known about this now famous theme is that it was based on an Italian folk tune called, “O Mamma, Mamma Cara”.

In the early 19th Century, the violinist and composer, Niccolo Paganini wrote a work consisting of 20 variations on the theme and called it, “Il Carnevale Di Venezia Op.10”

This version of the work was composed for the Australian Guild of Music and Speech (AGMS) for inclusion in the eighth grade alto saxophone/seventh grade clarinet exam syllabus by Andy Firth.

Consisting of the theme and four variations the work becomes increasingly more challenging as it progresses.

The work comes with: A piano accompaniment part, alto saxophone in Eb soloist part, performance track, a piano backing track