Tobias Haslinger was Chopin’s first foreign publisher. The two became acquainted during the young composer’s trip to Vienna in 1829, when Haslinger was presented with manuscripts of the Variations Op. 2, Sonata Op. 4 and Variations on a German National Air. Op. 2 was released in April 1830, whereas the other two works were not engraved until 1840. Only after Chopin’s death were they actually brought out, however: their earlier publication was suspended as a result of the composer’s own misgivings.[1]

The title page of Op. 2 exists in two slightly different versions: the first refers to the orchestral accompaniment, while the second – intended for the solo piano market – makes no mention of the version with orchestra. Haslinger published a second edition of this work relatively early, only nine years after the first. Its TP – like the wrapper, TP and dedication page of Hexameron (published at the beginning of the same year) – is distinguishable by the use of colour.

Haslinger employed lithographic transfer only once, when producing a late reprint of Hexameron in 1872–73 (see HEX–1a-HAt). In contrast, his successor Schlesinger (Lienau) used this technique quite frequently.

[1] See his letters to Fontana of 12 September 1841 and to his family of 1 August 1845 in KFC 1955: ii/34, 145–146.