Music publisher Anton Diabelli spent most of 1819 collecting money to help families that had lost their sons or fathers in the wars. He wrote a theme, hoping 51 leading composers would be willing to write variations to, with the intention of publishing them all as a set. The proceeds would then of course go to the affected families. One of the composers he approached was Ludwig van Beethoven. Initially, the composer did not want to join, but the idea would not leave his mind. The end result is a set of compositions lasting almost an hour.