Frédéric Chopin composed his set of four variations on 'Je vends des scapulaires' after attending a performance of the opera Ludovic, composed by Joseph Ferdinand Herold and finished by Fromental Halévy. 'Je vends des scapulaires' is the title of an aria from said opera, after which Chopin modelled a set of introduction, theme, and 4 variations in the key of B flat major. The work was dedicated to Emma Horsford.
