César Franck (1822-1890) was one of the most important composers of the

nineteenth century. Not only was Franck deeply influenced by traditional

compositional techniques, including the fugue and contrapuntal of Bach, the formal

structure of Beethoven, the cyclical from of Liszt, and the harmony of Wagner, but he also blended these concepts with his own romantic individuality.

This thesis will introduce the life of Franck and the influences which he received through traditional and contemporary compositional techniques. Furthermore, the analysis and research of the“Symphonic Variations ”will be presented and a discussion of performance problems will be included in the concluding chapter.