It is one of a series of early chamber works, many involving woodwind instruments because of their popularity and novelty at the time.
This arose from its third movement which contains nine variations on a theme from the then popular dramma giocoso L'amor marinaro ossia Il corsaro (15 October 1797, Wiener Hoftheater) by Joseph Weigl.
This particular melody, "Pria ch'io l'impegno" ("Before I go to work"), was so popular it could be heard in many of Vienna's lanes ("Gasse" in German).
A rare word in contemporary German, rough modern equivalents of the term include "hit" (success) or "schlager".
Other composers who used this melody include Joseph von Eybler, Johann Nepomuk Hummel and Niccolò Paganini.