Theme and Variation Form 2

Here are six more of my favorites in the common musical form, theme and variations. For more on this form see last week's post here.

Brahms, Paganini Variations.  The theme by Nicolai Paganini has been used over and over in classical music. Brahms used it to create 28 challenging, virtuosic piano etudes in two "books." This recording on YouTube includes a brief description of the piano technique employed in each variation, and, unfortunately, advertising interruptions!

Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.  This music uses the same Paganini theme as the Brahms variations above and results in a masterpiece of beauty and good humor. The music has a special place in my heart because my daughter wanted to use a recording of Variation 18 (16:16 on the recording) as the soundtrack for the daddy-daughter dance at her wedding.  The performer here is Ukrainian pianist Anna Fedorova with the German Philharmonie Südwestfalen.

Beethoven, Sonata in E Major, Op. 109.  The transcendent final movement (begins at 6:22 in this recording) culminates in a glorious, celestial glow.

Brahms, 4th Symphony, Fourth Movement (begins at 33:49 in this recording).  Identified as a chaconne, a kind of theme and variations popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, it includes 32 variations on the theme.  Performers in this recording are Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic. 

Bach, Passacaglia in C Minor for organ.  A passacaglia is a type of ground bass, in which the theme, mostly played in the bass (on the pedals) is repeated over and over, while all the rest of the music changes and explores emotional depths only implied by the theme.  Performed by Dutch organist and conductor Ton Koopman.  The final variation is awesome beyond words. 

Schubert, "Trout" Quintet, Fourth Movement.  The theme is Schubert's own famous song, "Die Forelle," "The Trout." The ensemble is a bit unusual: usually a string quartet is two violins, a viola, and a cello. A piano quintet would typically be a string quartet with piano added. Schubert's ensemble, though, is one violin, viola, cello, double bass, and piano. Schubert's tuneful and charming original song, (sung here by the distinguished German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau) is eminently listenable by itself.

As a final suggestion, listen to my “Variations on a Theme of Beethoven.”

When performing these works (Mozart, Brahms Book II [begins at 13:11], and Beethoven), I found I liked grouping the variations in groups of 2 or 3 and keeping an arc of tension, building to a high point near the end of the collection.  The ingenuity of the great composers leaves me in awe. 

Next Post: The invention of music notation