In music, variation is a formal technique where material is altered during repetition; reiteration with changes. Changes may be harmonic, melodic, contrapuntal, rhythmic, and of timbre or orchestration. Variational sections depend upon one type of presentation of material, while developmental sections use many different presentations and combinations of material. For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ... Look up Repetition in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the components of sound. ... Look up Melody in Wiktionary, the free dictionary In music, a melody is a series of linear events or a succession, not a simultaneity as in a chord. ... For other uses, see Counterpoint (disambiguation). ... Rhythmic music and Rhythmic radio, also known as Rhythmic Crossover or Rhythmic Pop, is a term used to describe a certain group of radio stations and the Billboard chart that is compiled based on airplay from those radio stations. ... In music, timbre, or sometimes timber, (from Fr. ... Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble) or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium. ... Musical development is the transformation and restatement of initial material, often contrasted with musical variation, with which it may be difficult to distinguish as a general process. ...

Variation forms include ground bass, passacaglia, chaconne, and theme and variations (Copland 2002, p.115). Theme and variations is a musical form in which the fundamental musical idea, or theme, is repeated in altered form or accompanied in a different manner. It could be used as a solo piece or as movement of a larger piece. Passacaglias and chaconnes are forms in which a repeating bass line or ostinato is heard through the entire piece. Fantasia variation is a form which relies on variation but which repeats and incorporates material freely. In music, a ground bass is a bass part or bassline that repeats continually, as an ostinato, while the melody and possibly harmony over it change. ... The term musical form refers to two related concepts: the type of composition (for example, a musical work can have the form of a symphony, a concerto, or other generic type -- see Multi-movement forms below) the structure of a particular piece (for example, a piece can be written in... In music, a theme is the initial or primary melody. ... In music a passacaglia (French: passacaille, Spanish: pasacalle, German: passacalia; Italian: passacaglio, passagallo, passacagli, passacaglie) is a musical form and the corresponding court dance. ... In music, a chaconne (IPA: ; Italian: ciaccona) is a musical form whose primary formal feature involves variation on a repeated short harmonic progression. ... In music, an ostinato (derived from Italian: stubborn, compare English: obstinate) is a motif or phrase which is persistently repeated at the same pitch. ...

History of variations

Works in theme-and-variation form first emerge in the history of classical music only in the sixteenth century (Sisman 2001). A favorite form of variations in Renaissance music was divisions, a type in which the basic rhythmic beat is successively divided into smaller and smaller values. The basic principle of beginning with simple variations and moving on to more elaborate ones has always been present in the history of the variation form, since it provides a way of giving an overall shape to a variation set, rather letting it just form an arbitrary sequence. Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. ... This article is about the European Renaissance of the 14th-17th centuries. ... a specific type of ornamentation or variation, most common in 17th century English music Category: ...

Two famous variation sets from the Baroque era, both for harpsichord, are George Frideric Handel's Harmonious Blacksmith set, and Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations, which together with Beethoven's late variations is widely considered to represent the pinnacle of the form. Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750. ... Harpsichord in the Flemish style A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. ... “Handel” redirects here. ... A harmonious blacksmith in Habit de Marêchal by Nicolas de Larmessin (1684-1755) The Harmonious Blacksmith is the popular name of the final movement, Air and variations, of George Frideric Handels Suite no. ... “Bach” redirects here. ... The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, original title Aria mit verschiedenen Veränderungen[1] published as Clavierübung, bestehend in einer Aria. ... “Beethoven” redirects here. ...

In the Classical era, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote a great number of variations, such as the first movement of his Piano Sonata in A, K. 331, or the finale of his Clarinet Quintet. Mozart favored a particular pattern in his variations: the penultimate variation is in slow tempo, often acting as a kind of extra slow movement in a multi-movement work; and the final variation is fast and in bravura style.^{[citation needed]} Joseph Haydn specialized in sets of double variations, in which two related themes, usually minor and major, are presented and then varied in alternation; outstanding examples are the slow movement of his Symphony No. 103, the Drumroll, and the Variations in F minor for piano, H XVII:6 (Sisman 2001). The Classical period in Western music occurred from about 1730 through 1820, despite considerable overlap at both ends with preceding and following periods, as is true for all musical eras. ... “Mozart” redirects here. ... The first two bars of Sonata in A, K331 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts Piano Sonata No. ... Mozarts Clarinet quintet in A major, K. 581 was written in 1789 for the clarinetist Anton Stadler. ... “Haydn” redirects here. ... The double variation is a musical form used in classical music. ... Joseph Haydns Symphony No. ...

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote many variation sets in his career. Some were independent sets, of which the most substantial is considered to be the "Diabelli" variations, Op. 120.^{[citation needed]} Others form single movements or parts of movements in larger works, such as first movement of the Piano Sonata Op. 26, or the variations in the final movement of the Third Symphony. Variation sets that listeners often consider to be among Beethoven's most profound musical utterances^{[citation needed]} occur in several of his late works, such as slow movement of his String quartet Op. 127, the second movement of his final Piano sonata, Op. 111, and the slow movement of the Ninth Symphony. “Beethoven” redirects here. ... The 33 Variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli Op. ... Ludwig van Beethoven composed his Piano Sonata No. ... Eroica Symphony Title Page The Symphony No. ... The String Quartet No. ... The Piano Sonata No. ... Composer Ludwig van Beethoven The Symphony No. ...

Franz Schubert wrote five variation sets using his own lieder as themes. A highlight of these is the slow movement of his string quartet Death and the Maiden (Der Tod und das Mädchen, D. 810), an intense set of variations on his somber lied (D. 531) of the same title. Schubert's Piano Quintet in A (The Trout, D.667) likewise includes variations on The Trout (Die Forelle, D. 550). Schubert redirects here. ... Lied (plural Lieder) is a German word, literally meaning song; among English speakers, however, it is used primarily as a term for European classical music songs, also known as art songs. ... The Trout Quintet is the popular name for the piano quintet in A major by Franz Schubert. ...

In the Romantic era, the variation receded somewhat in importance, but many composers nevertheless created variation sets. A standout was Johannes Brahms, whose Classical tendencies perhaps naturally inclined him to writing variations; some of Brahms's variation sets rely on themes by older composers, for example the variations for orchestra on a theme (thought in Brahms's time to be) by Haydn (1873) and the Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel (1861). Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations (1899) is probably his best-known full-length piece. The era of Romantic music is defined as the period of European classical music that runs roughly from 1820 to 1900, as well as music written according to the norms and styles of that period. ... Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) was a German composer of the Romantic period. ... The Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, consisting of a theme, eight variations and a finale, were composed in 1873 by Johannes Brahms. ... The Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. ... Sir Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, OM, GCVO (2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English Romantic composer. ... Variations on an Original Theme for orchestra, Op. ...

Variation sets have also been composed by twentieth-century composers, including Sergei Rachmaninoff (Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini), Charles Ives (Variations on America, 1891), Arnold Schoenberg (the Variations for Orchestra, Opus 31, and Theme and Variations, Opus 43), Igor Stravinsky (Variations for Orchestra, 1964), Anton Webern (the Variations, Opus 27 for piano and Variations, Opus 30 for orchestra), Alban Berg (Act 1, Scene 4 and the beginning of Act 3 scene 1 of Wozzeck), Paul Hindemith, and Benjamin Britten (including the The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Purcell) and the Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge). Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (Russian: , Sergej Vasilevič Rakhmaninov, 1 April 1873 (N.S.) or 20 March 1873 (O.S.) – 28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor, one of the last great champions of the Romantic style of European classical music. ... Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Russian: , Rapsodiya na temu Paganini) is a piece of classical music for orchestra and solo piano by Sergei Rachmaninoff. ... This photo from around 1913 shows Ives in his day job. He was the director of a successful insurance agency. ... Arnold Schoenberg, Los Angeles, 1948 Arnold Schoenberg (the anglicized form of Schönberg — Schoenberg changed the spelling officially when he left Germany and re-converted to Judaism in 1933; September 13, 1874 – July 13, 1951) was an Austrian and later American composer. ... In music, variation is a formal technique where material is altered during repetition; reiteration with changes. ... Igor Stravinsky. ... Anton Webern (December 3, 1883 – September 15, 1945) was an Austrian composer and conductor. ... Bust of Alban Berg at Schiefling, Carinthia, Austria Alban Maria Johannes Berg (February 9, 1885 – December 24, 1935) was an Austrian composer. ... Wozzeck is the first opera by the Austrian composer Alban Berg (1885-1935). ... Paul Hindemith aged 28. ... Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH (November 22, 1913 Lowestoft, Suffolk - December 4, 1976 Aldeburgh, Suffolk) was a British composer, conductor, and pianist. ... The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra, op. ...

In 1922, Igor Stravinsky composed an Octet, part of which contains an example of a flute theme and several variations on that theme (the title of the said piece is "Tema con Variazioni", literally "Theme with Variations"). Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Igor Stravinsky. ... In music, an octet is a musical ensemble consisting of eight instruments or a musical composition written for it. ...

Improvised variations

Skilled musicians who know a theme well can often improvise variations on it. This was commonplace in the Baroque era, when the da capo aria, particular when in slow tempo, required the performer to be able to improvise a variation during the return of the main material. Improvisation is the act of making something up as you go along. ... The da capo aria was a musical form prevalent in the Baroque era. ...

Musicians of the Classical era also could improvise variations. A minor work by Beethoven, his Fantasia in G Minor Op. 77, is almost certainly a written transcription of an improvised performance, at the core of which is a series of variations on a short theme. The great number and somewhat stereotyped character of Mozart's stand-alone variation sets for piano suggest that these, too, may be written-down improvisations, or at least were composed in haste.

Improvisation of elaborate variations on a popular theme is one of the core genres of jazz. For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ...

Examples

An example of a variation, as obtained from the MidiNotate Composer User Forum. MidiNotate Player, MidiNotate Musician, and MidiNotate Composer are all members of the product family developed by Notation Software, Inc. ...

See also

• Tune-family
• Matrix (music)

In folk music a tune-family is a seeming multiplicity of melodies reducible to a small number of models or sets. One can think of the models or sets as deep structures. ... In music matrices are used in the visualization of all permutations or forms of a tone row or set in music written using the twelve tone technique or serialism. ...

Sources

• Copland, Aaron (2002). What to Listen for in Music. Revised edition of an authorized reprint of a hardcover edition published by McGraw-Hill Book Company. New York: Signet Classic. ISBN 0-451-52867-0.
• Nelson, Robert U. 1948. The Technique of Variation; A Study of the Instrumental Variation from Antonio de Cabezón to Max Reger. University of California Publications in Music 3. Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Sisman, Elaine. 2001. "Variations". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. S. Sadie and J. Tyrrell. London: Macmillan.

External links

• Classical Music Pages: Variation
• Variations on Greensleeves