Definition
In theme and variations, a theme (often a binary form or a small ternary form of 16–32 bars) is presented and then repeated several times, each time transformed while one or more elements stay constant: the melody, the bass, the harmonic scheme or the phrase structure. It is one of the oldest forms (the Spanish diferencias of the sixteenth century, the ground-bass variations of the English virginalists) and one of the most alive: from jazz (every solo chorus is a variation on the changes) to electronic music (a loop that transforms).
Types of variation
| Type | What stays | What changes | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ornamental / melodic | melodic contour, harmony, phrases | figuration, rhythm, embellishments | Mozart, 12 Variations K. 265 on “Ah vous dirai-je, Maman” |
| Harmonic / bass | bass and harmonies | new melody in each variation | Bach, Goldberg Variations BWV 988; passacaglia and chaconne |
| Character variation | hints of the theme | tempo, meter, character, key | Schumann, Études symphoniques; Brahms, Variations on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24 |
| Double variation | two alternating, varied themes | both | Haydn, Variations in F minor, Hob. XVII:6 |
| Free / developmental | motifs only | structure, harmony | R. Strauss, Don Quixote; Elgar, Enigma |
The most common techniques
- Progressive rhythmic diminution: quarter notes → eighth notes → triplets → sixteenth notes, to create a crescendo of energy.
- Variation in the minor (“minor,” or “major” if the theme is minor): a change of color in the middle of the cycle.
- Slow variation (Adagio), expressive, almost always toward the end.
- Contrapuntal variation (canon, fugato) and fugato finale.
- Change of meter (from 2/4 to 3/4 or 6/8).
- Reorchestration: the theme passes from one instrument to another (Ravel, Boléro: in practice a purely timbral variation).
Example: Mozart, 12 Variations K. 265 (C major)
- Theme: the French folk melody, rounded binary form (24 bars).
- Var. 1: sixteenth notes in the right hand; Var. 2: sixteenth notes in the left; Var. 3: triplets.
- Var. 8: in C minor, with imitations.
- Var. 11: Adagio, ornamented.
- Var. 12: Allegro in 3/4, brilliant close with coda.
This is the “textbook” Classical scheme: crescendo of figuration, minor variation in the middle, slow penultimate variation, fast finale.
More examples to listen to
- Bach, Goldberg (published in 1741): Aria and 30 variations on the bass of the aria; every third variation is a canon at an increasing interval (from the unison to the ninth); No. 30 is a quodlibet.
- Beethoven, “Eroica” Variations, Op. 35 (1802), which end with a fugue, and Diabelli Variations, Op. 120 (1823), 33 variations on a waltz.
- Brahms, Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a, with a finale in the form of a passacaglia.
- Elgar, “Enigma” Variations, Op. 36 (1899): each variation is a portrait of a friend (the famous “Nimrod”).
- Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 (1934): 24 variations; No. 18 is the theme inverted and transposed to Db major, and it became the most famous melody in the piece.
Exercise for a producer
- Write an 8-bar theme in C major (4 chords, 2 per phrase).
- Create 6 variations as separate patterns: (1) melody in eighth notes, (2) melody in swung triplets, (3) minor (Cm, Ab, Fm, G), (4) bass and drums only with the melody implied, (5) slow half-time with pads, (6) full version with the whole arrangement.
- Line them up in the Playlist: you have a complete form built from a single theme. It is the same principle as a DJ set or a techno track that varies a loop for 6 minutes.
Related
Passacaglia and chaconne, Motif and motivic development, Pedal point and ostinato, Head–solos–head in jazz, Bernstein: what is melody (Brahms, Fourth Symphony).