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The art of variation - CD1
The art of variation - CD1
Artist: Walter Schenkman
Genre:
Music for piano
Category:
Antologies
Composer:
Various Artists
Supported languages: Italiano
Extended description:
The art of the variation
as practiced by Beethoven and near contemporaries
as practiced by Beethoven and near contemporaries
Every set of variations - whether by Beethoven or another - requires a central musical idea or "Theme" to serve as frame of reference for the composer. The Theme - a short musical statement sufficient in its own right - is stated at the outset of the composition. It may be taken from an old folk tune, or it may consist of music borrowed from a popular operatic scene. Then again, the composer may choose to write his or her own original theme to serve as model for the variations to follow. Whatever the derivation, once determined, the composer is free to follow the whim of the moment in how he will treat his theme in variation: he may adhere closely to the original lines of the theme in devising variations; or he may deviate widely from those lines. From the standpoint of the listener, relationships between the one and the other may sometimes be easily discernible; more often than not, however, repeated hearings would be necessary in order to glean the sense of those relationships: and of course, for those who read music, following the score while listening would be helpful.
Anton Diabelli, who doubled as both composer and music publisher, submitted his Theme to some fifty different composers (including Franz Schubert and the 11-years old Franz Liszt), asking each to submit a single variation. The whole was intended for publication in order to raise money for a worthy charitable cause. Beethoven responded to the request with 33 Variations, and the publisher decided to publish that work as a single volume. It may well be that Beethoven felt challenged by the simple logic of Diabelli's unpretentious theme. In any event, two features of the theme stand out: the repeated tones of the opening measures, and the tight sequence structure of the inner portions of the composition. Emphasizing one or the other of these features - sometimes both - Beethoven leaves us with an endless variety of musical ideas and developments in his 33 Variations that remain - along with Bach's Goldberg Variations - one of the great monuments of Variation Literature.
Anton Diabelli, who doubled as both composer and music publisher, submitted his Theme to some fifty different composers (including Franz Schubert and the 11-years old Franz Liszt), asking each to submit a single variation. The whole was intended for publication in order to raise money for a worthy charitable cause. Beethoven responded to the request with 33 Variations, and the publisher decided to publish that work as a single volume. It may well be that Beethoven felt challenged by the simple logic of Diabelli's unpretentious theme. In any event, two features of the theme stand out: the repeated tones of the opening measures, and the tight sequence structure of the inner portions of the composition. Emphasizing one or the other of these features - sometimes both - Beethoven leaves us with an endless variety of musical ideas and developments in his 33 Variations that remain - along with Bach's Goldberg Variations - one of the great monuments of Variation Literature.
Carl Phillip Bach's 10 Variations on the "Folies d'Espagne" are based on a famous dance dating from the 16th century. Phillip Emanuel, the third child and second son of Johann Sebastian, spent a good part of his life as harpsichordist in attendance at the court of Frederick the Great. As a composer, this Bach son is considered something of a transitional figure: at times his music harks back to the "old-fashioned" traditions of his father's day; at other times it seems to anticipate Beethoven in a most surprising manner. The present Variations, which appeared in the year 1778 (before Beethoven had reached his tenth birthday!), beautifully exemplify both of these contradictory tendencies.
Mozart wrote his 10 Variations on Gluck's "Unser dummer Poebel meint" (our dumb peoples think...) in a single August day in 1784 as a tribute to his great operatic predecessor, Christoph Willibald Gluck. Gluck, some 40 years his senior, repaid the compliment by treating both the young Mozart and his wife to dinner in a fine restaurant.
The simple lines of Gluck's theme are clearly heard in the first few variations of Mozart's work. In the later variations of the series, Mozart complicates matters by placing those lines in the bass and providing new counterpoints in the upper voices. He also introduces free cadenzas at various points towards the close of this charming composition, which is otherwise generally considered to be one of the finest among his numerous sets of variations for piano solo.
The main theme of Beethoven's 6 Variations in D major was subsequently used by the composer in some incidental music for a dramatic scene entitled "The Ruins of Athens". In that work, the main theme was called a "Turkish Dance". Both of these titles are frequently applied to the present composition; but however named, this particular work shows Beethoven in a rare mood of raucous good humor and unbridled joviality.
Mozart wrote his 10 Variations on Gluck's "Unser dummer Poebel meint" (our dumb peoples think...) in a single August day in 1784 as a tribute to his great operatic predecessor, Christoph Willibald Gluck. Gluck, some 40 years his senior, repaid the compliment by treating both the young Mozart and his wife to dinner in a fine restaurant.
The simple lines of Gluck's theme are clearly heard in the first few variations of Mozart's work. In the later variations of the series, Mozart complicates matters by placing those lines in the bass and providing new counterpoints in the upper voices. He also introduces free cadenzas at various points towards the close of this charming composition, which is otherwise generally considered to be one of the finest among his numerous sets of variations for piano solo.
The main theme of Beethoven's 6 Variations in D major was subsequently used by the composer in some incidental music for a dramatic scene entitled "The Ruins of Athens". In that work, the main theme was called a "Turkish Dance". Both of these titles are frequently applied to the present composition; but however named, this particular work shows Beethoven in a rare mood of raucous good humor and unbridled joviality.
"Schenkman is a superb artist [...]. His performance of the Goldberg (Bach and Before CD) ranks high, in the company of Wanda Landowska et al..."
(Robert Dumm, Clavier Review, Jan. 2005)
(Robert Dumm, Clavier Review, Jan. 2005)
"...a pianist who plays with true authority, an authority invested by the composer which he communicates with amazing success."
(Wes Blomster, Classical Music Critic)
(Wes Blomster, Classical Music Critic)
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