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The art of variation - CD2
The art of variation - CD2
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.
Beethoven's 12 Variations on a Russian Dance, an early work, are based on a theme taken from an opera by an obscure composer of the day. The Theme is unusual in that it is built around uneven phrase lengths of five-measure units rather than he more commonly found four. The same uneven phrase-lengths prevail in each of the twelve variations that follow. The initial tempo of the Theme is likewise maintained throughout the series until the last variation, where a change of meter accelerates the movement, and concludes the whole with an extended free coda.
The Theme of Mozart's Variations on "Maman, je vous dirais..." is immediately recognizable as our "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". Fragments of the theme will also be recognized in many of the variations, although at times Mozart's embellishments tend to obscure the simple lines of the original. The composer introduces a lyrical Adagio in next to the last variation; and just as in the preceding composition by Beethoven, there is an accelerations of tempo in the final variation with a few short bars thrown in to conclude the work in brilliant fashion.
The 32 Variations in C minor are a work of Beethoven's middle period. They follow the Baroque procedure of an earlier day in the elaboration of a simple harmonic progression that outlines a chromatically descending line in the bass, balanced by an ascending line in the soprano (brief 8-measure opening theme). The variations that followpresent a series of ever-changing moods against a background of ever-changing, imaginative keyboard figurations.
The Baroque variation procedures alluded to above are exemplified in Handel's Chaconne in G major, likewise based on a brief opening theme of a mere 8 measures. The variations succeed one another in pairs of two - highlighting soprano and bass figurations in reversed positions. A more lyrical portion of the work unfolds in the key of G minor, while the final five variations return once again to the forthright major key of the opening.
Beethoven's 15 Variationas and Fugue in E flat served the composer as a sketch for the variations that appear in the finale of the Third Symphony (hence the "Eroica" title). As in the Symphony, the familiar melody of the theme is the first stated only after a series of elaborations over its bass line in isolation. The 15 variations that follow are succeeded by a grand Fugue based on the opening tones of the original bass line. A grandiose coda - once again featuring the main melody - brings this massive composition to a triumphant close.
Beethoven's 12 Variations on a Russian Dance, an early work, are based on a theme taken from an opera by an obscure composer of the day. The Theme is unusual in that it is built around uneven phrase lengths of five-measure units rather than he more commonly found four. The same uneven phrase-lengths prevail in each of the twelve variations that follow. The initial tempo of the Theme is likewise maintained throughout the series until the last variation, where a change of meter accelerates the movement, and concludes the whole with an extended free coda.
The Theme of Mozart's Variations on "Maman, je vous dirais..." is immediately recognizable as our "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". Fragments of the theme will also be recognized in many of the variations, although at times Mozart's embellishments tend to obscure the simple lines of the original. The composer introduces a lyrical Adagio in next to the last variation; and just as in the preceding composition by Beethoven, there is an accelerations of tempo in the final variation with a few short bars thrown in to conclude the work in brilliant fashion.
The 32 Variations in C minor are a work of Beethoven's middle period. They follow the Baroque procedure of an earlier day in the elaboration of a simple harmonic progression that outlines a chromatically descending line in the bass, balanced by an ascending line in the soprano (brief 8-measure opening theme). The variations that followpresent a series of ever-changing moods against a background of ever-changing, imaginative keyboard figurations.
The Baroque variation procedures alluded to above are exemplified in Handel's Chaconne in G major, likewise based on a brief opening theme of a mere 8 measures. The variations succeed one another in pairs of two - highlighting soprano and bass figurations in reversed positions. A more lyrical portion of the work unfolds in the key of G minor, while the final five variations return once again to the forthright major key of the opening.
Beethoven's 15 Variationas and Fugue in E flat served the composer as a sketch for the variations that appear in the finale of the Third Symphony (hence the "Eroica" title). As in the Symphony, the familiar melody of the theme is the first stated only after a series of elaborations over its bass line in isolation. The 15 variations that follow are succeeded by a grand Fugue based on the opening tones of the original bass line. A grandiose coda - once again featuring the main melody - brings this massive composition to a triumphant close.
"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)
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