The orchestral "Senjidema" has the same melody before and after, but the speed, dynamics, rhythm, timbre and accompaniment sound type have all changed, even if variations are used. The first paragraph is gentle and slow, with a wide breath, describing the vast and magnificent grassland scenery. The second paragraph, fast and lively, describes the happy life of the grassland people.
This variation technique, which keeps the original melody and changes other factors in music language, is called fixed melody variation. Another commonly used change technique is decorative change. Decorative variations only retain the melody skeleton of the theme. Changing the details of the melody, that is, decorative sound processing of the original melody, can also change other factors in the music language, such as speed, intensity, rhythm, timbre, accompaniment sound type and so on.
The theme at the beginning of the fifth movement of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony describes the joyful songs of shepherds when the rain stops. Beethoven used both fixed melody variations and decorative variations when developing this theme. After the theme, there are two fixed melody variations, the same melody drops by eight degrees every time, the accompaniment sound type is accelerated every time, and the intensity is strengthened every time, thus gradually deepening the cheerful mood. Later, this theme appeared again, and it was changed to decorative variations, adding decorative sounds between melodies to decorate the original melody more smoothly and cheerfully.
The above two examples only use variations in music. If variations are systematically used to develop the theme of a piece of music, it is called variations. The principle of variations is: first play a complete theme, and then play variations one by one in turn. The number of changes can be more or less, ranging from three or four times to twenty or thirty times. In the suites of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, a dance music often changes repeatedly with the same dance music. What is this called? Repeat? . This dance music, which contains a theme and a variation, is the predecessor of variation.
The polish dance music in Bach's Band Suite in B minor is. This piece of music is played by flute and stringed instruments. Flute and the first violin play melody, while other instruments play harmony. Followed by this dance music? Repeat? The same melody is moved to the bass and played with cello and double bass; The flute plays another smooth melody, combined with it, which is also a variation technique of fixed melody. After repetition, it returned to the original dance music, that is, after variation, it returned to the theme.
In other words, after the variation, it returned to the theme. Beethoven's piano sonata in F minor is called "piano sonata in F minor" because of its passionate and heroic music. Passion sonata? . The second movement is variation. The lyrical and singing theme, like a quiet and serious song, shows the image of being absorbed in thinking. The rhythm of the theme is calm and serious, basically a chord and a chord. The following four variations use decorative variations to develop this theme. From the first variation to the third variation, the rhythm gradually accelerated, from two beats, four beats to eight beats, showing the spiritual realm of meditation and activity. The third variation is the climax of the rhythm, and the growing hope has reached a high-spirited state. The fourth variation restores the rhythm of the theme, but the contrast between the bass area and the treble area is like throwing light into the deep heart, which makes people cheer up from meditation. Suddenly, a strong dissonance chord broke the silence and led to a passionate third movement, which was closely connected with the second movement.
The fourth movement of Schubert's piano quintet in A major is also a variation. The theme of the variation is his song "Trout", so this quintet is also called "Trout Piano Quintet". Piano quintet is usually played by the first violin, the second violin, the viola, the cello and the piano, but this quintet uses the double bass instead of the second violin. The fourth movement contains the theme of trout and five variations, each of which basically keeps the melody of the theme, and mainly uses the variation method of fixed melody to develop the theme. In the theme, the melody is played by the violin. In the five variations, the melody is played by piano, viola, cello and double bass, violin and viola respectively. Finally, at the end, the melody of the first paragraph of the theme is played by violin and cello in turn, and the accompaniment sound pattern describing the splash of trout in the song "Trout" appears on the piano.
Rimsky-Korsakov's Spanish Capriccio, whose second movement is also a variation with a fixed melody. The theme is a dance music from the Spanish province of asturias, called Twilight Dance. In the development of variation, the author's colorful orchestration gives rich color changes. In the theme and four variations, the singing melody is played by horn, cello, English wind, woodwind plus violin, flute, oboe plus cello respectively. In addition to the first variation, the four variations have some extensions in structure in order to change the color of harmony.
Complex variations include variations on two themes, that is, variations on two themes have two different formal structures:
First, two themes appear first, and then a series of variations of the two themes appear in turn;
Second, the first theme and its series variations appear first, and then the second theme and its series variations appear.
Now, take glinka's Fantasia for Kamalinskaya as an example, which is a variation with two themes. This fantasia develops two Russian folk themes by variation, rendering it into a picture of folk customs and life, which is the foundation work of Russian national symphony music. The first theme appeared after a brief introduction, which was a Russian folk wedding song. The original lyrics are:? Behind the forest, behind the dark forest, behind a small green garden, a group of swans are flying. ? The melody of this theme is simple and beautiful, and it is played with stringed instruments. The first theme is followed by three variations, with a polyphony to set off the original melody. The so-called polyphony is to add a foil melody that is sometimes parallel and sometimes divorced from the main theme, which is a common technique in folk music. The second theme is the Russian folk Kamalinskaya dance, which is a cheerful dance with two beats.
Polyphony is also widely used in a series of variations on the second theme. Glinka discovered the internal connection of two contrasting themes in timbre, so in the variation of the second theme, he naturally introduced the melody at the beginning of the first theme. The second theme has undergone a series of variations, the first theme continues to vary, and finally the second theme continues to vary. At the end, the speech speed turned fast, and the whole song ended in a lively and warm atmosphere.
Fixed bass: the theme is 4 ~ 8 bars of bass melody or chord progression (the former is J.S. Bach's Passacaglia in C minor and the latter is his D small investigation hole). When the theme is repeated, the upper voice twists and turns, changing the polyphonic structure and harmony texture. In the suite of baroque period, when some dance music is played repeatedly, it often modifies the melody or changes the texture at the same time, which is called? Repeat variations? .
Decoration: A well-structured theme (usually two paragraphs) goes through a series of variations. Commonly used changes are:
1, modify the theme melody and change its texture;
2. Keep the melody of the theme, but change its harmony and texture;
3. Change the speed, beat, rhythm, tonality and mode of the theme;
4. From monotony to polyphony (cannon, fugue) and so on. Fixed bass variations, themes and variations continue to develop; The theme of decorative variations and each variation are paragraphs with complete structure, with variations ranging from 3 or 4 times to dozens of times (L.van Beethoven's Variations on the Theme of Diabelli is as many as 33 times), and the theme structure remains unchanged except for variations on the main theme and polyphony.
Freedom: Not only the structure of the theme often changes fundamentally, but also the character and genre of the theme are changeable (such as from lyricism to banter, from March to dance music, etc.). ); What remains unchanged is only the individual tones and some harmony contours of the theme, so it is also called? Variation in personality? . Schumann's Symphony Etudes is the earliest example of personality change.
The opening song at the end of 19 often reveals the specific opening content by using the characteristics of character variation. For example, Don Quixote by R Strauss (1897) has a chivalrous theme. Each variation depicts Don Quixote's 10 adventures, and the finale depicts his death.
In V. Dandy's variations on Istar, he even used a unique form of inversion variations, starting with the most complicated variations, and then a series of variations described the tests Istar suffered when passing through the seven gates, and finally the theme of unison appeared.
In the works of romantic composers, both decorative variations and free variations are often used, such as пи Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky's variations on rococo theme for cello and band. Variations can be regarded as independent works (acoustic music or instrumental music), such as: A. Variations on Mozart by Adam (coloratura soprano solo) and Variations on Goldberg by Bach; Variations can also be used as a movement of sonatas, concertos, symphonies, chamber music, suites and other suites, and are often used in slow movements, such as the second movement of Beethoven's piano sonata No.23 (Passion). Some variations divide a series of variations into several parts according to their artistic conception, which makes the variations have the nature of a suite, such as св rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on Paganini Theme for Piano and Orchestra (see Variations).
Variations on Goldberg numbered BWV988 should be regarded as the most widely circulated among Bach's many piano solo works. Can fame and prestige be compared? Law of averages? On the other hand, the aesthetic feeling of melody can easily cause listeners to sing. Bach had a very clear definition when he created this work? Various arias and variations for music lovers? . In fact, this work belongs to the fourth part of Bach's keyboard etudes, written between 174 1- 1742. At that time, Bach was in Leipzig, and his eyesight began to decline gradually in his fifties, but his artistic enthusiasm did not diminish, and his creative style became more and more skillful. At the beginning of this variation, Bach named it "Arias of Various Variations", and later people called this work "Variations of Goldberg" according to its interesting creative background.
This is the biggest, grandest and greatest variation in the history of music. This variation is made for the double harpsichord, and Bach specifies the type of keyboard in each variation. The form of variation is to introduce a comparative proposition and a corresponding (opposite) proposition with a basic theme, and then explore the possibility of deduction and comparison. Bach's works, taking him as Anna in 1725? Magdalena's ditty focuses on a kind of Salabande dance, which has developed into 30 variations. The number of 30 is mainly three, which is represented by three variations of cannon: a chorus cannon, a second cannon and a third cannon. After arriving at the ninth artillery, the tenth variation was a four-part fugue, and various forms such as music creation, toccata and aria appeared constantly. The first and second keyboards appear alternately. 16 variations as the center, the speed is divided into two halves. The exquisiteness of the architectural structure formed by this composition technique is really amazing!
This work is divided into 32 paragraphs. The first paragraph begins with the theme of Salabande, and the 32nd paragraph returns to the theme slowly and calmly after 30 variations (the difference is that the simple theme in the first paragraph becomes extremely rich and complicated after 30 variations).
Beethoven wrote two famous variations. One is Variations in E-flat Major (OP.35), written in 1802, and the theme is taken from the ballet The Life of Prometheus (OP.43, 180 1). This work contains variations and fugues from 15. The theme called "Op.35" was later used in the last movement of the Hero Symphony, so it was also called "Variations on Heroes". The style of this song is magnificent and heroic, and the techniques are brilliant and rich. Beethoven closely combined improvisation with fugue, which reflected the symphony momentum of piano music.
The other is a variation by Diabel, written in 1823. Austrian composer and publisher Di Abel wrote a waltz and invited 50 musicians to create variations on this theme, which were synthesized into a collective creation collection and published in the name of the Patriotic Artists Association. The musicians who participated in this activity were Beethoven, Schubert, Cherny, hummel and Liszt, while Liszt was only 1 1 year old. Di Abeli is a very successful music publisher, but he is just a mediocre composer. When Beethoven received the theme of Deabel, he just laughed and scoffed. Wipe the shoemaker's rag? Think this is a vulgar, boring and childish waltz and refuse to participate? Association of patriotic artists? . Later, he agreed to publish it separately for Beethoven, and he agreed to write a variation of six to eight paragraphs for Diabel. However, in the process of creation, Beethoven's musical ideas rolled in, and he wrote 33 songs at once, more than his 1807 32 variations in C minor. Because the space is too large, it is only a separate volume as the first volume. The works of other musicians were merged into the next volume.
Beethoven wrote this song at the age of 53, which was also the heyday of his many great works. Perhaps the idea of creation has been deeply buried in Beethoven's heart. As soon as he met the right environment, the seeds of music immediately broke out. His creation is like writing with a spirit. His irresistible musical inspiration made him create 33 excellent variations at one time. This work is another classic piano variation handed down from generation to generation after Bach's Variations on Goldberg. Since the publication of 1824, this excellent piano variation has suffered the embarrassing fate of being neglected for several years. It was not until19th century that the famous conductor and pianist Piro did a lot of promotion work on Variations of Diabel, which successfully aroused people's interest in the music.
Beethoven's superb creative skills and techniques have been vividly displayed in Variations on Diabel. Turow believes that this work should not be simply regarded as a series of wonderful variations, but should be further explored. In this work, people can clearly see the evolution of Beethoven's thought and his imagination of sound, and the image of the whole sound world is outlined. This work embodies the music of his genius? Small universe? The potential is infinite. In 3 1 Variations, people will see the reappearance of Adagio written by Bach, and the subsequent double fugue variations are very similar to the resurrection of Handel's era. The last three variations constitute a reenactment of the past music world. Except variations 9 and 28 to 3 1 in C minor and fugue variation 32 in E flat major, the whole piece is in C major. The twenty-third variation adopts Mozart's opera "Tang? Juan's theme, but this did not disturb the logic of the variation form. Schumann once called this variation Beethoven's farewell to the audience with the piano. In this work, Beethoven showed profound skills, so he was called an unparalleled famous variation in the history of music. Variations on Diabel shows the grandeur of classicism, and Beethoven turned the original boring waltz theme into a magnificent and elegant music hall. Only Bach's Variations on Goldberg and Dancing in the Summer Sky have 32 variations on the theme of the fifth movement of violin solo sonata.
Variations on Haydn, also known as Variations on Saint Anthony, was written by Brahms with the theme of Austrian pilgrimage song Ode to Saint Anthony. This was a popular tune at that time, and Haydn also used the theme of Ode to Saint Anthony in a wind music. In order to make the audience better distinguish, Brahms named the work Variations on Haydn. This song can be played in two forms, either by a band or by two pianos. The whole song * * * has eight variations and a Pascal ending. Haydn Variations premiered in Vienna at the beginning of 1873.
British composer Briton has great respect and respect for his composer Bridge. 1937, he created this orchestral work by changing the theme of the second of his teacher Bridge's three pastoral songs. The whole song has ten paragraphs. In order to make it easy for the audience to understand, all the variations are annotated: adagio, March, Romance, Italian, Brett, Classical, Viennese Waltz, Endless Movement, Funeral March, Songs and fugue. 1937, successfully premiered at Salzburg Music Festival in Austria.
1934, Russian composer and pianist Rachmaninov wrote variations for piano and orchestra with the theme of the last song of Paganini's "Twenty-four Violin Capriccios". There is a little-known story about the creation of this work: once, Rakhmaninov had dinner with his good friend, the famous Russian pianist Mo Isei. They are both famous pianists. During the dinner, they talked about the playing method of Variation 24 in Paganini's Rhapsody. This piece of music is written by jumping strings, which is very skillful and difficult to play. Rachmaninov is scratching his head, wondering how to play music. The waiter brought a plate of drinks, but he was not interested in tasting them. Mo Isei laughed: In order to make skipping sound handy, why not drink mint cream Rachmaninov, forget it, take a cup and drink it off. Then I sat in front of the piano and played. The way I couldn't figure it out just now seemed to be all enlightened at once, and I played perfectly. Since then, every time Rachmaninov played this song on the stage, he had to drink a cup of mint cream first. Therefore, this piece of music is also called Variations on Mint Frost.
17 12 Variations on Corelli Theme, adapted by Chrysler, a famous Austrian violinist and composer, according to Tatini, an Italian violinist and composer. The original song was titled "Fifty Violin Variations Based on Currie's Extremely Beautiful Vitera Bow Technique", but the title of the song was too long and wordy, so it was renamed "Currie's Variations on Theme". The theme of this variation originates from Corriere, a representative figure of the early Italian violin school, and Gavett Dance in the fourth movement of his Tenth Violin Sonata Collection. This piece of music consists of a theme and three variations. The theme melody jumps happily and has a strong dance music nature. The first variation is arpeggio, which is light and smooth. The second variation adopts the combination of jumping interval and vibrato, which is lively and beautiful and has the distinctive characteristics of Gavett dance music. The third variation adopts chord playing method, which is intermittent, forceful and full of vitality, and makes the music form a climax. Finally, the music will end with a theme ensemble.
Mora, a French composer and music theorist, adapted the seventh piece of his new piano suite into variations and named it "Gavett and Six Variations". This piece of music consists of a theme and six variations. The first variation is played with chords of the left hand, and the right hand is decorated with conjunctions of sixteenth notes. The second change changes the left and right hand parts. In the third variation, the main theme of the alto is intertwined with the bass that constitutes the counterpoint, and the alto continues to play a continuous sentence of sixteenth notes. The fourth variation adopts a brisk and powerful rhythm. The fifth variation is repeated in homophonic form in the form of scattered chords. Finally, the sixth variation plays the chord with the right hand, which is connected with the upper chord as the main theme and set off by the music played with the left hand.
It is worth mentioning that Ramo is not only a composer but also a music reformer. On the basis of natural sound system, he founded modern harmony system and established the transposition method of harmony system, that is to say, Mora established the procedure of harmony and classical mode. At that time, counterpoint was very popular, that is, several melodies unfolded in parallel and got unexpected chords in the vertical direction, which led to? Mora's legal system? . Mora founded the theory of chord, chord shift and basic harmony function in theory, and was the first person to demonstrate theme harmony music. Through rich creative practice, he organized it into a systematic system and made outstanding contributions to the establishment of music theory. Debussy thinks: Only Ramo is the real first musician in France? .
1876, Tchaikovsky composed variations on the theme of rococo, dedicated to his good friend and famous cellist Fiqin Hagen, which premiered in Moscow on 1877+065438+ 10. ? Rococo? This word comes from French ro-caill, which means? Shell shape? . It is a practical artistic style of French courtyard layout and interior decoration in the middle of18th century. It is characterized by emphasizing gorgeous appearance and exquisite and complicated decoration, and emphasizing asymmetric spiral curves and light and soft colors in specific applications. Musically, it often refers to the style of music works during the transition from baroque to classical music. Tchaikovsky's Variations on Rococo, the title of which is intended to show that it was written in Mozart's style. The melody is beautiful and comfortable, which is similar to Mozart's poetry, but it also shows Tchaikovsky's artistic personality and the style of Russian national music. 1879, Liszt listened to this work, praised:? Look, finally hear the music again? ! Variations on Rococo theme are composed of one theme and eight variations, which have strong Russian music characteristics. Because this work is a classic variation, there are many versions, but the version arranged and played by cellist Fitschen Hagen is the most popular. Besides the above works, the famous variations are: Variations on Moses by Paganini, Variations on Peacock by Kodaly, Variations on Riddle by elgar, Variations on Fantasy by Venice Carnival, Variations on the theme of Neapolitan folk songs and Variations on the theme of Magic Flute, etc.
In China folk music, variation with flowers is one of the important techniques of melody development. Decorative sounds are used to modify and enrich the melody. There are two ways to add flowers and variations: one is the variation of the original board, which keeps the structure and makes the backbone sound appear sooner or later; The second is to increase or decrease the change of the board, expand or compress the beat, slow down the increase or decrease, and accelerate the decrease of the board, which is called by the people? Reduce complexity? Law. Jiangnan silk and bamboo, the ancient song "Moonlit Night on a Spring River" all have such variations.