What are variations? Variations in music

The term "variation" in music refers to such changes in melody in the process of unfolding a composition in which its recognizability is preserved. A root word is an "option". That is, something similar, but still a bit different. So it is in music.

Continuous update

Variation of the melody can be compared with facial expressions. We easily recognize our friends and relatives, no matter what emotional experiences they experience. Their faces change, expressing anger, joy or resentment. But individual traits are preserved.

What are variations? In music, this term refers to the specific form of a work. The play begins with a melody sound. As a rule, it is simple and easy to remember. Such a melody is called the theme of variations. It is very bright, beautiful and expressive. Often the theme is a popular folk song.

Variation in music reveals the composer's skill. Behind a simple and popular topic follows the chain of its changes. They usually retain the tonality and harmony of the main melody. They are called variations. The task of the composer is to decorate and diversify the topic with the help of a number of special methods, sometimes quite sophisticated. The play, consisting of a simple melody and its changes, following one another, is called variations. How did this structure originate?

A little history: the origins of the form

Often, musicians and art lovers are wondering what variations are. The origins of this form lie in ancient dances. Townspeople and peasants, grandees and kings - all loved to move synchronously with the sound of musical instruments. When they danced, they performed the same actions under a constantly repeating song. However, a simple and unpretentious song, sounding without any changes, quickly bored. Therefore, musicians began to make a variety of colors and shades in the melody.

Let us find out what the variations are. For this you should refer to the history of art. For the first time variations have penetrated into professional music in the 18th century. Composers began to write plays in this form not for the purpose of escorting dances, but for listening. Variations were part of sonatas or symphonies. In the 18th century such a structure of the musical play was very popular. Variations of this period are quite simple. The rhythm of the theme and its texture changed (for example, new sub-voices were added). Most often the variations sounded in majeure. But there was always one minor. A gentle and sad character made her the brightest part of the cycle.

New possibilities of variations

People, worldviews, epochs changed. It was a stormy 19th century - the time of revolutions and romantic heroes. Variations in music were also different. The theme and its changes have become strikingly different. The composers achieved this by means of so-called genre modifications. For example, in the first variation the theme sounded like a merry Polish, and in the second - as a solemn march. The composer could give the melody the features of a bravura waltz or a swift tarantella. In the 19th century, variations appeared on two themes. First, one melody with a chain of changes sounds. Then it is replaced by a new theme and options. So the composers introduced original features into this ancient structure.

Musicians of the 20th century offered their answer to the question of what variations are. They used this form to show complex tragic situations. For example, in the eighth symphony of Dmitry Shostakovich, variations serve to reveal the image of the universal evil. The composer changes the initial theme so much that it turns into a seething unrestrained element. This process is associated with filigree work on the modification of all musical parameters.

Types and varieties

Often, composers write variations on a topic belonging to another author. It happens so often. An example is the work of Sergei Rachmaninov "Rhapsody on the theme of Paganini." This play is written in variational form. The theme here is the melody of Paganini's famous violin caprice.

A special kind of this popular musical form is the so-called variations on basso ostinato. In this case, the theme sounds in the lower voice. The constantly repeating melody in the bass is hard to remember. Often the listener does not at all isolate it from the general flow. Therefore, such a theme in the beginning of the composition usually sounds unilaterally or is duplicated in an octave.

Variations on the bass are often found in the organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach. The one-part theme is performed on the foot keyboard. Over time, variations on the basso ostinato became a symbol of the sublime Baroque art. It is with this semantic context that the use of this form in the music of subsequent epochs is connected. In the form of variations on the seasoned bass, the final of the fourth symphony by Johannes Brahms was decided. This work is a masterpiece of world culture.

Imaginary potential and nuances of meaning

Examples of variations can be found in Russian music. One of the most famous examples of this form is the chorus of Persian girls from Mikhail Glinka's opera Ruslan and Lyudmila. This is a variation on the unchanging melody. The theme is a genuine oriental folk song. The composer wrote it down with his own notes, listening to the song of the bearer of the folklore tradition. In each new variation, Glinka uses an increasingly diverse texture that colors the immutable melody with new colors. The nature of the music is gentle and languid.

Variations were created for each musical instrument. Piano is one of the composer's main assistants. Especially loved by this instrument is the famous classic Beethoven. He often wrote variations on simple and even banal topics of unknown authors. This enabled the genius to show all his skill. Beethoven transformed primitive melodies into musical masterpieces. His first composition in this form was nine variations on Dressler's march. After that, the composer wrote a lot of piano pieces, including sonatas and concerts. One of the last works of the master are thirty-three variations on the waltz of Diabelli.

Modern innovations

The music of the 20th century shows a new type of this popular form. The works created in accordance with it were called variations with a theme. In such plays, the main melody does not sound at the beginning, but at the end. The theme seems to be collected from distant echoes, fragments and fragments scattered throughout the musical fabric. The artistic meaning of such a structure can be the search for eternal values among the surrounding vanity. Finding an elevated goal is symbolized by a theme that sounds at the end. An example is the third piano concert of Rodion Shchedrin. 20 century knows a lot of cult works, written in a variational form. One of them is the "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel. This is a variation on the unchanging melody. With each repetition, it is played by a new musical instrument.