The term "variation" in music refers to such changes in the melody during the development of the composition, in which its recognition is preserved. The root word is "option." That is, something similar, but still a little different. So it is in music.
Constant update
The 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 the sound of a melody. As a rule, it is simple and easy to remember. This melody is called the theme of variations. She is very bright, beautiful and expressive. Often the theme is a popular folk song.
Variations in music reveal the composer's skill. A simple and popular topic is followed by a chain of changes. They usually preserve the key and harmony of the main melody. They are called variations. The composer's task is to decorate and diversify the theme using a number of special methods, sometimes quite sophisticated. The play, consisting of a simple melody and its changes following each other, is called variations. How did this structure originate?
A bit of history: the origins of form
Often musicians and art lovers wonder what variations are. The origins of this form lie in ancient dances. Citizens and peasants, nobles and kings - all loved to move in sync with the sound of musical instruments. While dancing, they performed the same actions under a constantly repeating chorus. However, a simple and unpretentious song, sounding without the slightest change, quickly got bored. Therefore, musicians began to bring a variety of colors and shades to the melody.
Find out what variations are. To do this, turn to the history of art. Variations first entered professional music in the 18th century. Composers began to write plays in this form not for the purpose of accompanying dances, but for listening. Variations were part of sonatas or symphonies. In the 18th century, such a structure of a musical play was very popular. Variations of this period are quite simple. The rhythm of the theme and its texture were changing (for example, new echoes were added). Most often, the variations sounded in major. But there was always one minor. The gentle and sad character made her the brightest fragment of the cycle.
New options for variations
People, worldviews, epochs changed. The turbulent 19th century came - the time of revolutions and romantic heroes. Variations in music also turned out to be different. The topic and its changes have become dramatically different. Composers achieved this with the help of so-called genre modifications. For example, in the first variation the theme sounded like a cheerful polka, and in the second - like a solemn march. The composer could give the melody the features of a bravura waltz or a swift tarantella. Variations on two themes appear in the 19th century. At first one melody sounds with a chain of changes. Then it is replaced by a new topic and options. So composers introduced original features to this ancient structure.
Musicians of the 20th century offered their answer to the question of what variations are. They used this form to show difficult tragic situations. For example, in the eighth symphony of Dmitry Shostakovich, variations serve to reveal the image of universal evil. The composer changes the initial theme in such a way that it turns into a seething unbridled element. This process is associated with filigree work on the modification of all musical parameters.
Types and Varieties
Often composers write variations on a theme that belongs to another author. This happens quite often. An example is the work of Sergei Rachmaninov "Rhapsody on the theme of Paganini." This play is written in a variation form. The theme here is the melody of the famous violin caprice Paganini.
A special variation of this popular musical form is the so-called variations on basso ostinato. In this case, the topic sounds in a lower voice. The constantly repeating melody in the bass is hard to remember. Often the listener does not isolate it from the general flow at all. Therefore, such a topic at the beginning of the composition usually sounds unanimous or duplicated in an octave.
Variations on aged bass are often found in organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach. A one-voice theme is played on the foot keyboard. Over time, variations on basso ostinato became a symbol of the exalted art of baroque. It is with such a semantic context that the use of this form in the music of subsequent eras is associated. In the form of variations on sustained bass, the final of the fourth symphony of Johannes Brahms was decided. This work is a masterpiece of world culture.
The imaginative 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. These are variations on a constant melody. The theme is a genuine oriental folk song. The composer wrote notes with his own hands, listening to the singing of the bearer of folk tradition. In each new variation, Glinka uses an increasingly diverse texture, which colors the invariable melody with new colors. The nature of the music is gentle and languid.
Variations have been created for each musical instrument. Piano is one of the main assistants to the composer. The famous classic Beethoven especially liked this instrument. He often wrote variations on simple and even banal themes by unknown authors. This made it possible for a genius to show all his skills. Beethoven transformed primitive tunes 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 works, including sonatas and concerts. One of the last works of the master is thirty-three variations on the theme of the waltz of Diabelli.
Modern innovations
20th century music demonstrates a new type of this popular form. The works created in accordance with it are called variations with the theme. In such plays, the main melody does not sound at the beginning, but at the end. The theme, as it were, is collected from distant echoes, fragments and fragments scattered throughout the musical fabric. The artistic meaning of such a structure can serve as a search for eternal values among the surrounding fuss. Finding a lofty goal is symbolized by the theme that sounds at the end. An example is Rodion Shchedrin's third piano concerto . The 20th century knows many cult works written in a variation form. One of them is Maurice Ravel's Bolero. These are variations on a constant melody. At each repetition, a new musical instrument performs it.