This must be one of the most mundane titles you could possibly give a piece of music. It hardly stimulates the imagination and doesn’t even sound original, yet it has remained one of the most popular composing formats, even into the twentieth century. The idea involves taking a melody – either your own or someone else’s -then composing a series of variations on it, starting with a simple one and proceeding to more elaborate versions. The concept has been around throughout musical history in some form or other, because the structure is easy to follow and it provides an interesting challenge for both composers and performers.
The first examples emerged in the fourteenth century, but the concept didn’t really get going until the sixteenth. During the Renaissance, a favourite form of variation was known as “divisions” in which the original rhythmic pule was divided into smaller and smaller values, creating an illusion of increasing complexity. It became a popular format for keyboard works especially those by the sixteenth century English composers William Byrd and Giles Farnaby.
Perhaps the finest example from the Baroque is Bach’s Goldberg Variations of 1741 which consists of an opening aria followed by thirty variations. And in case you’re wondering, it was named after the virtuoso German harpsichordist and composer Johann Gottlieb Goldberg who probably also gave the first performance. The work was so influential that it is studied by aspiring keyboard players even today.
During the eighteenth century, the notion of a theme and variations had become well-established and hundreds of works used the form, invariably as a last movement. It was popular with composers because they could choose any theme they wanted. Variation was usually achieved by elaborating the original theme but composers could also change the key, the tonality, the dynamics, the rhythms or the overall mood. There are countless examples by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven and indeed almost every other instrumental composer of the day.
Schubert often wrote variations using melodies from his own songs. Among them is his string quartet known as Death and the Maiden, in which the slow movement is a set of sombre variations on his song of the same name. Then there’s his Piano Quintet in A, commonly known as the “Trout Quintet” because the third movement is a set of variations on his own fishy song.
Composers often borrow themes for the variation treatment. Bach’s seminal work The Musical Offering is a collection of elaborate canons and fugues based entirely on a melody by King Fredrick the Great. Beethoven wrote variations on the song by Thomas Arne, Rule, Britannia! He also wrote a work commonly known as the Diabelli Variations, based on – you guessed it – a theme by Anton Diabelli. In 1873, Brahms wrote his Variations on a Theme by Haydn, although as bad luck would have it, the theme was probably by Ignaz Pleyel. Shostakovich wrote Variations on a Theme by Glinka and Walton wrote Variations on a Theme by Hindemith. Rachmaninov wrote Variations on a Theme of Corelli and it would be immensely satisfying to tell you that Corelli wrote Variations on a Theme by Rachmaninov. But of course, he didn’t.
One of the most popular melodies for variation treatment was Caprice No. 24 in A minor by Paganini, who incidentally also wrote some difficult variations on God Save the King. A couple of dozen composers have used Paganini’s catchy melody for variations of their own including Brahms, Rachmaninov, Chopin, Lutoslawski, Horotvitz, Blacher and Heller.
Now here’s something to brighten up your day. We associate Rossini mainly with opera of course, but this is a work for clarinet and orchestra. It probably dates from about 1809 when the composer was still a teenage student at the Bologna Music Conservatory. That’s remarkable in itself but the incredible invention in the five variations is stunning. The work follows the time-honoured concept of making each variation increasingly complex and virtuosic. Unusually, the work is based on two themes; a pair of dramatic and moving arias in the composer’s own operas, Mosè in Egitto (1818) and La Donna de Lago (1819).
This brilliant work provides plentiful opportunities for virtuosic dazzle, with leaps and frequent fast passages climbing into the highest possible register, yet the distinctive voice of Rossini is unmistakable even in this early work. The Korean clarinetist Han Kim graduated from Eton College and later studied at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In this video, he gives a superb performance in every way, with brilliant articulation and control. He also has a lovely tone quality, beautifully expressive legato playing and a commanding stage presence. On top of that, the music itself is a sparkling delight and overflowing with joie de vivre.
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