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Variations - am i deaf?
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Topic: Variations - am i deaf?
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stormx
PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 396
Variations - am i deaf?
on: May 06, 2005, 02:05:00 PM
Hi !!
I have been recently listening to some sets of famous Variations works, like:
Bach: Goldberg variations
Schumann: Abegg variations, Symphonic etudes
Brahms: Variations on a theme by Paganini
etc..
I really like them. But here comes my problem
In most of the cases, i really
cannot recognize any relation between the variation and the original theme
They sound to my ears as 2 different pieces
Am i as deaf as an stone?
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xvimbi
PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 2439
Re: Variations - am i deaf?
Reply #1 on: May 06, 2005, 02:13:00 PM
Ha, that's a great one! Get the score and find out what the variations are. It's an excellent exercise. Sometimes, the main theme is spread out over several measures, is inverted, mirrored, turned upside down, inside out, is in different keys, etc. I think Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini is a good piece to start. The variations are not that far off from the original (usually).
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Dazzer
PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 1021
Re: Variations - am i deaf?
Reply #2 on: May 06, 2005, 02:55:02 PM
of course the hardest one would be the famous 18th variation. Hehee
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pianonut
PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 1618
Re: Variations - am i deaf?
Reply #3 on: May 06, 2005, 05:54:10 PM
faure has a neat set of theme and variations that you CAN hear until close to the end. i dare anyone to find the theme in the last one, but that's ok.
schenkerian analysis helps you to see the skeleton (layers in music) of the melody, then harmony, then 'filler.' there's so much i don't know yet, either, but color pencils do the trick with as much as i understand.
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do you know why benches fall apart? it is because they have lids with little tiny hinges so you can store music inside them. hint: buy a bench that does not hinge. buy it for sturdiness.
thierry13
PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 2292
Re: Variations - am i deaf?
Reply #4 on: May 06, 2005, 05:59:15 PM
Quote from: Dazzer on May 06, 2005, 02:55:02 PM
of course the hardest one would be the famous 18th variation. Hehee
Easy, he inversed the pattern and made it in a major key.
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apion
PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 757
Re: Variations - am i deaf?
Reply #5 on: May 07, 2005, 05:21:37 AM
One of the most ingenious set of variations is
Brahms
Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel
, in b flat, op. 24.
Definitely follow along with the score, and you'll be mesmerized. One of
Brahms
most remarkable achievements! But be careful: in all likelihood you'll want to learn the piece (and it's a killer).
And you can very definitely discern how each variation relates to the opening aria!
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musicsdarkangel
PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 975
Re: Variations - am i deaf?
Reply #6 on: May 07, 2005, 06:34:15 PM
the neatest theme and variations in terms of contrast is IMO Mozart's sonata K 284..... check it out, that'll get you a good start as well.
It's definitely not my favorite theme and variations, but it is excellent and the different contrast/colors, like i said, is so cool.
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