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Topic: Variations - am i deaf?  (Read 1578 times)

Offline stormx

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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?  :o :o

Offline xvimbi

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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).

Offline Dazzer

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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

Offline pianonut

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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.   

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.

Offline thierry13

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Re: Variations - am i deaf?
Reply #4 on: May 06, 2005, 05:59:15 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.

Offline apion

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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!

Offline musicsdarkangel

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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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