Variation Form

The Classical era variation form has the principal melody (or theme) in the upper voice or top notes of the composition. The Baroque variation (ground bass or passacaglia) found the theme in the lowest voice of bass line. The Classical era composers were taking a simple tune and expressing it in as many moods as possible yet keeping that tune through ally discernable. The Baroque era variation or ground bass was in polyphonic texture but the Classical era variation was in homophonic texture. The bass lines in the Classical era were to underpin the harmony or chords. If the bass was too elaborate it was considered distracting.

Ways of varying the melody in variation form typically involves:

• Changing the mode (major to minor)
• Changing the texture (homophonic to polyphonic)
• Changing the accompaniment (Alberti type bass to fast arpeggios embedding the melody)
• Changing the meter (duple to triple)
• Changing the register (high to low)
• Changing the harmony (modulations)
• Embedding the melody (theme is buried in accompaniment)
• Hocket – The medieval device where a melody plays off itself like two people singing the same melody at different times.

Variation form typically ends with a Coda or “tail.” A coda is a short section found at the end of a composition that reinforces the conclusion and extends the final cadence by using many closed cadences.

Variation form is highly sectional and is diagrammed A A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 etc. There is no fixed number of variations and usually there is any where between 4 and 30 variations. Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations have 33 and Brahm’s Handel variations have 27 and the Brahm’s then end with a gigantic fugue. Variation form never departs from the theme and the theme never changes, although aspects of the theme change (listed above). The form consists of the same idea presented differently over and over again. Each variation ends with a closed cadence. Also, variation form is non dramatic because it keeps stopping and never creates emotional momentum. Nevertheless it is a highly interesting form and is often used to show off the virtuosity and cleverness of a composer as he or she redresses a single idea. It also serves as a vehicle  well as a performer.