Music 395—Worksheet 2              Name:

Theme and Variations

Due Date: Friday, February 20, 2004

Readings—

• Green, Form in Tonal Music
• Chapter 7: Theme and Variations, p. 98-120
• Fontaine, Basic Formal Structures in Music (Library Reserve)
• Chapter on variation forms

Score Analysis I

Mozart, Piano Sonata in D Major, K. 284, mvmt. III—Burkhart, pp. 165-174 (5th ed., pp. 177-187)

• Listen to the music: both to familiarize yourself with it and to use your ear to assist your analysis.
• Study and diagram the theme. On the timeline below, identify the key of the piece, bracket the end-point of each cadence, and identify the type and key for each cadence.
  
• Look at the theme’s phrases one by one. On the timeline, label each phrase with a letter based on its relationship to the other phrases (a, a’, b, etc.).
  

Time-Line

Cadences:
Measures:  |_1__|_2__|_3__|_4__|_5__|_6__|_7__|_8__|_9__|_10_|_11_|_12_|_13_|_14_|_15_|_16_|_17_||

Key:  

• Looking at each two-phrase group, discuss the structure of each half of the theme. Are these phrase chains, phrase groups, or periods? If periods, are they parallel or contrasting? Symmetrical or asymmetrical? If asymmetrical, which phrase is longer? How does Mozart make it longer?
• Describe the structure of the entire theme. Which form from p. 93 of the textbook best describes this theme? Explain.

Analyzing the Variations—

For the variations named below, compare the Theme with each variation. Then answer these questions:

1. Indicate which elements are fixed and which are varied in each variation: key? mode? form? length? basic tonal structure? precise harmonic sequence? tempo? melody? bass? texture? other?
2. In what way are the varied elements of each variation changed?
3. Which procedure is used for each variation? Does any variation fail to fall neatly into one of these categories: ornamental? simplifying? figural? melodic? contrapuntal? Explain.
   
4. How is the problem of the finale dealt with?
   

Green provides useful models for identifying elements of the theme that are retained and those that are varied, but you may also find Fontaine’s exhaustive list of structural phenomena useful in suggesting further possibilities for variation.
 

Variation I 1) 2) 3)	Variation VII 1) 2) 3)
Variation VIII 1) 2) 3)	Variation IX 1) 2) 3)
Variation XI 1) 2) 3)	Variation XII 1) 2) 3) 4)

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Score Analysis II

Beethoven, Diabelli Variations (photocopy)

While these variations fall under the general heading of “theme and variations,” you will find that Beethoven does not stay as close to the original melodic line as does Mozart in the example above. Beethoven himself did not use the word “variations” here—he titles them “Veränderungen” (transformations). Many of these variations fasten on only one or two aspects of the initial theme, motives that in turn give each variation a unique character.

Your assignment is to determine (for each variation on the photocopy) which ideas Beethoven borrows from the theme in each variation, and then to describe specifically how he varies those ideas. (Theme refers to both the melody and its original accompaniment). Finally, indicate briefly how Beethoven treats the prolongations (see diagram above) in each variation.
 

Variation I Ideas from theme? How varied? •  • •  Prolongation?	Variation II Ideas from theme? How varied? •  • •  Prolongation?
Variation III Ideas from theme? How varied? •  • •  Prolongation?	Variation VIII Ideas from theme? How varied? •  • •  Prolongation?
Variation IX Ideas from theme? How varied? •  • •  Prolongation?	That’s all...

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Suggested Recordings—

• Worksheet 2 RESERVE CD
  

Created 2/10/04 by Mark Harbold—last updated 2/10/04.