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47-599: Vaterländischer Künstlerverein was a collaborative musical publication or anthology , incorporating 83 variations for piano on a theme by Anton Diabelli , written by 51 composers living in or associated with Austria. It was published in two parts in 1823 and 1824, by firms headed by Diabelli. It includes Ludwig van Beethoven 's Diabelli Variations , Op. 120 (a set of 33 variations), as well as single variations from 50 other composers including Carl Czerny , Franz Schubert , Johann Nepomuk Hummel , Ignaz Moscheles , Friedrich Kalkbrenner , Franz Liszt (aged only 12 at

94-566: A movement of a larger piece. Most jazz music is structured on a basic pattern of theme and variations. Examples include John Bull 's Salvator Mundi , Bach 's Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her , Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor , Violin Chaconne , and ( D minor solo violin suite ), Corelli 's La Folia Variations , Beethoven's Diabelli Variations , the Finales of his Third "Eroica" and Ninth "Choral" Symphonies,

141-459: A "playing version" as follows: According to Nicholas Cook , in Geminiani's version "all the notes of Corelli's violin line ... are absorbed into a quite new melodic organization. With its characteristic rhythmic pattern, Geminiani's opening is a tune in a way that Corelli's is not... whereas in the original version the first four bars consist of an undifferentiated stream of quarter-notes and make up

188-580: A Theme of Paganini for piano and orchestra presents a terse summary of Paganini ’s original theme . Many composers have taken pieces composed by others as a basis for elaboration. John Dowland 's Lachrimae was frequently used by other composers as a basis for sets of variations during the 17th century . Composed in 1700, the final movement of Arcangelo Corelli 's Violin Sonata Op. 5 No. 9 opens with this rather sparse melodic line: Corelli's fellow-composer and former student Francesco Geminiani produced

235-608: A ground bass. Although the first isolated example emerged in the 14th century, works in theme-and-variation form first emerge in the early sixteenth century. Possibly the earliest published example is the diferencias for vihuela by Luis de Narváez (1538). A favorite form of variations in Renaissance music was divisions , a type in which the basic rhythmic beat is successively divided into smaller and smaller values. The basic principle of beginning with simple variations and moving on to more elaborate ones has always been present in

282-405: A later composer has transformed an existing work or group of works into a new form, but this would generally be considered an arrangement by another hand, rather than a collaboration. Examples of this would include: There are also instances where a work was left unfinished at the composer's death, and was completed by another composer. In such cases, the later composer generally strives to ensure

329-449: A mighty set of 33 variations on this theme. The thirteenth of these stands out in its seemingly wilful eccentricity and determination to reduce the given material to its bare bones: Wilfrid Mellers describes this variation as "comically disruptive... The original tonal sequence is telescoped, the two-bar sequences being absorbed into the silences ." In a similar fashion, the first of the 24 variations of Rachmaninoff ’s Rhapsody on

376-428: A number of common variation techniques. Here are the first eight bars of the theme: Mozart's first variation decorates and elaborates the plain melodic line: The fifth variation breaks up the steady pulse and creates syncopated off-beats: The seventh variation introduces powerful new chords , which replace the simple harmonies originally implied by the theme with a prolongational series of descending fifths: In

423-399: A sense of what these improvised variations sounded like by listening to published works that evidently are written transcriptions of improvised performances, in particular Beethoven's Fantasia in G Minor , Op. 77, and Mozart's Variations on an Aria by Gluck , K. 455. Improvisation of elaborate variations on a popular theme is one of the core genres of jazz . According to William Austin,

470-520: A simple act of self-promotion, either for the firm or for Diabelli himself. The combined contributions were published as Vaterländischer Künstlerverein , in two parts. Part I was published by Cappi & Diabelli in June 1823, and consisted of Beethoven's 33 variations (now known as the Diabelli Variations , Op. 120), with a dedication to Antonie Brentano . By the time the second part was published,

517-450: A single phrase, Geminiani's version has three sequential repetitions of a distinctive one-bar phrase and a contrasted closing phrase, producing a strongly accented down-beat quality." Jazz arrangers frequently develop variations on themes by other composers. For example, Gil Evans ' 1959 arrangement of George Gershwin 's song " Summertime " from the opera Porgy and Bess is an example of variation through changing orchestral timbre . At

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564-501: A symphony, suite or other larger work. Karl Goldmark 's Rustic Wedding Symphony (1875) starts out with a set of variations as its first movement. Antonín Dvořák 's Symphonic Variations (1877) and Edward Elgar 's Enigma Variations (1899) are other well-known examples. Anton Arensky 's Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky (1894) is among his most popular compositions. Variation sets have also been composed by notable twentieth-century composers, including An unusual option

611-566: A trio Sakura-Variationen on the Japanese song in 2000. A significant sub-set of the above consists of variations on a theme by another composer . Skilled musicians can often improvise variations on a theme. This was commonplace in the Baroque era, when the da capo aria , particularly when in slow tempo, required the singer to be able to improvise a variation during the return of the main material. During this period, according to Nicholas Cook, it

658-674: Is frequently performed and recorded to this day. The composers of Part II include some names still notable today, but most of them have been forgotten. The variations were numbered in strictly alphabetical order according to the then current spelling conventions. The full list follows: Beethoven's Diabelli Variations have been recorded and performed many times. The remainder of Vaterländischer Künstlerverein has received very little attention since its publication. The complete set has been recorded by Rudolf Buchbinder . Martha Argerich has performed excerpts in concert. Classical music written in collaboration In classical music , it

705-466: Is known to have been written in March 1821. Czerny's was the earliest variation to be written and, as he also wrote the coda, it is likely that Diabelli involved him in the project from the very beginning. It is also likely that the invitations were sent not long before Czerny's contributions were written (May 1819), but certainly no later. It is not known exactly what lay behind this project, other than perhaps

752-426: Is not known. Apart from Beethoven's 33 variations, 48 of the other 50 composers wrote only the one variation they were asked for. Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart and Gottfried Rieger wrote two variations each, but only one from each of them was originally published. Ludwig van Beethoven 's Diabelli Variations , his last major piano work, is part of the keyboard music canon and is by far the better known volume. It

799-505: Is often contrasted with musical development , which is a slightly different means to the same end. Variation depends upon one type of presentation at a time, while development is carried out upon portions of material treated in many different presentations and combinations at a time. Mozart 's Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman" (1785), known in the English-speaking world as " Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star " exemplifies

846-418: Is relatively rare for a work to be written in collaboration by multiple composers. This contrasts with popular music , where it is common for more than one person to contribute to the music for a song. Nevertheless, there are instances of collaborative classical music compositions . The following list gives some details of classical works written by composers working collaboratively. Another case of note

893-399: Is seen in such groups as Remote Control Productions . True collaboration has also occurred, with such varied examples as Bernard Herrmann and Alfred Newman , who together composed the music for The Egyptian (1954); and Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard , who wrote the music for two Batman films, Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). There are various cases where

940-522: Is the slow movement of his string quartet Death and the Maiden D. 810, an intense set of variations on his somber lied (D. 531) of the same title. Schubert's Piano Quintet in A ( The Trout , D. 667) likewise includes variations on his song The Trout D. 550. The second movement of the Fantasie in C major comprises a set of variations on Der Wanderer ; indeed the work as a whole takes its popular name from

987-620: The Piano Sonata No. 12, Op. 26 , or the variations in the final movement of the Third Symphony ( Eroica ) . Variation sets also occur in several of his late works, such as the slow movement of his String Quartet No. 12, Op. 127 , the second movement of his final Piano Sonata No. 32, Op. 111 , and the slow third movement of the Ninth Symphony, Op.125 . Franz Schubert wrote five variation sets using his own lieder as themes. Amongst them

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1034-475: The 1930 composition Body and Soul. It was already a favourite among jazz musicians, but nobody had ever played it like this . Pianist Gene Rodgers plays a straight four-bar introduction before Hawkins swoops in, soloing for three minutes without playing a single note of the tune, gliding over the chord changes with such harmonic logic that he ends up inventing bebop ." Improvisation by means of spontaneous variations, ornaments, embellishments and/or alterations to

1081-666: The Baroque era, both originally written for harpsichord , are George Frideric Handel 's The Harmonious Blacksmith set, and Johann Sebastian Bach 's Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 . In the Classical era , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote a great number of variations, such as the first movement of his Piano Sonata in A, K. 331 , or the finale of his Clarinet Quintet . Joseph Haydn specialized in sets of double variations , in which two related themes, usually minor and major, are presented and then varied in alternation; outstanding examples are

1128-561: The Finale of Brahms 's Fourth Symphony , Variations on a Theme of Haydn , Op. 56, Elgar 's Enigma Variations , Franck 's Variations Symphoniques , and Richard Strauss 's Don Quixote . Both Schubert 's Death and the Maiden Quartet and Trout Quintet take their titles from his songs used as variation movements. Chopin's Berceuse for piano, Op. 57, was first called Variantes , and consists of 16 continuous variations on

1175-466: The Viennese publishing house of Cappi & Diabelli invited a number of Austrian composers to contribute one variation each for the piano, on a theme written by Anton Diabelli himself, one of the principals of the firm. Diabelli's theme is usually described as a waltz , but in form it has more of the character of a Ländler . Carl Czerny was asked to also provide a coda as a suitable way of rounding out

1222-408: The collection. Ludwig van Beethoven exceeded his brief by writing no less than 33 variations, and entered into negotiations with Diabelli to have his set published separately from the others. Beethoven's first biographer, Anton Schindler , wrote that the project was first devised in the winter of 1822–23, but this is an error, as Czerny's manuscript is dated 7 May 1819 and Franz Schubert 's variation

1269-459: The elaborate eighth variation, Mozart changes from the major to the parallel minor mode , while combining three techniques: counterpoint , suspensions and imitation : A complete performance can be heard by following this link: Listen. Variation techniques are frequently used within pieces that are not themselves in the form of theme and variations. For example, when the opening two-bar phrase of Chopin's Nocturne in F minor returns later in

1316-492: The finished product is as close as possible to the original composer's intentions, as revealed by their notes, rough drafts, or other evidence. One of the best known examples is the completion by Franco Alfano of Giacomo Puccini 's opera Turandot . There may also be a case for describing Sir Edward Elgar 's Symphony No. 3 as a work by both Elgar and Anthony Payne . However, these types of works cannot properly be called collaborations. Variation (music) Variation

1363-488: The form is Felix Mendelssohn 's Variations sérieuses . Johannes Brahms wrote a number of sets of variations; some of them rely on themes by older composers, for example the Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel (1861; piano), and the Variations on a Theme by Haydn (1873; orchestra). The latter work is believed to be the first set of variations for orchestra alone that was a work in its own right, rather than part of

1410-400: The fundamental musical idea, or theme , is repeated in altered form or accompanied in a different manner. Theme-and-variation structure generally begins with a theme (which is itself sometimes preceded by an introduction), typically between eight and thirty-two bars in length; each variation, particularly in music of the eighteenth century and earlier, will be of the same length and structure as

1457-465: The history of the variation form, since it provides a way of giving an overall shape to a variation set, rather than letting it just form an arbitrary sequence. Keyboard works in variation form were written by a number of 16th-century English composers, including William Byrd , Hugh Aston and Giles Farnaby . Outstanding examples of early Baroque variations are the "ciaccone" of Claudio Monteverdi and Heinrich Schütz . Two famous variation sets from

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1504-660: The lied. In the Romantic era, the variation form was developed further. In 1824, Carl Czerny premiered his Variations for piano and orchestra on the Austrian National Hymn Gott erhalte Franz der Kaiser , Op. 73. Frédéric Chopin wrote four sets for solo piano, and also the Variations on "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart 's opera Don Giovanni , Op. 2, for piano and orchestra (1827). Charles-Valentin Alkan wrote multiple variations in his early works. A further example of

1551-421: The main second-subject theme of the opening movement, which is in sonata form , is heard in the pianist's left hand, while the right hand plays a decorated version. (See also heterophony .) While most variations tend to elaborate on the given theme or idea, there are exceptions. In 1819, Anton Diabelli commissioned Viennese composers to create variations on a waltz that he had composed: Beethoven contributed

1598-410: The outset, Evans presents a single variation that repeats five times in subtly differing instrumental combinations. These create a compelling background, a constantly-changing sonic tapestry over which trumpeter Miles Davis freely improvises his own set of variations . Wilfrid Mellers (1964) wrote that "[i]t called for an improviser of Davis's kind and quality to explore, through Gil Evans' arrangement,

1645-445: The performer." Cook cites Geminiani's elaboration of Corelli (see above) as an example of an instance "in which the composer, or a performer, wrote down a version of one of these movements as it was meant to be played." Musicians of the Classical era also could improvise variations; both Mozart (see Mozart's compositional method ) and Beethoven made powerful impressions on their audiences when they improvised. Modern listeners can get

1692-417: The piece, it is instantly repeated as an elegant melodic re-working: Debussy 's piano piece "Reflets dans l'Eau" (1905) opens with a sequence of chords: These chords open out into arpeggios when they return later in the piece: Follow this link for a complete performance of "Reflets dans l'Eau" . Sometimes melodic variation occurs simultaneously with the original. In Beethoven 's "Waldstein" piano sonata,

1739-494: The practice of jazz musicians "resembles the variations on popular songs composed for the keyboard at the end of the 16th century by Byrd, Bull, Sweelinck and Frescobaldi, more than the cumulative variations of Beethoven and Brahms." Generally, the theme used is stated quite explicitly at the outset. However, some jazz musicians employ a more oblique approach. According to Gamble, " Charlie Parker 's performance of Embraceable You can be appreciated fully only if we are familiar with

1786-581: The slow movement of his Symphony No. 103 , the Drumroll , and the Variations in F minor for piano, H XVII:6. Ludwig van Beethoven wrote many variation sets in his career. Some were independent sets, for instance the Diabelli Variations, Op. 120, and the Eroica Variations in E ♭ major, Op. 35 . Others form single movements or parts of movements in larger works, such as first movement of

1833-534: The tender frailty inherent in the 'Summer-time' tune... Between them, solo line and harmonic colour create a music that is at once innocent and tense with apprehension". Variation forms include ground bass , passacaglia , chaconne , and theme-and-variations. Ground bass, passacaglia and chaconne are typically based on brief ostinato motifs providing a repetitive harmonic basis and are also typically continuous evolving structures. Theme-and-variation forms are, however, based specifically on melodic variation, in which

1880-512: The theme. This form may in part have derived from the practical inventiveness of musicians; "Court dances were long; the tunes which accompanied them were short. Their repetition became intolerably wearisome, and inevitably led the player to indulge in extempore variation and ornament"; however, the format of the dance required these variations to maintain the same duration and shape of the tune. Variation forms can be written as free-standing pieces for solo instruments or ensembles, or can constitute

1927-507: The time of publication), and a host of lesser-known names including Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart and others now largely forgotten. The term Vaterländischer Künstlerverein has various translations, including "Patriotic Artists' Association", "Art Association of the Fatherland", "Patriotic Culture Club", "Fatherland's Society of Artists", "National Artists' Association", "Native Artist's Association" and "Native Society of Artists". In 1819,

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1974-444: The tune, for unlike many jazz performances in which the theme is stated at the beginning, followed by improvisations on the theme, Parker launches almost immediately into improvisation , stating only a fragment of the tune at the end of the piece." Coleman Hawkins ' famous interpretation of "Body and Soul" shows a similar approach. "On 11 October 1939, Coleman Hawkins went into New York's RCA studios with an eight-piece band to record

2021-552: The two principals, Diabelli and Pietro Cappi had parted company, and Diabelli had joined with Anton Spina and renamed the firm Diabelli & Co. Part II was published in late 1823 or early 1824 by Diabelli & Co., and includes the other 50 variations and Czerny's coda. It is also not known how many composers were approached, but 51 responded to the invitation. Some well-known names such as Ignaz von Seyfried and Joseph Weigl do not appear. Whether they were not interested in participating or whether they were not even approached

2068-429: The years have tended to be collaborative projects in various ways, from the simple matter of orchestrators working with the sketches by the composer, to multi-composer collaborative efforts. Originally, with the studio system , composers often contributed parts of a score assigned by the head of the music department. Sometimes this was music not specific to that film for lower budget movies. In modern times, collaboration

2115-416: Was often the case that "responsibility for the most highly elaborated stage in the compositional process fell not upon the composer but upon the executant. In their instrumental sonatas composers like Corelli, Geminiani, and Handel sometimes supplied the performer with only the skeleton of the music that was to be played; the ornamentation, which contributes crucially to the music's effect, had to be provided by

2162-504: Was taken in 1952 with the Variations on an Elizabethan Theme , a set of six variations on Sellenger's Round for string orchestra, in which each variation was written by a different composer: Lennox Berkeley , Benjamin Britten , Arthur Oldham , Humphrey Searle , Michael Tippett , and William Walton . Graham Waterhouse composed a trio Gestural Variations in 1997 and Variations for Cello Solo in 2019, and Helmut Lachenmann composed

2209-408: Was that of Eric Fenby , who worked as amanuensis for the blind Frederick Delius . Delius would dictate the notes and Fenby would transcribe them. While Fenby was himself a composer, these works on which he and Delius worked together were a collaboration in terms of the labour involved in writing them down, but not in terms of the musical ideas, which were entirely Delius's own. Film scores over

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