Form and Analysis

Continuous Variations

• General:
  1. Usually based on short themes, in the range of 2-4 measures
  2. Two primary types:
     • Passacaglia - variation using a melodic line
     • Chaconne - variation using a harmonic line
  3. In practice, these two terms were somewhat interchangeable
  4. Used extensively during the Baroque period
  5. The terms ostinato and ground have also been applied to these types of compositions
• The Theme:
  1. Passacaglia themes usually consist of motion from the tonic to the dominant pitch, frequently by descending, stepwise motion
  2. The basic progression of a Chaconne will consist of movement from tonic to the dominant, often followed by resolution back to tonic. This basic progression is usually embellished or prolonged in some fashion.
  3. The theme, whether melodic or harmonic, will appear consistently throughout the composition in adjacent statements.
  4. A passacaglia theme is usually in the bass voice, but may change position in the texture during the course of the variations
  5. The theme is usually not altered to any great extent throughout the composition, typically only surface embellishments.
• The Variations:
  1. After the initial statement, each repetition of the theme is considered a new variation.
  2. The primary means of variation is altering the material accompanying the theme, not the theme itself.
  3. Each variation typically consist of the use of embellishing figures, or the introduction of new melodic/rhythmic material.
  4. Often variations will be grouped through the use of similar motives, creating a larger scale form within the composition.
• Analytical Considerations:
  1. Study the theme carefully. Identify its primary melodic and/or harmonic materials. What are its main characteristics?
  2. How many iterations of the theme are used? Number them and mark where each iteration begins.
  3. Does theme change (either melodic alterations or additional harmonies) over the course of the composition? If so, how? Does a melodic theme always remain in the same voice?
  4. If the theme is melodic, how do the implied harmonies change? Often the same melodic material will be harmonized in different ways, creating a sense of harmonic variation.
  5. Are variations grouped in some manner? If so, how? Does this create a sense of large scale form or shape for the composition?
  6. Does the composition modulate (some won't)? If so, where and how?
  7. What makes this form continuous is a sense of flow created by the upper voices over the ostinato, linking the variations in a smooth manner and creating a sense of overall shape. How is this sense of flow, or continuity, from variation to variation created (listed below are some of the possibilities)?
     • The ostinato ends on the dominant, linking it to the next statement
     • The upper voices retain dissonances, even if the final harmony is tonic
     • Continuity of rhythmic motion through the cadence
     • Continuity of an idea from one variation to the next, possibly ignoring the phrase structure of the ostinato, thus, linking adjacent statements
     • The melodic cadence occurring at a different point than the ostinato cadence, creating an overlapping phrase structure
     • Varying the harmony as much as possible
     • Avoiding authentic cadences and tonic harmonies
     • Creating large scale shape by changes in texture or changing the position of the ostinato within the texture
     • Creating a sense of textural and rhythmic intensification through the use of rhythmic acceleration and changes in textural density in different sections of the composition