Brahms - Variations and Fugue On A Theme Of Handel

Variations on a theme are a standard form for many classical works, and most composers have used the form and all composers have used the variation technique within other works. The very core of sonata form is variation, as in the development section and the recapitulation when the themes are transposed into the home key of the piece.

The first examples of theme and variations can be traced back to the 14th century and the form was popular in the Baroque era of music. The chaconne, passacaglia and groundbass are all forms of the variation and theme format. They can even be called variations on the format themselves.

Some of the masterpieces of the form of theme and variations have been written for keyboard from a theme that is far from complicated. The Diabelli variations of Beethoven derive from a simple march, the famous set of variations that comprise Paganini's 24th Caprice for Solo Violin also uses a fairly simple tune that has the distinction of not only inspiring the composer of the tune to vary it, but many other composers as well. And of course the famous Goldberg Variations by Bach that inspired many to write their own set of variations.

Brahms wrote his Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Handel in 1861 when he was 28 years old and dedicated the work to his dear friend Clara Schumann, the widow of Robert Schumann. Brahms was not only a composer, but he was a scholar, particularly of older music. He had written other sets of variations before, but the Handel Variations came after his study of Baroque forms. It is this duality of Brahms, the scholar of older music that was none the less a product of the Romantic era he lived, that makes his music so interesting. Some have called him ultra conservative, but the ultra modern composer Schoenberg always considered Brahms a progressive. So there is much more to Brahms than appears to the ear. Some of his progressiveness is of a technical nature, such as his odd number of bars in his phrases for example. These technical devices are hard to explain to non-musicians, but they can certainly be heard as something different by the attentive listener.

The basis of the variations is an aria from Handel's Harpsichord Suite No. 1 in B-flat Major, a tune that is varied by Handel himself in the suite. It is a two-part tune that Brahms composed 25 variations for. Brahms used some Baroque forms for some of the variations in accordance with his study of the era but he didn't restrict himself to these forms at all. There are some free form variations also, and Brahms manages to keep things together as a structure by having sub-divisions within the whole where some of the variations are 'related' to one another, while also managing to keep the intensity level moving forward to the crown of the work, the fugue. It is a testament to Brahms' skill as a composer that the fugue is never played without the variations. The fugue is a complicated, contrapuntal masterpiece in its own right, but it is an organic growth of what has preceded it. To divorce it from its parent variations would make the fugue, despite all of its wonders, unintelligible.

The 28-year old Brahms was still perfecting has mastery of the piano when he wrote this piece. He played them in public on occasion and it was the piece that he played for his first meeting with Richard Wagner. Evidently Wagner was impressed enough to tell Brahms that it was a good example of what could still be done with the old forms with someone who knows how to use them.

It wasn't the last time Brahms wrote a set of variations. He continued to use the form, it expand and deepen his expression of his musical ideas. Ahead lay the Paganini Variations and the chaconne of the 4th symphony, but the Handel Variations marked an important period in the development of Brahms.

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What Are the Steps to Master the Fugue in G Minor, BWV 578 by JS Bach on the Organ?

The Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 is one of the best known fugues by Bach. Although usually called "Little" we should not underestimate its artistic quality. Because of its length, medium tempo, clear texture, and fairly easy pedal part, this piece might be accessible to organists with modest organ playing skills. It is written early in composer's career, most likely while he was an organist in Arnstadt around 1707. In this article, I will show you how to master this wonderful composition.

The first thing you should do before practicing it is to analyze the structure and tonal plan of this fugue. Since it is a fugue, it has rather strict requirements which Baroque composers usually followed. The fugue is a piece of imitative polyphony in which the composer reveals the possibilities a theme has to offer.

Now look at the theme or subject at the beginning of the fugue. It is 5 measures long. Now try to count the other appearances of the theme in the fugue and label them on your score with a pencil. Look at each voice. Remember that the theme can be not only in the home key of G minor, but in other related keys as well. Write down the names of the keys on the score. This will be the tonal plan of this fugue.

In addition, look especially at the melodic line which appears in the soprano voice after the theme enters in the alto. This is a countersubject. Sometimes composers used different countersubjects with every appearance of the theme. This is not the case with this fugue. Interestingly, this countersubject is constant and Bach uses it with every subject (sometimes a little bit altered).

Now that you know the basic formal and tonal structure of this composition, you could start practicing it on the organ.

Subdivide the piece into smaller fragments. These could be of the same length as that of the theme or you could subdivide it according to lines. Always start and finish playing the fragment on the down beat. That way the fragments will be connected with each other.

Write in fingering and pedaling in Fragment 1. Make sure you avoid finger substitutions, placing a thumb on a sharp key (except where there is no other option) and use toes only pedaling. This type of fingering and pedaling helps to achieve the desired articulation for any piece of the Baroque period - the articulate legato or as the contemporary sources called it - the ordinary touch.

This type of articulation means that there should be small breaks between each note. However, the notes should not be too detached. It should be executed in a singing (cantabile) manner.

Because each voice is very independent, it is best to practice each voice of that fragment separately, then in two-voice combinations, later in three-voice combinations, and finally, all four voices together. Practice slowly and use pedal preparation. Repeat each combination several times until you can play it precisely and without mistakes at least three times in a row. Then take another combination and do the same thing. When you master fragment 1, take fragment 2 and start over.

When you master all separate fragments, start combining them and play in longer episodes. This type of practicing takes some willpower but in the end you will progress much faster.

Upon learning this fugue, you may find it so beautiful that it would be worthwhile even to memorize it.

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