4.5: Theme and Variation Form

Theme and Variation Form.

Theme and variation is a very common form for a single movement of music. Composers have been writing Theme and Variation for centuries --- it predates the Classical Era! It is often the first larger piece of music that a composition student composes. Its premise is simple: compose a single musical theme, and then write different variations that are based off that same theme. One can add more notes, embellish the melody, change the key, change the instrumentation (if possible), speed the music up, slow it down, make it silly, make it somber--- it really is all up to the composer. But each variation should still resemble the original theme! As a study in composition, theme and variation form is a great way for a student to learn just how many different and interesting ways they can manipulate a single melody.

Such was the case for myself -- my first big piano composition was a Theme and Variation on my own original theme. Take a listen to the Theme. It's very short, and only lasts until 0:16 in the file. Then, follow along with the music and the time stamps; you'll be able to hear that exact same theme played a multitude of ways. Some of them are somber, some of them are comical, but they all have the same melody embedded within them.

Variation 1: 0:21
Variation 2: 1:38
Variation 3: 2:20
Variation 4: 3:13
Variation 5: 4:10
Variation 6: 5:26
Variation 7: 8:05
Variation 8: 9:29
Variation 9: 10:36
Variation 10: 11:29
Variation 11: 12:10
Variation 12: 14:10

Composers like Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and their contemporaries wrote hundreds of pieces in the Theme and Variation form. Why demonstrate Theme and Variation in the Classical Era if it predates the time period? For 2 reasons. First, it's helpful to understand a Classically written musical phrase from this perspective. Hearing a Classical phrase, and then several variations on it helps us understand the art of writing a phrase more clearly.

Second, although many composers in this time period wrote Theme and Variation as a single piece of music, they also included it as one movement of a multi-movement cycle: primarily the Symphony and String Quartet (though some instrumental sonata movements also used the form).

Watch this video lecture on theme and variation form, looking at a movement by Mozart and Haydn. You'll first see how Mozart composes variations on the popular French folk tune that "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" is based on. This set of variations is a single piece of music. In other words, Mozart wrote this piece, and published it on its own.

Then, you'll watch how Haydn composes a set of variations on a famous melody of his titled the "Emperor's Melody." Here, the theme and variation is only 1 movement of a larger 4-movement string quartet. The next page will explore the 4-movement quartet and symphony in a little more detail, but the video explains all you need to know.