Variation

A variation is a modified version of a theme — preserving the theme’s essential identity while transforming surface elements such as melody, harmony, rhythm, key, mode, texture, or character. Variations may be subtle (slight ornamentation) or extensive (radical recasting), but the listener should always perceive the underlying theme.

Theme-and-variations form (a theme followed by a series of variations) is one of the most ancient and durable musical structures. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, Brahms’s Handel Variations, Rachmaninoff’s Paganini Variations — all are masterpieces of the form.

The psychological appeal of variations is the interplay of familiarity and novelty. The listener recognizes the theme through its disguises; the disguises themselves are inventive and surprising. Each variation reveals a new aspect of the theme’s potential.

Latin variatio, from variare (‘to vary’), from varius (‘various’).

Make each variation distinct. Different character, different texture, different dynamic. But preserve the underlying theme’s identity — listeners should hear the connection through the transformations.