On Variations

Hello.

The sonata theme is beautiful, isn't it?

Regarding the Variations, there are many ways to work, and I believe the truly important element is the recognizability of the elements—not necessarily melodic, but if you wish, harmonic.

I wouldn't advise maintaining stylistic coherence with the given theme: after all, it is "semi-neutral" material from which to derive certain elements that you will then develop in the 3 variations.

Regarding length, it depends a lot on the approach you want to take for the triptych: if you think of it as a single unit, the third one could obviously be longer, perhaps with a sort of final synthesis/coda. What I feel I can tell you, because it is a very personal endeavor from every point of view, is to well-characterize each individual variation with a few clear elements derived from the theme.

Other suggestions will come later. Treasure them, but work as you are used to: changing your approach in 36 hours isn't really useful.

Good luck!

- must the variations maintain the same metric extent (the same number of measures) as the given theme?

absolutely not, or rather it might happen, but only by chance; otherwise, it doesn't matter at all.

- must stylistic coherence with the given theme be maintained, or can one demonstrate the ability to handle different languages (both different from the theme and from each other across the 3 variations)?

The ideal would be for the three variations to be coherent with each other, but anyway, keep in mind that the test is evaluated more from the point of view of orchestration than of content. You will certainly be given a theme by an author from the 1900s or at most the late 1800s; try not to go too far back in time...

- I was thinking, generally speaking, of a gradual expansion of the variations: 1st var.: same number of measures as the theme; 2nd var.: double; 3rd var.: triple. is this possible?

Do not set limits or constraints on yourself regarding the number of measures: generally, one proceeds in increasing order of complexity and overall breadth of the piece, but without counting the measures.

how was your diploma exam in this sense?

The variations test was the most difficult after the 15-day oratorio. I organized my three variations like this: the first cheerful, the second a passacaglia (so in 3/4 with slow tempo and progressive entry of various instruments), the third a brilliant finale; I didn't bother counting measures; the piece to be varied was a dodecaphonic piece by Schoenberg for piano. I used all 36 hours, more or less an average of 12 hours per variation, 12 gross hours, considering that one needs to eat, sleep at least 2-3 hours, take a break for a couple of hours, attend to physiological needs...

Good luck...

thanks for your precious advice, geppino....

a last-minute doubt: could I vary (slightly) the instrumentation between one variation and the next?

Yes, you can vary it slightly, but in a functional way, meaning it is useless to insert a new instrument just to have it play two notes; it must have a part significant enough to justify the entry of a new instrument, and anyway, keep in mind that this is a small orchestra, so don't expand too much. For example, I don't know, if you want an English horn in the second variation, then sacrifice an oboist and give them the English horn, but then this English horn must have a relevant part, otherwise you expose yourself to criticism: what was the need to insert the English horn for just a few notes...?

Another thing: pay attention to the ranges and all the performance techniques of the various instruments, to the breaths in the wind instruments; always indicate if it is 1 or 2 players; with 2 you can do as many doublings as you want, don't worry about potential intonation problems in unisons, although in modern writing it is preferred to use doublings very sparingly; watch out for the bowings in the strings and avoid writing things that are impossible or very risky to perform; finally, if you can, play with the effects, throw a bit of smoke in their eyes—commissions really like effects: glissandi, tremolos, harmonics, etc.....

thanks again geppino....and I'll take advantage of this....my teacher, in addition to the small orchestra instrumentation, also spoke to me about a possible characterizing instrument...say, a piano, a harp, a xylophone, etc.....and what if I inserted a different characterizing instrument for each variation, keeping the rest of the instrumentation constant?

Yes, this can also be done, generally by playing on the percussion, because in the ensemble you have a timpanist and a percussion instrument, which is not specified, so you can choose a different one for each variation, always following the logic that the instrument must have an important role in the overall economy of the piece. Frankly, I would advise against the piano, because for the diploma one wants to test more orchestrational skill and there have already been other tests based on this instrument; a marimba, a xylophone, a vibraphone, or a harp could work perfectly well.

What can I say, much has been said. I find myself relating to Geppino and Zedef's suggestions

Let us know how it went or how it is going