variation, in music, a compositional device in which certain features of a musical unit, e.g., phase, are altered while others are retained in a subsequent statement of the unit. Modifications include melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic. Variation is fundamental in Western music, serving to identify the unique features of a composition by partitioning those features. Gregorian chant exhibits much melodic variation, and all music from the Middle Ages through the 20th cent. employs the technique in some form. Specifically the term refers to a musical form, also called “theme and variations,” in which the varied item is an entire brief movement. The form originated in baroque dance suites, in which all movements have the same theme, and was popular during the 18th and 19th cent. Bach's Goldberg Variations and Beethoven's Diabelli Variations are famous examples of the genre.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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