Classical pièce: Sergey Lyapunov — Variations and Fugue on a Russian Theme

Oops, these notes got pretty long. I'm gonna leave them though.

Paired with this étude.

"Theme and variations" is a pretty straightforward form. You hear a theme, plain and undecorated, and then a series of variations, each one interpreting the theme in a different way.

Lyapunov calls these "variations and fugue", meaning that at the end of the piece there's a fugue on the theme instead of a regular variation. It's common to have a long coda at the end of a set of variations, so you could also consider the fugue an extended variation.

The theme is in 5 and a bit disorienting. Don't worry, though, the variations are a lot easier to listen to.

I'd recommend looking at the score for the theme at least. (For the first page, you can click the link, scroll to "Sheet Music ▶ Scores ▶ Complete score" and click the thumbnail on the right.)

The theme begins at [0:00]. I'd say that it's in the Aeolian mode, rather than minor — hear the ascending bass at [0:34], which doesn't have any raised scale degrees. That harmonic resolution, with all the minor chords, is not typical in the minor mode. Look out for the end of variation 2 when this first changes.

Other than the overall melody, some of the important features of the theme, which the variations will play with, include: [0:00] the minor sixth leap upwards, [0:05] the repeated note and scale, [0:09] the ornament, [0:25] the short meandering figure, and [0:31] the bass line and harmonies at the cadence.

I won't walk through each variation too closely, I'll just hit the highlights:

Variation 1 [0:43] basically restates the theme in the same style, but with more motion in the bass line.

Varation 2 [1:19] gives a lot more sound in an energetic martial style. It also has the first accidentals in the piece, which support a more adventurous set of harmonies ^{(tonicizing the minor mediant and minor submediant, if you have your monocle and wig on)}.

Variation 3 [1:47] presents a simplified harmonic outline using the left hand while the right hand repeats a single measure over and over.

Variation 4 [2:07] features exact imitation in the voices, almost like a canon. First the soprano and alto voices play a long chunk of the melody. Then [2:15] there's a short figure in the bass, then tenor, then alto, and then soprano. The short figure repeats — then [2:23] the whole thing happens again.

Variation 5 [2:38] has the hands in octaves. This is very common in piano variations. Notice how smoothly the voices swap [2:50].

Variation 6 [3:08] goes back to a 5 meter. I think that this is easier to understand than the theme, since there are big bass notes on the downbeats. At first the texture reminds me of bells, or maybe a brass chorale. Then [3:37] the theme shifts to the tenor line while the right hand decorates.

Variation 7 [4:03] has the theme in octaves between some absolutely monstrous lines in both hands.

… and break.

Variation 8 [4:37] sounds like a song to me. I also think the long ascending lines interact with the melody in a very interesting way. The theme is now in major.

Variation 9 [5:12] is in compound meter, meaning that each beat is divided into three sub-beats.

Variation 10 [5:34] keeps the triplet idea, but puts the theme itself back into duple meter, now broken between octaves.

Variation 11 [6:06] starts off very perky, like Variation 2 way back when. The melody is passed between both hands' thumbs. Then [6:23] it turns to long scales in sixths, with the theme in between reminiscent of Variations 2 and 6.

The harmonies slowly turn back to minor [6:49] using the motifs already developed, until a long cadenza [7:19] connects to…

The fugue [7:45].

Fugues are a standalone form. They are written in counterpoint, with multiple completely independent voices (which still incidentally form harmonies). There is a subject, which is the main theme which occurs repeatedly. In each episode, the voices enter one by one, each with the subject.

Often there are a few extra motifs, unrelated to the subject, which come back underneath the main thing that's happening.

This isn't exactly a traditional fugue in that it's hard to say exactly where the episodes are. But in Romantic fugues this is pretty normal. There's a lot of fragmentation of the subject, and it only returns in whole once or twice.

Anyway.

The subject [7:45] of the fugue is based on the theme of this piece. The end turns into a kind of "fugue-y" sounding line. Then a second voice enters [7:54] with the same subject in a related key; then a third voice [8:03] in the original key; and finally a fourth voice [8:12] in the second key. This completes the exposition — the subject has been explained and the form is ready to take off.

There's an important motif in the bass at [7:58].

After some fragments of the subject, eventually [8:32] the subject returns in whole in the soprano and tenor voices.

But it's upside down.

This is called inversion and it's pretty neat.

A bit later [8:41] the subject comes back in whole in the soprano and alto. This entrance and the inverted entrance above are a little weird because the subject is playing on top of itself. The subject didn't even get to finish before the next voice came in.

This is called stretto and it's pretty neat.

Soon [8:49] the bass enters in octaves, and the tenor enters in stretto right afterwards. (Compared to the last stretto, this stretto is at the same time rhythmically, but the second voice enters on a different pitch relative to the first voice.) The subject doesn't complete, however.

At [8:58] we hear stretto in ascending voices similar to Variation 4 [2:15].

At [9:07] the soprano and alto voices are in stretto. Meanwhile, the tenor voice is in stretto at the same time as the alto voice — but the tenor voice is upside down! This is a little hard to hear in this recording, but it happens again at [9:15], this time between the bass (right side up) and soprano (upside down).

There are a few more subjects and fragments… Then [9:51] the subject appears in the soprano voice, and shortly afterwards in the alto voice in stretto.

But it's half as fast as it was. And the other voices are playing variants of the subject at normal speed.

This is called augmentation and it's pretty neat.

At [10:08], the soprano and alto voices have the subject normally, at normal speed, while the bass has the subject inverted and augmented.

There is a short cadenza at [10:29], a restatement of the theme [10:45], and finally a big ol' coda [10:54] with stretto and inversion.

I love fugues.