Schnittke - Variations on a Chord

Variations on a Chord (1965)

According to Alexander Ivashkin:

"Elements of polystylism can be heard in the Variations on a Chord which were written for Irina Schnittke, the composer's wife; it was she who gave the first performance of them in Moscow in June 1966. The main structural idea of the work was borrowed from the second movement of Webern's Piano Variations, Op. 27; each note of the row can be used only in the same octave that was selected at the start. At the same time the idea of contrasting, almost polystylistic, variations belong to Schnittke.

The six variations are different in character. Sometimes they recall the ringing of bells (variation IV, Lento), a toccata in a Prokofiev-like style (variation III, Agitato), the impressionistic writing of Debussy (at the start of the piece), or the 'melodic cells' technique of Stravinsky in the spirit of his Les noces (variation II, Andante)."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• alfred
• schnittke

[sparkyfry]

Thanks for the video! I'd love to see more Schnittke. I don't know if you ever put up sheet music to orchestral pieces, but the Concerto Grosso #1 would be cool.

[Hexameron]

I don't upload orchestral pieces (non-concerto) owing to the fact that a full orchestral score is difficult to view in the youtube video screen. I may, however, upload the Concerto for Piano and Strings and definitely the Concerto Grosso No. 6 some day.

[Smaejdah]

Nice

but.. which chord is it?

[snowboarderxzxz]

Variations on a time signature

[Tamadrum1111]

@2hyeok The piece has no key, so it has no key signature. :)

[2hyeok]

what is the key signature? i know it's c or a minor but the keys have to much accidentals

[karenlee29]

Thank you. Always nice to see more Schnittke.

[lsbrother]

why bother with a time sig or even bars if you keep changing them? 

[AkLvKk]

what's up with the ginormous time signature?

[AkLvKk]

next thing you know: variation on a note

[juanmaMCMLXXXII]

@Smaejdah A twelve note chord, always the same pitches. You can find the chord in the first and second measures:

C1, G#1, A1, D2, B2, Db3, F3, Eb4, Bb4, E5, G5, F#6

[mynameisandycostello]

@paradiddleday yeah, definitely meant balls.  Sorry for the typo!

[paradiddleday]

@mynameisandycostello I didn't know he wrote for Zambo Cavero ("cajón"). That's really neat Peruvian percussion. Or did you mean "cojones"?