In Music, the variation is a process making it possible to produce multiple musical sentences by modifications made to a “topic”. The modifications can be of different nature:

• melody - the topic undergoes a modification such as one recognizes it, more or less, in spite of different intervals;

• rhythmic - one modifies the relative values notes, in a homogeneous way or not;

• harmonic - one modifies in a more or less significant way the Tonalité and the harmony accompanying the topic.

These various modes of variations can combine one with the other, the initial topic then being able to become almost unrecognizable.

The variation, which is one of the most fertile processes of the Western music, gave rise to specific forms - Chaconne, Passacaille, ground, varied air - and to masterpieces of unquestionable large Compositeur S:

• Arcangelo Corelli : the Folia

• Jean-Philippe Branch: denied Them of the Sologne , Gavotte varied
• Georg Friedrich Haendel: the Harmonious Blacksmith
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Chaconne for Violin Solo, Variations Goldberg
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Air varied on “Ah! I will say to you, Maman”
• Ludwig van Beethoven: Variations Diabelli
• Franz Schubert: Quintet with piano “ the Trout ”
• Maurice Ravel: Bolero

With the time baroque, one also speaks about “double”: the doubles are generally of small number; they can also be added by a Compositeur to a basic air of another musician, as homage, for example.

Simple: Variations (music)