Variations on a Theme of Chopin (Mompou)
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with the work with the same title by Rachmaninoff
The Variations on a Theme of Chopin is a work for solo piano by Federico Mompou
. It is based on the Prelude in A major, Op. 28, No. 7, by Frédéric Chopin
.
It started out as a piece for cello
and piano, written in collaboration
between Mompou and the cellist Gaspar Cassadó
. Work on this version of the piece started in 1938, but was abandoned. Mompou then published four variations for solo piano, but with the incongruous title "Three Variations".
Kenneth MacMillan
's ballet La Casa de los Pájaros (The House of Birds), set to orchestrations by John Lanchbery
of various piano pieces by Mompou, had been premiered at Sadler's Wells in London in 1955, and was also staged at the 4th Festival de Música y Danza at Granada
. Mompou was then asked by The Royal Ballet, London to write another ballet in the hope of emulating the success of La Casa de los Pájaros. For this, Mompou completed the full set of 12 variations in 1957. The latter ballet was never produced, and the music was published as Variations on a Theme of Chopin, without any reference to any balletic connections.
The work was dedicated to Mompou's friend Pedro Masaveu, a banker who had made available to Mompou his house in which to compose.
.
The work has been transcribed for two guitars by William Lovelady. This has been recorded by brothers Slava
and Leonard Grigoryan.
Variations on a Theme of Chopin (Rachmaninoff)
Not to be confused with a work with the same title by Federico Mompou or Ferruccio Busoni's work of the same title.Variations on a Theme of Chopin , Op. 22, is a group of 22 variations on Frédéric Chopin's Prelude in C minor Not to be confused with a work with the same title by Federico Mompou or...
The Variations on a Theme of Chopin is a work for solo piano by Federico Mompou
Federico Mompou
Frederic Mompou i Dencausse was a Catalan Spanish composer and pianist. He is best known for his solo piano music and his songs.-Life:...
. It is based on the Prelude in A major, Op. 28, No. 7, by Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
.
It started out as a piece for cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
and piano, written in collaboration
Classical music written in collaboration
In classical music, it is relatively rare for a work to be written in collaboration by multiple composers. This contrasts with popular music, where it is common for more than one person to contribute to the music for a song...
between Mompou and the cellist Gaspar Cassadó
Gaspar Cassadó
Gaspar Cassadó i Moreu was a Spanish cellist and composer of the early 20th century. He was born in Barcelona to a church musician father and began taking cello lessons at age seven. When he was nine, he played in a recital where Pablo Casals was in the audience; Casals immediately offered to...
. Work on this version of the piece started in 1938, but was abandoned. Mompou then published four variations for solo piano, but with the incongruous title "Three Variations".
Kenneth MacMillan
Kenneth MacMillan
Sir Kenneth MacMillan was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. He was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977.-Early years:...
's ballet La Casa de los Pájaros (The House of Birds), set to orchestrations by John Lanchbery
John Lanchbery
John Arthur Lanchbery OBE was an English, later Australian, composer and conductor, famous for his ballet arrangements.-Life:...
of various piano pieces by Mompou, had been premiered at Sadler's Wells in London in 1955, and was also staged at the 4th Festival de Música y Danza at Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
. Mompou was then asked by The Royal Ballet, London to write another ballet in the hope of emulating the success of La Casa de los Pájaros. For this, Mompou completed the full set of 12 variations in 1957. The latter ballet was never produced, and the music was published as Variations on a Theme of Chopin, without any reference to any balletic connections.
The work was dedicated to Mompou's friend Pedro Masaveu, a banker who had made available to Mompou his house in which to compose.
The variations
- Theme. Andantino (A major)
- Variation 1. Tranquillo e molto amabile (A major)
- Variation 2. Gracioso (A major)
- Variation 3. Lento (D major, for the left hand)
- Variation 4. Espressivo (F major)
- Variation 5. Tempo di MazurkaMazurkaThe mazurka is a Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, and with accent on the third or second beat.-History:The folk origins of the mazurek are two other Polish musical forms—the slow machine...
(A major) - Variation 6. Recitativo (G minor)
- Variation 7. Allegro leggiero (A major)
- Variation 8. Andante dolce e espressivo (F major)
- Variation 9. ValseWaltzThe waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
(A major) - Variation 10. Évocation. Cantabile molto espressivo (F sharp major; Mompou quotesMusical quotationMusical quotation is the practice of directly quoting another work in a new composition. The quotation may be from the same composer's work , or from a different composer's work ....
his own Cancion y Danza No. 6; in the middle section, Mompou quotes the central theme from Chopin's Fantaisie-ImpromptuFantaisie-ImpromptuFrédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. posth. 66, is a solo piano composition and one of his best-known pieces. It was composed in 1834 and dedicated to Julian Fontana, who published the piece in spite of Chopin's request not to do so....
, Op. 66) - Variation 11. Lento dolce e legato (F sharp minor)
- Variation 12. Galope y Epílogo (A major).
Arrangements
An orchestration was completed, but this was largely the work of the conductor Antoni Ros-MarbàAntoni Ros-Marbà
Antoni Ros-Marbà is a Spanish conductor from Catalonia. He began his musical education at the Conservatori Superior de Música de Barcelona...
.
The work has been transcribed for two guitars by William Lovelady. This has been recorded by brothers Slava
Slava Grigoryan
Slava Grigoryan is an Australian classical guitarist and recording artist of Armenian heritage.He was born in Kazakhstan to Eduard and Irina Grigoryan, both professional violinists. His family emigrated to Australia in 1981 and he was raised in Melbourne. Grigoryan began to study guitar with his...
and Leonard Grigoryan.