Friday, June 10, 2011

Webern, piano variations, op. 27 (1936)



This work is in three movements:
  1. Sehr Massig ("moderately")
  2. Sehr Schnell ("very fast"; begins ca. 1:30)
  3. Ruhig fliessend ("peaceful, flowing"; begins ca. 2:08)
Questions:
  1. This work is titled "variations." What is it that is being varied in this piece? How is it being varied? Is there a perceptible "theme?"
  2. This piece (and Webern's output in general) is very short. Why might Webern have written such brief, fleeting music?
  3. Many would argue that this piece sounds chaotic and random. Are there any musical elements that create a sense of repose and/or familiarity? Put another way, are there any aspects of this piece that are predictable?
  4. The second movement in particular has some interesting visual elements (note the camera's focus on Gould's hands throughout this movement). Why might Webern have written the movement to include so much hand crossing?
  5. (A follow-up to question 4) The second movement could easily be transcribed so that all of the notes remained the same, but all of the hand crossing was removed. How would this change the composition, if at all?
  6. Gould's gestures in general might be considered idiosyncratic to some. Do they enhance your understanding of the piece/performance or distract you from it?
  7. How important is it to be able to see music being performed?
Additional resources:
  • Another (earlier) performance of this piece by Gould:

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