Form
Theme and variations
A theme is stated plainly, then repeated several times with something changed each time. What stays fixed is usually the length of the theme and the sequence of its harmonies. What changes is everything else: the melody is decorated, the rhythm is doubled or tripled in speed, the tune moves to the left hand or the bass, the mode flips from major to minor, the texture becomes a march or a fugue.
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BachPassacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582Free
HaydnString Quartet in D major, Op. 20 No. 4HaydnString Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 33 No. 2HaydnString Quartet in G major, Op. 33 No. 5HaydnSymphony No. 81 in G major, Hob. I:81HaydnSymphony No. 82 in C major, Hob. I:82HaydnSymphony No. 88 in G major, Hob. I:88HaydnPiano Sonata in C major, Hob. XVI:48HaydnPiano Sonata in E-flat major, Hob. XVI:49HaydnSymphony No. 94 in G major, Hob. I:94HaydnAndante with Variations in F minor, Hob. XVII:6HaydnPiano Sonata in E-flat major, Hob. XVI:52HaydnSymphony No. 103 in E-flat majorHaydnString Quartet in C major, Op. 76 No. 3
MozartPiano Sonata No. 6 in D major, K. 284MozartPiano Sonata No. 7 in C major, K. 309Mozart12 Variations on 'Ah vous dirai-je, Maman', K. 265MozartSerenade No. 12 in C minor, K. 388MozartPiano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331MozartPiano Concerto No. 15 in B-flat major, K. 450MozartPiano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, K. 482MozartPiano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491MozartClarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581
BeethovenPiano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 11BeethovenViolin Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 12 No. 1BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 14 No. 2BeethovenString Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18 No. 5BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 12 in A-flat major, Op. 26BeethovenViolin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24BeethovenViolin Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 30 No. 1BeethovenViolin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47BeethovenSymphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55BeethovenTriple Concerto in C major, Op. 56BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57Beethoven32 Variations in C minor on an Original Theme, WoO 80BeethovenViolin Concerto in D major, Op. 61BeethovenChoral Fantasy in C minor, Op. 80BeethovenSymphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67FreeBeethovenPiano Concerto No. 5 in E♭ major, Op. 73BeethovenString Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 74BeethovenPiano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97BeethovenViolin Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 96BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111BeethovenSymphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125FreeBeethovenString Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major, Op. 127BeethovenString Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132BeethovenString Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135
PaganiniCaprice No. 24 in A minor, Op. 1 No. 24
WeberClarinet Concertino in E-flat major, Op. 26
SchubertWanderer Fantasy in C major, D 760; Op. 15SchubertString Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810FreeSchubertPiano Sonata in A minor, D. 845SchubertFour Impromptus, D. 935
MendelssohnVariations sérieuses in D minor, Op. 54 / MWV U 156MendelssohnOrgan Sonata No. 6 in D minor, Op. 65 No. 6
ChopinVariations on 'La ci darem la mano', Op. 2ChopinBerceuse in D-flat major, Op. 57
SchumannAbegg Variations, Op. 1SchumannCarnaval, Op. 9SchumannPiano Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22SchumannDichterliebe, Op. 48FreeSchumannFrauenliebe und -leben, Op. 42SchumannString Quartet No. 3 in A major, Op. 41 No. 3SchumannViolin Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 121
LisztSonetto 104 del Petrarca, S. 161/5LisztPiano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, S. 124LisztTotentanz, S. 126LisztGrandes études de Paganini No. 6 in A minor, S. 141/6LisztLa campanella (Grandes études de Paganini No. 3 in G-sharp minor), S. 141/3LisztTranscendental Etude No. 4 in D minor, S. 139/4LisztSt. Francis of Paola Walking on the Waves, S. 175/2
LaloSymphonie espagnole, Op. 21
BrahmsPiano Sonata No. 1 in C major, Op. 1BrahmsVariations on a Theme of Robert Schumann for piano, Op. 9BrahmsVariations on a Hungarian Song for piano, Op. 21 No. 2BrahmsVariations on an Original Theme for piano, Op. 21 No. 1BrahmsString Sextet No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 18BrahmsVariations and Fugue on a Theme of Handel for piano, Op. 24BrahmsVariations on a Theme of Paganini for piano, Op. 35BrahmsString Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36BrahmsVariations on a Theme of Haydn for orchestra, Op. 56aBrahmsVariations on a Theme of Haydn for two pianos, Op. 56bBrahmsString Quartet No. 3 in B-flat major, Op. 67BrahmsEight Piano Pieces, No. 2: Capriccio, Op. 76 No. 2BrahmsEight Piano Pieces, No. 5: Capriccio, Op. 76 No. 5BrahmsPiano Trio No. 2 in C major, Op. 87BrahmsSymphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98BrahmsClarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115BrahmsSeven Fantasies for piano (Fantasien), No. 3: Capriccio, Op. 116 No. 3BrahmsClarinet Sonata No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 120 No. 2
Saint-SaënsPiano Concerto No. 4 in C minor, Op. 44Saint-SaënsSymphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78
BalakirevIslamey, Op. 18
TchaikovskySymphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17TchaikovskySymphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
DvořákSymphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88
GriegBallade in G minor, Op. 24
Rimsky-KorsakovScheherazade, Op. 35
JanáčekSinfonietta
ElgarVariations on an Original Theme, Op. 36
MahlerSymphony No. 4 in G major
DebussyPréludes, Book II, L. 123
GranadosGoyescas
RachmaninoffPiano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30
HolstFirst Suite in E-flat for Military Band, Op. 28 No. 1 / H. 105Free
ProkofievPiano Sonata No. 4 in C minor, Op. 29ProkofievPiano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26
CoplandAppalachian Spring SuitePärtFratres