Ponce's Variations for Guitar 1

Ponce's Variations for Guitar 1

Peter Kun Frary, Professor of Music University of Hawaii, Leeward
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Introduction
Due to Ponce's neoclassical tendencies, all three of his sets of variations are mainly based on the techniques
of the eighteenth-century sectional variation form: a theme is simply stated; a number of variations ensue,
largely of the melodic type with fixed harmony; and a fugue or a developmental finale provides a
conclusive summing up. Like most eighteenth-century variation sets, Ponce's variation sets are organized in
a succession of self-contained variations which do not normally have transitions between them. Although
these works utilize similar approaches to formal organization, they exemplify two separate stylistic stages
in Ponce's career. Variations sur >>Folia de Espaa<< et Fugue and Thme vari et Finale, written during
the 1920s, intermingle impressionistic and neoromantic techniques in a virtuosic manner, and are strongly
evocative of Hispanic folklore. Variaciones sobre un tema de Antonio de Cabezn, written in 1948 during
Ponce's final months of life, is emotionally and technically reserved, and is wholly neoclassical in style.

Manuel Maria Ponce (1882-1948)

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A short musical description and pertinent information concerning composition and publication will be
included for all items surveyed. Each work will be graded according to level of technical difficulty on a one
to ten scale: 1-2: very easy; 3-4: moderately easy; 5-6: moderately difficult; 7-8: difficult; and 9-10: very
difficult. Musical examples are based on the edition listed first under each composition. All works are
dedicated to Andrs Segovia unless otherwise noted.
Thme vari et finale. Edited by Andrs Segovia. Mainz: Schott, 1928.
Timing: 10'
Grade: 8
This set of variations was composed in Paris during 1926 and is one of Ponce's most often performed guitar
solos. The formal design consists of an original theme, six variations and a finale. Although most of the
variations differ slightly in length from the theme, all of them utilize the same formal structure of A A B.
The theme, five of the variations and the finale are built around the tonal center of E, probably to allow
idiomatic use of the open strings. Moreover, with the exception of Variation VI, in E major, and Variation
III, in C major, this work is predominately in E minor modes such as E aeolian and E dorian. Most of the
variations follow the basic harmony of the theme and, to achieve contrast, develop a particular rhythmic or
melodic pattern. Although the title does not suggest nationalism, this work is highly evocative of popular
Latin American music. Impressionistic harmonies predominate in this work.
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The theme, set in triple meter and predominantly in the modality of E aeolian, features a fragmented
melodic structure and serves mainly to provide a harmonic and formal basis for the variations. The
harmonic progression is typical of Latin American popular music; however, decorative dissonance is often
utilized to create color. For example, the harmonic progression of the first four measures is i iv7 VII+ III7
(E aeolian):
Ex. 45. Thme vari et finale, Theme, p. 2, mm. 1-4

The altered harmonic tones, the appoggiaturas on the iv7 and III7 chords and the ornaments create colorful
yet delicate tonal shadings.
The first variation, in 3/4 meter and marked Allegro appassionato, follows the basic harmony and melodic
contour of the theme. The variation technique is based on a repeated rhythmic figure played in block chords:
Ex. 46. Thme vari et finale, Variation I, p. 2, mm. 1-4

Variation II, marked Molto moderato, is in C major and 3/4 meter. The mood is lyrical and subdued. Piano
markings predominate in this variation. Although the formal structure and basic melodic outline of the
theme are retained, the highly chromatic harmony and the call and response texture of this variation provide
an engaging contrast. The motive echoed between the bass and soprano is derived from the thirty-second
note ornament in the first measure of the theme:
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Ex. 47. Thme vari et finale, Variation II, p. 2, mm. 1-4

The third variation, in 2/4 meter and marked Allegro moderato, is based a three-note sixteenth note pattern
harmonized largely in thirds:
Ex. 48. Thme vari et finale, Variation III, p. 3, mm. 1-3

Although the harmonization in parallel thirds is evocative of popular Mexican song, the repetitive and
syncopated rhythmic pattern, chromaticism and disjunct style give this rather conventional harmonization
an unusual twist.
Variation IV, in 6/8 meter and marked Agitato, is based on a five-note melodic pattern characterized by tied
notes on the third and sixth beats:
Ex. 49. Thme vari et finale, Variation IV. p. 3, mm. 1-4

Syncopations and the slurring of notes on the second and fifth beats give this variation an anxious and
unsettled air.
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The fifth variation, in 3/4 meter and marked Vivace, is full of Latin American fire with its rolled chords and
rapid scales and ornaments. Again, much of the unity of the variation depends on the use of a rhythmic
pattern established in the first measure:
Ex. 50. Thme vari et finale, Variation V, p. 4, mm. 1-4

The sixth and final variation, set in 2/4 meter and marked Molto pi lento, is gentle and subdued and
features piano markings throughout. The texture is in three distinct parts--soprano, bass and inner voice-and is nostalgic of a Mexican cancin:
Ex. 51. Thme vari et finale, Variation VI, p. 4, mm. 1-4

The finale, marked Vivo scherzando and in 3/8 meter, is a conclusive summing up of this work and is the
most difficult section of this work to perform. Not limited to one type of figuration, motives from the
preceding variations are developed in a sonata-like fashion. Cast in the form of A B A' coda, the finale
begins with a phrase related to the second beat of m. 1 in the theme and the opening motive of the second
variation:
Ex. 52. Thme vari et finale, Finale, p. 4, mm. 1-4
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Impressionistic colors and nonfunctional harmony are often heard in alternation with more conventional
sounds. For example, quartal chords connected by glissandi are heard immediately following a passage of
common practice harmony at m. 19. Although the use of changing accent patterns are common in this
piece, the most striking occurrence is in the B section of the finale where chords voiced in fifths and in 3/8
meter alternate with chords in a 3/4 accent pattern:
Ex. 53. Thme vari et finale, Finale, p. 5, mm. 51-58

The metric changes serve to accentuate the already dazzling sonority of the open chord voicings and
nonfunctional harmony of this passage.
A rhythmic pattern related to the fourth variation appears at m. 61, and, after some development of this
motive and others, the A section is recapitulated in abbreviated form. At m. 149 motives from the fifth
variation appear, and at m. 163 the coda begins with two repetitions of the first phrase of the fifth variation
in the tonic. Motives from this phrase are developed to produced a frenzied and colorful ending to this
highly successful work. Although the entire piece is permeated with an aura of Latin American popular
music, the improvisational character of the last few measures and final chord of E major seventh (E majormajor) are especially evocative of this style.

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Ponce's Variations for Guitar 2

Ponce's Variations for Guitar 2

Peter Kun Frary, Professor of Music University of Hawaii, Leeward
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Variacions sobre un tema de Antonio de Cabezn. Edited by Miguel Alczar. London: Tecla
Editions, 1982.
Timing: 6'
Grade: 5
Father Antonio Brambila, an accomplished guitarist and Ponce's friend and confessor, had long cherished a
set of variations by Antonio de Cabezn which he had heard at an organ concert in Rome during 1924. He
gave Ponce a copy of the theme and asked him to compose a set of variations for guitar, which Ponce
agreed to do. On February 8, 1948, two months before his death, Ponce finished the work and dedicated it
to Father Brambila.
There are two extant manuscript sources for this work, both in the possession of Miguel Alczar: the
autograph manuscript, consisting of a theme, six variations and a fughetta; and a manuscript copy in the
hand of Father Antonio Brambila which contains three additional variations. Father Brambila could only
definitely state that the additional variations were by Ponce, but was unclear about any other details.1
Alczar comments on the musical incongruities of the additional variations with the rest of the work:
The so-called variation VII, being in G major, disturbs the tonal unity of the work [A minor],
has no thematic relationship with the material which precedes it, and employs a different
harmonic language, so that it could in fact be a kind of interlude. . . . Variation IX would be a
sort of coda, using a chromatic descending scale; yet such a scale had already been used--or
would be used at the end of the fughetta.2
Due to the absence of these variations from the autograph, their unknown source and musical incongruities,
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the autograph will be treated as the definitive version for this discussion. In addition to the inconsistent state
of the manuscript sources, there are questions concerning the authorship of the theme. Father Brambila
attributed the theme of this work to Cabezn; Alczar, unable to find the theme in Cabezn's published
works, traced the theme to the Liber Usualis Missae et Oficii where it appears as an Easter hymn, "O Filii et
Filiae."3
The general tone of this work is lean, somber and neoclassical, although not as austere as Dos Vietas. The
plainsong theme, consisting of two eight-measure periods, is presented in a metrical setting (3/4) and is
simply harmonized:
Ex. 54. Variacions sobre un tema de Antonio de Cabezn, Theme, p. 1, mm. 1-4

Variations I through V retain the phrase structure and length of the theme, and the entire piece utilizes the
tonal center of A. Only in the sixth variation does Ponce extend the length of the variation. To a degree not
seen in the two other sets of variations, Ponce draws almost exclusively on the techniques of the eighteenthcentury melodic variation form with fixed harmony.
Variation I mainly utilizes a straightforward presentation of arpeggios and passing tones to vary the theme:
Ex. 55. Variacions sobre un tema de Antonio de Cabezn, Variation I, p. 1, mm. 1-4

The second variation joins directly to the first variation via a short transition, and is built around a rhythmic
pattern introduced in the bass voice:
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Ex. 56. Variacions sobre un tema de Antonio de Cabezn, Variation II, p. 2, mm. 1-4

Variation III utilizes block chords and open string pedal tones (A and e1) as a means of contrast:
Ex. 57. Variacions sobre un tema de Antonio de Cabezn, Variation III, p. 2, mm. 1-4

The fourth variation is a simple block chord harmonization of the theme in the parallel major:
Ex. 58. Variacions sobre un tema de Antonio de Cabezn, Variation IV, p. 2, mm. 1-4

Variation V exploits broken chord figuration in the manner of style bris:

Ex. 59. Variacions sobre un tema de Antonio de Cabezn, Variation V, p. 3, mm. 4-8

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The final and most inventive variation, no. VI, is based on the rhythmic pattern introduced in Variation II:
Ex. 60. Variacions sobre un tema de Antonio de Cabezn, Variation VI, p. 3, mm. 15-19

The Fughetta, largely in two voices, is relatively brief and consists only of an exposition, episode and coda.
The subject is based on the first phrase of the theme:
Ex. 61. Variacions sobre un tema de Antonio de Cabezn, Fughetta, p. 4, mm. 1-8

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The countersubject, which is first heard during the entry of the real answer at m. 5, is derived from the
rhythmic motive heard earlier in variations II and VI. The four additional entries of the subject all appear
with the countersubject. The coda, in A phrygian, begins with the subject harmonized in block chords over
an A pedal. Following a dramatic passage based on a descending chromatic line, the work comes to rest on
a phrygian cadence of bII I. Although this work is a startling contrast from the impressionistic harmonies
and virtuosic passage work of the Thme vari et finale, it has an unique charm of its own and should prove
especially inviting to students due to its moderate technical and musical demands.

Footnotes
1Critical

notes from Manuel M. Ponce, Variations on a Theme of Cabezn, edited by Miguel Alczar
(London: Tecla Editions, 1982), pp. iii-iv.

2Ibid.
3Ibid.

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Ponce's Variations for Guitar 3

Ponce's Variations for Guitar 3

Peter Kun Frary, Professor of Music University of Hawaii, Leeward
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Variations sur >>Folia de Espaa<< et Fugue. Edited by Andrs Segovia. Mainz: Schott, 1932.
Timing: 24'
Grade: 10
In 1928 Segovia asked Ponce to write a large set of variations: "I would like you to make some brilliant
variations on the theme of the Folias of Spain. . . . If you don't want to sign it we can ascribe it to Giuliani,
of whom many things remain to be discovered."4 Although this letter implies that Segovia may have
expected a pastiche in the early nineteenth-century style of Giuliani, Ponce, in 1929, created a powerful
contemporary work comparable in technical demands to Bach's famous Chaconne from the Partita No. II
for solo violin.
The folias originated in the Iberian peninsula, probably Portugal, during the late fifteenth-century. Like its
relatives the chaconne and passacaglia, the folias is in triple meter and is based on a repeating harmonic
pattern. The folias pattern consists of two eight-measure periods. Although sixteenth-century and
seventeenth-century examples of the folias utilized alternations of 3/4 and 6/8 meter, Ponce's setting of the
theme, like those of the nineteenth-century such as Giuliani's opus 45, remains in 3/4 meter throughout.
This work consists of a theme, twenty variations and a fugue--twenty pages of single-stave notation.
Because this work is in D minor, a scordatura tuning of D-A-d-g-b-e1 is utilized to maximize the use of
open basses. According to correspondence between Segovia and Ponce, this work originally included a
prlude: "Whenever I write I am tempted to explain why I haven't offered the Prlude, Folias and Fugue to
Schott"; and, in another letter concerning a performance at the Paris Opera during 1931, "I am thinking of
including the Variations on the Folias, without the Prlude, but with the Fugue."5

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Duarte, writing on this set of variations, comments that "Segovia deemed a few of the many variations
Ponce produced as unsuitable, either to the guitar or to the work as an entity."6 In fact, one of these
unpublished variations was recorded by Segovia under the title of Postlude on Andrs Segovia: The EMI
Recordings 1927-39 (Angel ZB-3896). Thus, considering the cutting of the prlude, the new setting of the
theme and the various unpublished variations, Segovia exercised considerable influence on the final form of
this work.
The setting of the theme has gone through at least one major revision before arriving at its published form.
After recording this work in the late 1920s, Segovia asked Ponce to rewrite the setting of the theme.7 Thus,
the published score utilizes chromatic and nontraditional harmonies in the theme not heard on Segovia's
early recording of this work. The following excerpt is taken from the published score (Schott, 1932):
Ex. 62. Variations sur >>Folia de Espaa<< et Fugue, Theme, p. 3, mm. 1-4

Although space does not permit discussion of all twenty variations, key characteristics of the work will be
considered. The general style of this work is an amalgam of neoclassic treatment of form, neoromantic
lyricism and expression, and a mixture of neoromantic and impressionistic harmonies. Each of the
variations derive from various combinations of the melodic, rhythmic or harmonic traits of the theme. There
is marked contrast between variations in terms of tempo, meter, texture and melodic figuration; thus, each
variation has a distinct character of its own. This work departs from the D minor mode only three times: in
Variation VI, in A major; Variation IX, in D major; and Variation XI, in C major.
Variation II, in 6/4 meter and marked Allegretto mosso, is based on scale and arpeggio figuration in running
eighth notes. Common practice harmony predominates in this variation.
Ex. 63. Variations sur >>Folia de Espaa<< et Fugue, Variation II, p. 4, mm. 1-2

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Variation VII, in 3/4 and marked Andante, utilizes nontraditional harmonies in block chord fashion and is
reminiscent of the Baroque with its opening mordent and use of a neighboring tone group in the V7 i
cadence at m. 4:
Ex. 64. Variations sur >>Folia de Espaa<< et Fugue, Variation VII, p. 8, mm. 1-4

Variation XIII, a canon at the octave, recalls the Baroque in its use of contrapuntal technique:
Ex. 65. Variations sur >>Folia de Espaa<< et Fugue, Variation XIII, p. 13, mm. 1-3

Variation XVI, in 6/8 meter and marked moderato, features the tremolo technique within a common
practice harmonic setting:
Ex. 66. Variations sur >>Folia de Espaa<< et Fugue, Variation XVI, p. 15, mm. 1-2

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The fugue, marked moderato and in three voices, is based on a four-measure subject derived from the
theme:
Ex. 67. Variations sur >>Folia de Espaa<< et Fugue, Fugue, p. 20, mm. 1-8

Organized according to eighteenth-century conventions, the exposition consists of an initial presentation of

the subject, a real answer at the fifth (with countersubject), a bridge and a restatement of the subject at the
octave. Likewise, the rest of the movement conforms to Baroque fugal convention: a series of
developmental and modulatory episodes follow the exposition and a three-voice stretto and an extended
dominant pedal passage appear near the end. The dominant pedal passage is particularly exciting (mm. 8190): a motive from the countersubject, over an open A pedal, ascends with mounting tension to a high B2flat and, in like manner, descends to a final statement of the subject harmonized in fortissimo block chords
and a coda based on the second counterpoint.
Ex. 68. Variations sur >>Folia de Espaa<< et Fugue, Fugue, p. 22, mm. 81-85
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As a self-contained entity the fugue is a pleasant and well-conceived work, although somewhat academic.
However, as an ending for a lengthy set of virtuosic variations the fugue is anticlimactic and somewhat
exhausting for both listener and performer.
Despite Ponce's skillful composition of individual variations, this work as a whole lacks both spontaneity
and structural unity. Although the use of the sectional variation form is successful in Ponce's shorter
variation sets, the manner in which it is used in this work strikes the listener as a lengthy succession of
attractive pieces--i.e., each variation is a balanced musical entity in itself--rather than a continuous and
dramatically controlled whole.8 While Ponce's character pieces show an excellent control of dramatic
tension and formal organization, longer works such as Suite Antigua and the Variations sur >>Folia de
Espaa<< et Fugue show that Ponce sometimes had difficulty maintaining dramatic balance in extended
sectional compositions.

Footnotes
4Corazn
5Ibid.,

Otero, Manuel M. Ponce and the Guitar (London: Musical New Services, 1983), p. 33.

pp. 39 and 41.

6Jacket

notes from the record Andrs Segovia: The EMI Recordings 1927-39, (Angel ZB-3896).

7Ibid.
8It

is possible that the unedited version of this work--i.e., prlude, twenty-plus variations in original
placement and fugue--may have had a significantly different musical impact than the published version.

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Source Materials
Otero, Corazn. Manuel M. Ponce and the Guitar. Translated by J. D. Roberts. Dorset, England: Musical
New Services, 1980. 85 pages.
Ponce, Manuel M. Thme vari et Finale. Edited by Andrs Segovia. Mainz: Schott, 1926. 7 pages.
Ponce, Manuel M. Variations on a Theme of Cabezn. Edited by Miguel Alczar. London: Tecla Editions,
1983. 7 pages.
Ponce, Manuel M. Variations sur >>Folia de Espaa<< et Fugue. Edited by Andrs Segovia. Mainz:
Schott, 1932. 22 pages.
Segovia, Andrs: The EMI Recordings 1927-39. Angel ZB-3896.
Copyright 2001 by Peter Kun Frary All Rights Reserved

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