The

Goldberg Variations


The Goldberg Variations is the last series of keyboard music Bach composed

for the German Clavierubung publishing series (Tomito). And though the

Clavierubung series published technical keyboard practices, The Goldberg Variations

is much more than a practice etude (Williams). These variations are often regarded

as the most serious and ambitious compositions ever written for harpsichord

(Tomito). Interestingly though, Bach did not show a major interest in variation style

writing throughout his compositional life. Unlike other composers of the Baroque

era who wrote many variation pieces, Corelli and Handel, Bach only wrote a few

minor chorales in this form (Tomito). Despite his lack of experience in this style, the

Goldberg Variations became a major work for keyboardist during that period and led

on to inspire composers past the Baroque period, like Beethoven, Brahms &

Rakhmaninov to compose many works in variation form (Williams).

The entire work is based off of the aria of the piece. Though the melody that

is heard in the aria may not be heard in the thirty variations, the melodic structure

and movement in the aria is the same, and is what Bach based the thirty variations

on (Williams). The aria is labeled as a sarabande tendre; meaning in French a

tender saraband or dance (Williams). A saraband is defined as a slow triple meter

dance, originating from Spain and France (Form). But the aria, though slow in a

time, does not sound or feel like a dance. Bachs instruction of tender may have

purposely been put, so that the aria did not sound like a typical dance.
 What makes the aria unique to the piece as a whole is that it is played as an

opening and closing to the work. It welcomes the listener with a stately, but tender

address, and then is repeated to finish the piece. Bach does not re-notate the aria, he

instead he gives the instruction da capo e fin after the last variation (Tomito).

Being that the opening and closing are written identically they should sound

identical, but the repeat of the aria has a sadness and remembrance to it unlike the

first time it is played and leaves the listener in a different state. As Peter Williams

states, it is likely to appear wistful or nostalgic or subdued or resigned or sad,

heard on its repeat with a sense of something coming to an end, the same notes but

now final (Williams).

The aria of the variations begins with slow and steady arpeggiating chords

in the left hand with a simple I V vi V I progression. Ornamentation, through

the use of passing and neighbor tones, of each triad is present in the right hand so

that the chord is sustained throughout the measure (Bach). This type of movement

stays in the second system, except for the substitution of the vi chord for a first

inversion ii chord. In the third system C# is used repeatedly, suggesting that the

piece is modulating to dominant of the key, D major (Bach).

This modulation is most clearly seen in the last measure of the third system

with the use of a secondary dominant. This measure spells out an A Major chord,

with the consistent use of arpeggios, and leads to a first inversion D Major triad

(Bach). This V I progression, and the constant use of C# leading tone, solidifies the

pieces movement into D Major. The first section ends with the same ii V I

progression.
 The second section is similar to the first. The left hand is pulsing steady

arpeggiating chords, but the ornamentation in the right hand is at a quicker pace

(Bach). Instead of a steady held back feeling, the music feels like it is moving

forward. This is clearly heard in the recording of Glen Goulds performance. In this

section humming and large audible breaths are heard from Gould while playing

(Gould). Since these physical actions did not occur during the first section, it can be

inferred that the second section has more drive and drama to it.

The second section eliminates the C# used in the first modulation, and

introduces a D#, suggesting a modulation into the relative minor, e minor. Unlike

the first section, where it took four measures to modulate into the new key, the

second section modulates into e minor one measure after the leading tone is

introduced (Bach). Like earlier the piece lands on the new key with the use of a

secondary dominant, seen in the first measure of the second system. The e minor

chord is sustained for a few measures, through use of ornamentation, before going

to the same i iv V i progression (Bach). It then modulates back into G major,

with the use of another secondary dominant, and uses the same simple progression

that has repeated throughout the piece. The final cadence lands on the downbeat of

the last measure, and the I chord is prolonged throughout the measure with the use

of ornamentation. To give the feel of a final ending the leading tone is suspended

into the fourth beat and resolves on the end of the beat (Bach).

The Bach Goldberg Variations is unlike any keyboard piece. Keeping a

common harmonic progression while spreading across the entire emotional plate,

The Goldberg Variations offer something new to the listener. As Peter Williams
states, what the Goldberg really brings to the listener is a world of experience

otherwise unknown, and I am not sure anyone can succeed in describing that world

to others (Williams).

Work Cited

Bach, J.S. 1741. Aria with 30 Variations: The Goldberg Variations. Masters Music
Publications 1992.

"Forms and Genre ." Forms and Genre. Web. 22 Apr. 2012.
<http://solomonsmusic.net/forms.htm>.

Gould, Glenn. Bach: The Goldberg Variations. Zenph Re-Performance. 1955.

Tomito, Yo. "The Goldberg" Variations." J. S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations. Queens
Univeristy Belfast, United Kingdom., 1997. Web. 22 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.qub.ac.uk/~tomita/essay/cu4.html>.

Williams, Peter. Bach, the Goldberg Variations. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2001.
Print.