Ashton Allan

MU 228
Tonality within Aaron Copland’s Piano Variations

The closest Aaron Copland ever got to atonal music was his 1930 composition,
Piano Variations. This work, constructed from twenty independently composed
variations on a theme with a coda, is now considered my many as a masterwork of the
great American composer. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this piece is its
projection of tonality- specifically, one founded on the germ of the melodic theme
material. Copland, speaking about the Piano Variations in a conversation with Leo Smit
in 1977, gives some important insight to keep in mind while listening and analyzing this
piece:
The Variations took a long time to write. I didn’t write the variations consecutively.
In other words, I got ideas for the variations and worked on them without having too
clear a notion as to exactly where they were going to fit in the finished piece. And then
one fine day every variation seemed to run to its right place. That was, of course, a fine
day. (Butterworth, 203)

Copland’s Piano Variations of 1930 projects a tonality based on composing out the
primary theme tetrachord, beginning in E and ending structurally in C#.
Copland’s use of Schoenberg’s 12 tone technique is mostly restricted to the
manipulation of the piece’s primary tetrachord. Stated as the first notes of the
composition, E, C, D#, and C# (pitch classes 4,0,3,1) is the primary theme of the
composition. The theme is an octatonic configuration which in unordered form, also
coincidentally feeds Bach’s C# minor fugue in his Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1. The
piece travels through 20 variations on this theme before arriving at the closing coda.
Copland’s use of the 12 tone manipulations (see Figure 1) comes to fruition by the sixth
theme, where he transposes the theme up a minor third (three half-steps) to G, Eb, F#,
E (7, 3, 6, 4). In the eighth variation, the theme is further transposed up a perfect fifth (7
half-steps) to B, G, Bb, Ab (11, 7, 10, 8). These first three variations of the tetrachord
arpeggiate a minor chord. The ninth variation presents the theme at its original pitch

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level with the right hand, while the left hand plays the theme transposed up a major
third (4 half steps) to G#, E, G, F (8,4,7,5). Copland transposes the tenth variation up a
half step, the eleventh up a whole step, the fourteenth back to pitch, the nineteenth up a
perfect fifth, and again returns to the original pitch level for the coda.
Copland harmonizes this theme with 10 of the 12 tones that form the aggregate.
These 10 tones belong to the E-major and E-minor scales (see Figure 2). The remaining
tones, pitch class 10 (Bb) and pitch class 5 (F) are reserved for later entry into the
variations. The addition of these pitches can be explained by the addition of the C#
major scale, a matter soon to be discussed in greater detail. The listener first hears
pitch class 10 in the second variation. Although Copland plays the pitch class five times.
In four of those times, the pitch class is the lowest sounding pitch of a chord. The pitch
confronts the listener at the beginning of the third variation, where it sounds in octaves
at extreme registers. Pitch class 5 remains missing until the seventh variation. Here (m.
72), it rings strongly in the bass of an F major chord, completing the aggregate. After
the aggregate is complete, the piece gives no indication of 12-tone importance (other
than the theme transpositions of course); the structure in no way expresses row
variations, or even a complete 12-tone row. In fact, the presentation of the theme in the
melody of variations rarely breaks away from the initial ordering.
Much of the energy of this piece is derived from rhythmic and dynamic
variation. The thematic opening of the piece begins with strong articulations and a slow
motion. In the first few variations, the pace hardly moves faster than one or two notes
at a time on one beat. In the third variation at measure 34, a rhythmic motif announces
itself, propelling the listener into the reoccurring rhythmic motif of the fourth variation.
The intensity and dynamics continue to build up to the end of the seventh variation
culminating in a grand E major chord. The tension relaxes by variation 8, then grows
for the rest of the piece into the final climax in the coda. This second build-up includes
references to previous variations, staccato pulses, arpeggiating runs, meter changes,
arching melodic articulations of the theme, ostinati and fast exchanges. Although these
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surface elements provide a strong motion and sense of unity, an even greater beauty
may lie at a slightly deeper level.
At more of a middle-ground level of analysis of the Piano Variations, local
projections of tonality appear. The first tonal elements of the work seem to bear
reference to a Russian style of mixing the major and minor within one chord (referred
hereafter as a major/minor chord). This practice, a notable favorite of Stravinsky,
appears to have had an important impact on the piece’s construction. Another notable
Eastern European style Copland references is Bartók’s use of both the perfect fifth and
the tritone to assert a tonic. Copland’s use of this technique will prove quite important
in the second half of the work.
The projection of local tonality begins within the theme itself. This theme makes
apparent several possibilities (See Figure 4, middle-ground graph). By pure structure,
C# may have the most convincing case for a projected tonality; however, the register in
which Copland places the first C# is so separated from the rest of the melody that the
surprise seems to make a case for the theme being in E at this point. Also, the first E of
the next thematic iteration resolves the D# perfectly, making the first phrase a half
instead of deceptive cadence. At the end of the first phrase, the piece already confronts
the listener with an ambiguous chord; the A6-major/minor in measure 3. This chord
also brings the listener toward an understanding of the theme in E, because both A-
major and A-minor have a place within the E tonal center (IV of I and iv of i), whereas
in C#, A can only exist as a major chord (VI of i) because vi of I has A# as a root. The
second phrase of the theme also emphasizes E as a tonal center by moving 4,0,4,3,1.
The punctuation here (m. 6) also implies an E major/minor tonality. The sounding C#
represents the major scale degree 6 (hereafter ˆ6) while the D sounds as minor ˆ7. The
fourth phrase begins arpeggiating a C# minor, but seems to correct itself midway, and
shifts to an arpeggiation of E major with octave doubling. This passage has the same
harmonic interpretation as the C# interpretation of the theme (I6-V-I). At this moment
of E assertion, an acute ear may also hear the completion of an upper register
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arpeggiation of C# minor (C# of m. 3&5, E of m. 4, G# of m. 8). Although to my ear,
the E-major clearly wins out, the C# articulation here will play an interesting role in the
background analysis. Also, this misleading moment continues to foreshadow a possible
descent below E when the upper voice continues to drop to D# and then to B#. The
fourth phrase is punctuated by a C (B#) major/minor chord. Oddly, this chord can only
be interpreted as a major chord within E (VI of i). Also, spelling begins to play a role in
pitch importance. Here, B# can be interpreted within C# as the leading tone (perhaps
resolving at the beginning of the first variation). Another important local element of
the theme is the low bass motion. As shown in the sketch, these pitches exhaustively
express the unordered motif. The thematic material of the Piano Variations have clear
tonal elements and implications, even though the meanings of these tonal elements are
not as clear.
The variations tend also to project local tonalities. In the first variation, the
extreme registers can be isolated to reveal that the low C# in measure 12 and D-4 in
measure 16 have the same relationship as in measure 6. In measure 12, the D ascends to
E by the next measure. At the end of this variation, Copland writes a B# in the same
low register as the C#, implying C# as tonal center again; however, this is not resolved
until variation 10’s misspelled Db, or until the end of the coda with an actual C#. In the
fourth variation, the listener is again challenged by tonal implications. With the new
rhythmic motif, Copland stretches his soundscape. This section seems to elaborate on
the C and A major/minor sonorities. The reiteration of these chords serves as a
reference to the theme section’s use of these chords as articulation to the tetrachord.
While doing this, Copland also manages to express E major in the upper register as he
did C# during the theme (G# of m. 45&47, E and B of m.47). At the same time, the
lower voices spell out a C dominant 7 chord; the dominant of pitch class 5, which has
not thus far occurred in the piece This C dominant sonority happens again in the fifth
variation, measure 53, expressed this time as a C ninth chord.
The seventh variation also presents important local tonal implications. Here, the
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low bass opens with G, implying E minor. The next important moment is when
Copland first introduces pitch class 5 with the F major chord in measure 72. Despite the
distance between this chord and the dominant-type C chords in measures 45 and 53, it
may be possible to link them from an aural standpoint since both are accented tonal
chords especially since there are no other accented tonal chords. After the F, the bass
returns with another low G, followed by an A, B and D, outlining a minor B4/2 chord,
dominant of E, which in measures 74 through 77 is clearly articulated in a grand major
chord. With this in mind, it seems appropriate to analyze some of the earlier tonal
implications within E. In this regard, The C7 could be regarded as V/Neapolitan, F
major as Neapolitan and the B4/2 as a minor dominant. Likewise, the eighth variation
gives tonal implications. The right hand centers around E in octaves until the B in
measure 81, and after that, continues reenforcing a tonal E through the end of the
variation. Meanwhile, the left hand is articulating the theme as transposed up a perfect
fifth. The tenth variation has a strong focus on Db in the bass, often supporting a Bb
major/minor chord. This chord can only be easily interpreted within C# tonal center (vi
of I). This moment is analogous to the C major/minor chord at the end of the theme
(the only possible function VI of i). Also, the D/Db relation within the chord is linked to
the pitch class 2&3 clash of measure 6. The relation is also articulated in the extreme
registers in measure 108. This brings a connection between the end of the theme and
the variation half-way point. Another possible connection resides in the variation’s
closing: a statement of the fourth variation transposed up a half-step. These two
measures can also be linked to the end of the theme like variation four. However, this
argument is greatly diminished by the transposition level change.
The eleventh variation has a slight tonal implication not previously encountered
in the piece. The very end of the variation seems to hold an A major chord, then adds a
D to the hold, essentially adding a tonic resolution to a dominant. The dynamics play
an important role (ppp) because by the time the D sounds, the A major has almost
totally dissipated. The twelfth variation seems to imply an Eb focus because the latter
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continually sounds alone in the bass. The Eb center is then carried into the next
variation an octave down. The fourteenth variation seems to move into an area of C
through articulation similar to the previous variation. This variation also brings the
theme back to its original pitch level.
Variation sixteen heavily implies C. The opening melodic figure, E-C-E-Eb-D,
implies a major/minor contrast within C. Yet, as measure 202 shows with its right
hand F# and G# minor chords, the section alludes to C# minor as well. This implication
is picked up again in 208 with a D#, C# descent in the upper register. Copland also uses
the low bass register again to compose out the original theme. The C#, D# descent
appears again, but this time in the bass, in variation seventeen. Although this variation
is primarily composing out the tetrachord theme, measures 236-239 present a solid,
closed position E major chord prepared by a D# (m. 234) and high B (m. 235). Variation
eighteen presents instances of local tonality reinforced with Bartókian tritone bass
motion. In measure 255 & 257 the bass reaches a low Bb, then at the end of the
variation, Copland calls for an E at extreme registers (m. 267). Then, the voices close
down and the bass progresses E, G#, E, Bb, E, C.
The end of the nineteenth variation explores the Bartókian tritone, perfect fifth
relation. Starting in measure 277, Copland begins articulating high C#s in the right
hand, followed closely by a drop in the bass, reenforced by tritones, down to the G
tritone. Right after this articulation, a slowly descending treble line hits the perfect fifth,
G#. The juxtaposition of these pitches begins to adjust the acute ear toward a C#
overall tonality. The final variation also reveals many local instances of tonality. These
begin within the domain of the theme, in its transposition up a fifth. The composing
out of the theme naturally juxtaposes G and G#, indicating the major and minor third of
E or the V and tritone of C#, while B and Bb work out the tritone and V of E. The high-
point of this section at measure 293 reveals C#, bringing, in light of the previous
section, another reference to Bartókian relationships (of course, taking the G and G#
into consideration). The second chord, if the Ab is respelled G#, is a V6 of E. This
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expectation is fulfilled in measure 290 and again in 303 with clear, staccato E major
chords in the right hand; however, these expectations are also not entirely satisfying,
due to the low Eb’s in the bass, arpeggiating to G, implying, with the aid of frequent
Bb’s in the variation, a tonal center around Eb. The end of this section also articulates D
in the low bass, the leading tone of the sounding bass tonal center.
The coda also projects certain local tonalities. It begins with the rhythmic motif
of variation 4 transposed an octave down, connecting it with the end of the theme
section through A and C major/minor chords. Starting in measure 341, the right hand
articulates E major, but the rest of the sounding chord implies an A major/minor 9.
This sonority may work to bring the listener’s ear away from E, much like the Eb in the
final variation. Also, Copland uses rhythmic references to the sixth variation, the first
to transpose the theme. At measure 349, the listener encounters an F# major/minor
chord with an A# in the bass. The section at 351 continues with pitch class 10 in the
bass, but spelled Bb. The piece again refers to the fourth variation in measure 359
before moving into what sounds like a cadence in C#. This motion begins when the
voices move back to where they started in the bass clef (This moment will be discussed
in greater detail in the background). Finally, the last few measures of the work bring a
jazz-esque plagal cadence between articulations of the theme at its original
transposition level. Over a C# pedal, measure 367 brings an F# 9 chord with A# in the
bass. This moves through a G, C, E and A by half-step into a full C# major 7 diminished
5. The strong local tonal implication of a plagal cadence over a pedal tonic merits the
possibility of lower-level tonal structure.
Through further reduction, one can find a coherent background tonal structure
to Copland’s Piano Variations. Figure 5 shows a bass line sketch for the entire piece. The
low bass in this piece provides a clear articulation of the thematic material in an
exhaustive manner. For example, the low bass of the theme itself spells out C, C#, E,
Eb, and the first seven variations articulate a bass motion, an octave lower, of C#, C, Eb,
E, as a response to the theme. Variations eight, nine and ten give an interesting insight
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into the overall structure as well. This section begins with G in the bass for the first
variation; then in nine, the G becomes G# at the beginning, and E appears in the low
bass. The tenth variation, with its Bb6 major/minor chords, articulates Db, a misspelled
C#, in the bass with pitch class 5 sounding above it (as E#). A few measures later, the
pitch class 2 appears in the same register as the G and E from the previous variations.
This bass motion addresses the E major/minor condition in the first two variations, and
finally shows the E surrendering to the lower C#, thus finishing out the arpeggiation.
Another interpretation of the arpeggiation spells out a diminished chord, leading to a D
tonality. There is evidence for this at the end of the eleventh and twentieth variations.
This interpretation however, lacks evidence that stretches beyond a local level of
tonality. According to the composer, the piece has a structural break after the tenth
variation. This break makes sense within the interpretation of this entire piece as
composing out a motif. In this regard, the theme and first seven variations can be
interpreted within the context of E; the eighth through thirteenth variation can be
understood as transitional material mirrored around the division; variations fourteen
through nineteen can be understood in C, the last variation in Eb, and the coda finally
resting on C#. This progression utilizes the local tonalities to compose out the theme of
the piece on a grand scale. The main arguments against this theory remain the
questions: Why would the harmonic pacing increase so rapidly, and why would
Copland use transitional material through the middle of the piece? The first criticism
can be overturned by a dramatic interpretation: the second half of the piece is building
in intensity up into the coda; therefore, an increase in harmonic tempo is entirely
appropriate for the effect. The second criticism proves to be a greater problem, because
these sections do project local tonalities that operate within the tetrachord. One may
interpret variation eleven as a continuation of the pitch class 2 tonality established in the
previous variation. Variations twelve and thirteen use low Eb, and variation fourteen
seems to be a simple bass transposition of thirteen. Another possibility remains:
perhaps variations twelve and thirteen do represent a structural pitch class 3. If this is
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true, the overall structural bass composition of the melodic theme would be out of
order, and perhaps have pitch class 3 emphasized again in variation twenty. Although
there can be no doubt of a structural bass expression of the motif, the exact implications
of this expression raise questions as to whether the piece was assembled with the
ordered tetrachord in mind.
More compelling evidence toward the existence of a background tonal structure
resides in the projection of an Urlinie (figure 6 for overall background projection of
Urzats). The first evidence of such a line appears in the theme section. The highest
sounding note in the opening of the piece is G# in measure 8. This pitch makes a
particularly good candidate for a head tone because it works within both the initial E
key tonality as ˆ3, and in the final C# tonality as ˆ5. This head tone makes its next
appearance after an octave transfer in the fourth variation. In measure 45, the G# takes
part in the right-hand arpeggiation of E major, discussed as a local tonality. In the sixth
variation, the head tone is transposed into E minor mode as G. This transposition is
coherent because at this moment, the listener experiences a modulation as the theme is
transposed for the first time (here, appropriately, up a minor third). This minor head
tone is carried into the seventh variation, where, starting in measure 73, it begins a
descent, through F#, to E. Here, Copland uses traditional tonality again to reassert the
head tone with a Schenkerian overlap; at the moment of cadence to an E major chord,
he restates G# as the highest pitch, negating the descent into E and preparing the head
tone for another journey. The head tone next appears in variation sixteen, this time,
however, supported in the bass by C#, implying G# as the head of a five line. In the
seventeenth variation, during the E major chords after measure 236, G# appears in its
original register and supported again by E, however, the B sounding above the head
tone greatly diminishes its power to assert itself as structural. In the nineteenth
variation, however, pitch class 8, misspelled Ab, sounds strongly in the upper register.
This tone is carried through the beginning of the final variation. At the beginning of the
coda, a low, structural C sounds, anticipating the B# in measure 366 as a structural
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leading tone for the piece. From here until the final cadence and descent of the urlinie,
the affect of structural dominant provides much of the anticipation and motion through
to the end of the piece. Soon after, in measure 341, the G# is again articulated in the
high register, but, as in measure 236, it is somewhat obscured by a B sounding higher.
This chord, however, if the lowest sounding C is read as a B# (leading tone
anticipation), over it sounds a C# minor chord with both a major and minor seventh. A
descent to ˆ4 is anticipated in measure 349 over F# major/minor. This chord,
prolonged through the bass Bb, rearticulates F# as ˆ4 in measures 356 and 357. Then in
the subsequent measure, one might interpret an urlinie drop through ˆ3, ˆ2 and ˆ1, but
with the final C# supported by its leading tone, the descent is deceptive and fails to hold
structurally. Nevertheless, in measure 364, the listener experiences a slight retrograde
when the head tone drops down to bass clef, spelled Ab, and descends through an
implied ˆ4 over the A (which connects to the previous ˆ4 from measure 356), ˆ3, ˆ2
supported by the B# leading tone, and ˆ1 over the pedal C#, now sounding as structural
tonic of the piece.
This compelling transition from a three line to a five line works in perfect
conjunction with the piece’s means of composing out the thematic motif, starting in an
E tonality and finishing with C#. Copland’s Piano Variations projects a tonality based
around an octatonic motif handled melodically as a post-tonal tetrachord, beginning by
asserting an E major/minor tonality with a three line, moving through assertions of C
and Eb toward the final C# tonality using the previous ˆ3 as a five line, and asserting the
final tonality as an overall structural tonality for the work.
Copland’s Piano Variations of 1930 projects a tonality based on composing out the
primary theme tetrachord, beginning in E and ending structurally in C#. The way
Copland composed this piece, and how it fell into a tonal structure despite its atonal
foreground, is testimony for both his strong roots in tonality and the strength of tonal
implications. To Copland, this piece was especially important because he felt any other
composer would have handled the same thematic material in a different way. While
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this is certainly true on a foreground level, it may be the case, with Bach’s C# minor
fugue as evidence, that the implicit tonalities of this melody express a more
fundamental tonality which would in any case find its way into a piece’s structure.

Works Consulted

Aaron Copland Collection, the. Online, available at

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 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/achtml/achome.htm
(has many of Coplands sketches available).

*Butterworth, Neil. The Music of Aaron Copland. Toccata Press,

Wellingborough, 1985.

Copland, Aaron. Copland 1900-1942. St. Martin’s/Marek, New York,

1984.

Copland, Aaron. Piano Variations. Boosey & Hawkes, USA, 1959.

Smith, Julia. Aaron Copland: His work and contribution to Amerian

Music. E.P. Dutton & Co, New York, 1955.

* cited

Figure 1: Theme transpositions

Theme: 4, 0, 3, 1; T= 0
Variation 6: 7, 3, 6, 4; T= 3 minor 3rd
Variation 8: 11, 7, 10, 8; T= 7 perfect 5th
Variation 9:
Right Hand: 4, 0, 3, 1; T= 0
Left Hand: 8, 4, 7, 5; T= 4 major 3rd
Variation 10: 5, 1, 4, 2; T= 1 minor 2nd
Variation 11: 6, 2, 5, 3; T= 2 major 2nd
Variation 14: 1, 0, 3, 4; T= 0
Variation 15: 4, 0, 3, 1; T= 0
Variation 19: 11, 7, 10, 8; T= 7 perfect 5th
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Coda: 4, 0, 3, 1; T= 0

Figure 2: Scale elements

E major/ C# minor:E F# G# A B C# D#
4 6 8 9 11 1 3

E minor: E F# G A B C D
4 6 7 9 11 0 2

C# major: E# F# G# A# B# C# D#
5 6 8 10 0 1 3

Figure 3: Theme Interpretations

C#: E: C:

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