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A. Dance / C. Music · Music and Dance

Music: Theme and Variations, Repeats and First and Second Endings

C1.3 C1.5 C2.2 C2.3About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can describe theme and variations form and hear how a theme is changed.
  • I can create my own variations by changing elements of music.
  • I can follow repeat signs and first and second endings.
  • I can reflect on my strengths and areas for improvement as a composer.

Words to know

theme
The main melody that a piece is built on.
variation
A version of the theme that changes some elements but keeps the theme recognizable.
theme and variations
A musical form: the theme is played first, then a series of variations (A, A1, A2, A3...).
repeat sign
A double bar line with two dots. It tells you to go back and play a section again.
first and second endings
Brackets marked 1. and 2. over the end of a repeated section. Play the 1st ending the first time, then skip it and play the 2nd ending after the repeat.
mode (major/minor)
Whether music uses a major scale (often sounds bright) or a minor scale (often sounds darker).

Remember from earlier grades

In Grade 4 you found repeats, an introduction, a chorus and a coda in songs. In Grade 5 you built a rondo (A B A C A).

This lesson adds a new form, theme and variations, and a new kind of repeat: first and second endings.

Theme and variations

In theme and variations form, a composer plays a theme, then plays it again and again, each time changing something. The form can be written A, A1, A2, A3... because each variation is still "A", just transformed.

You can vary a theme by changing:

  • rhythm (add eighth notes, triplets or dotted rhythms),
  • metre (from 4/4 to 3/4 or 6/8),
  • mode (from major to minor),
  • tempo (adagio instead of allegro),
  • dynamics (pp instead of f),
  • timbre (a new instrument),
  • pitch (add extra notes around the melody, or move it higher or lower),
  • texture and harmony (add chords, a bass line or a second part).

The trick is to change some things while keeping the theme recognizable.

Famous examples

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote 12 Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, maman" for piano. That French tune is the same melody as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star!
  • Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 94, nicknamed the "Surprise" Symphony. Its second movement is a theme and variations. The quiet theme is suddenly interrupted by a very loud chord (ff): the surprise!
44Twin-kle,twin-kle,lit-tlestar
The theme: the first two bars of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star in C major, 4/4: C C G G | A A G (half note).
44same notes, new rhythm (eighth notes)
A rhythm variation: the same pitches, but each quarter note becomes two eighth notes. Bar 1: C C C C G G G G. Bar 2: A A A A, then G as a half note.

Repeats with first and second endings

You already know the repeat sign: go back to the start (or to the facing repeat sign) and play the section again.

Sometimes the section should end differently the second time. Composers use first and second endings:

  1. Play to the 1. bracket and play that bar (the first ending).
  2. At the repeat sign, go back.
  3. The second time, skip the first ending and jump to the 2. bracket (the second ending).
441.2.bar 1bar 2bar 3bar 4
A 4-bar piece with a repeat and first and second endings. Play order: bar 1, bar 2, bar 3 (1st ending), back to bar 1, bar 2, then bar 4 (2nd ending).
Worked example

Example: Let's follow first and second endings

Using the picture above, in what order do you play the bars? How many bars do you play in total?

  1. Start at the forward repeat sign (thick line, thin line, two dots) at the beginning. Play bar 1 and bar 2.
  2. Play bar 3 under the 1. bracket. Then you reach the end repeat sign (two dots, thin line, thick line): go back to the start.
  3. Play bar 1 and bar 2 again.
  4. Skip bar 3 (the 1st ending) and play bar 4 under the 2. bracket. The final double bar line means stop.

Order: 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 4: 6 bars played in total. Bar 3 ends on D (sounds unfinished, wants to go on); bar 4 ends on C (home).

Worked example

Example: Let's write two variations

Write two variations of the Twinkle theme (C C G G | A A G) and say what each one changes.

  1. Variation 1, mode (minor): in C minor, A becomes A♭: C C G G | A♭ A♭ G. It now sounds darker, more mysterious.
  2. Variation 2, metre and rhythm (3/4): make each pair of notes a long-short pattern: C (half) C (quarter) | G (half) G (quarter) | A (half) A (quarter) | G (dotted half). It now sounds like a waltz.
  3. Check: can you still hear the theme in each? Yes: the order of the pitches is the same.

Variation 1 changes the mode (major → minor). Variation 2 changes the metre (4/4 → 3/4) and the rhythm. The theme stays recognizable in both.

Just for fun

Funny but true: Mozart wrote 12 variations on the tune we know as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. That is a lot of twinkling for one little star!

Reflecting as a composer

After you compose, ask yourself:

  • Strength: Which variation is most interesting? Why?
  • Area for improvement: Is any variation too similar to the theme, or so different it's unrecognizable?
  • Next step: What element haven't I tried yet (timbre? dynamics? texture?)

Example: My minor variation really changed the mood. My second variation only changed the dynamics, so it sounded too much like the theme. Next time I will also change the rhythm.

Hands-on activity

Variation station

You need: a theme you know well (Twinkle, Hot Cross Buns, Mary Had a Little Lamb or Frère Jacques), any instrument (recorder, keyboard app, xylophone, or your voice), a pot and spoon for percussion, and paper and a pencil.

  1. Play or sing the theme. Write its notes and rhythm.
  2. Compose three variations, each changing a different element: rhythm, mode, tempo, dynamics, timbre or texture. Label them A1, A2, A3.
  3. Add a repeat with first and second endings to one variation.
  4. Perform the whole piece: theme, then variations. Ask a listener to name what changed each time.
  5. Reflect: one strength, one area for improvement, one next step.

Your turn

1

What is theme and variations form?

2

Name four elements you could change to make a variation.

3

What must a variation keep?

4

Which famous tune did Mozart write variations on?

5

What is the "surprise" in Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony?

6

A piece has bars 1–4, with bar 4 under a 1. bracket and a repeat sign, then bar 5 under a 2. bracket. Write the playing order.

More practice: warm-up

1

What does a repeat sign tell you?

2

Which ending do you play the first time?

3

What letters could you use for a theme with three variations?

4

Changing Twinkle from piano to trumpet changes which element?

5

Changing a melody from major to minor changes its ___.

More practice: on your own

1

Write Twinkle bar 1–2 (C C G G | A A G) in C minor. Which note changes, and how does the mood change?

2

A variation plays the theme twice as fast, with staccato, in a higher octave. Name the three elements that changed.

3

Why do composers use first and second endings instead of writing everything out again?

4

Your variation changes the rhythm, metre, mode, tempo and all the pitches. A listener can't recognize the theme. What feedback would you give yourself?

5

Listen to (or imagine) a variation that adds many quick notes around the melody. Which element is that, and what effect does it have?

Challenge

1

Plan a theme and variations for a holiday concert with three variations, each for a different mood (joyful, calm, mysterious). Say what you change in each and why it creates that mood.

2

A piece has this layout: bar 1, bar 2, 1.[bar 3] :||, 2.[bar 4]. Then the whole piece (including its repeat) is played twice more. How many bars are played altogether?

3

Compare rondo form (from Grade 5) and theme and variations. How are they alike and different?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

In theme and variations, each variation ___.

2.

Mozart's famous variations use the same tune as ___.

3.

Bars: 1, 2, 1.[3] :|| 2.[4]. The order is ___.

4.

Changing a theme from major to minor changes its ___.

5.

Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony surprises listeners with ___.

6.

Which is a good reflection for a composer?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Students learn the Grade 6 form concepts, theme and variations and repeats (for example, first and second endings), create compositions (C1.3), show understanding of notation (C1.5), describe how elements are used (C2.2), and reflect on their strengths and areas for improvement as composers (C2.3).

How to help at home:

  • Listen together to Mozart's Twinkle variations or the second movement of Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony (both easy to find). Raise a hand at each new variation and say what changed.
  • Hum a family favourite and challenge each other to make a variation (slower, in minor, as a march...).
  • When reading music, trace the order of bars with a finger to practise endings.

Common difficulties:

  • Playing the first ending twice. Draw arrows in pencil showing the jump.
  • Variations that change everything. Remind: keep the tune's shape, change one or two elements.
  • Vague reflections. Use the frame: strength, area for improvement, next step.