# Golden chains



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

It's been said that Western classical music is something of a self-conscious tradition. For example, composers may openly take inspiration from what came before, and later composers can carry this on in a "chain." Of course, what's a chain and what isn't can be argued! Here's what I think is an example:

- Bach: Goldberg Variations - Theme, 30 variations, return of theme (ca 1740)
- Beethoven: Diabelli Variations - Theme and 33 variations (1823)
- Rzewski: The People United Will Never be Defeated! - Theme, 36 variations, return of theme (1975)
- Simpson: String Quartet #9 (1982) - Theme, 32 variations, and fugue

What do you think? Any chains that you're fond of?


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Theme and variations goes back father than Bach of course. I'm not sure when it began, but there were great variations by Sweelinck and others. Okay, maybe not roughly 30 variations. Just yanking your chain.

How about books of simpler music for children?

The Anna Magdelena Notebook
Beethoven 7 Bagatelles and 11 New Bagatelles
Schumann: Album für die Jugend
Peter Warlock: Capriol Suite.

I think I skipped over quite a few with that last one.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Piano etudes:

Chopin
Debussy
Ligeti


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Agree on the etudes on being a self-conscious chain. Those hadn't occurred to me!


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Weston said:


> Theme and variations goes back father than Bach of course. I'm not sure when it began, but there were great variations by Sweelinck and others. Okay, maybe not roughly 30 variations. Just yanking your chain.
> 
> How about books of simpler music for children?
> 
> ...


Stravinsky wrote a few sets of these, both two and four hands.

Les Cinq Doits was the main one, which he later transcribed (very inventively) for chamber orchestra as Eight Instrumental Miniatures.


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2013)

Uh, Carmen fantasies? There seem to be a lot of those around.

Or how about ____-ianas?

Oops - can't say I'm especially fond of either.


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## GGluek (Dec 11, 2011)

French tombeaux (funeral pieces - often eighteenth century).
Ravel: le tombeau de couperin.
Arthur Benjamin: le tombeau de ravel.


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## TresPicos (Mar 21, 2009)

GGluek said:


> French tombeaux (funeral pieces - often eighteenth century).
> Ravel: le tombeau de couperin.
> Arthur Benjamin: le tombeau de ravel.


There is also a "Le tombeau de Ravel" by Dutch composer Rudolf Escher.


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

Collections of keyboard works written in all 24 possible major and minor keys:

JS Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Books 1 and 2 (x2)
Chopin: 24 Preludes Op. 28
Alkan: 24 Etudes, Opp. 35 and 39
Scriabin: 24 Preludes Op. 11
Rachmaninoff: 24 Preludes, Opp. 3/2, 23, and 32
Hindemith: Ludus Tonalis
Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues Op. 87


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

SuperTonic said:


> Collections of keyboard works written in all 24 possible major and minor keys:
> 
> JS Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Books 1 and 2 (x2)
> Chopin: 24 Preludes Op. 28
> ...


Good list, but _Ludus Tonalis_ is in 12 keys, major and minor don't exist in Hindemith's tonal system.


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

Crudblud said:


> Good list, but _Ludus Tonalis_ is in 12 keys, major and minor don't exist in Hindemith's tonal system.


You are right, I should have called that out. Even though it doesn't use traditional "major/minor modality" and there are only 12 pieces, I still think Hindemith was using the WTC as his model, so I think it still belongs in the list.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

The missa parodia tradition, a tune either harmonically implied, or slowed down from 'tune' to bass line as the basis of a new work:
L'homme armé, La Folia, and _the_ Dies Irae spawning numerous works over hundreds of years.


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## Picander (May 8, 2013)

A lot of composers have composed Stabat Maters:

http://www.stabatmater.info/chronolist.html

Bach didn't compose one, but I think he's in this list because he "parodied" Pergolesi's Stabat Mater (a wonderful music, by the way)


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