Variations et fugue sur un thème d'Haëndel en Si b majeur Op. 24

About this work

Brahms takes an aria by Handel, preserves its clearly defined proportions, then views it from twenty-five angles before concluding with a fugue. The theme remains recognisable less through its melody than through its harmony and rhythm. Some variations lighten the texture, others thicken the chords or shift the accents; the fugue finally gathers this energy into a much broader progression.

Before tackling the difficulties, play the theme and mark its cadences. For every variation, ask what remains and what changes: bass, rhythm, register, articulation or density. This map prevents the cycle from becoming twenty-five unrelated studies. Practise the transitions in groups as well, so that pulse and a coherent logic of contrast carry from one number to the next.

In the fugue, isolate the subject and its entries, then bring out the voices without overloading the chords. The final crescendo must develop in several stages; if the piano gives everything on the first pages, nothing remains but to push the furniture. Keep the bass clear in the thick textures. It connects the opening theme to the final architecture and gives the counterpoint its direction.

What the document containsThe aria, 25 variations and fugue of Op. 24 for solo piano.One 23-page PDF score.No MIDI file is provided.The complete cycle appears in a single volume.