Richibi’s Weblog

    “Rhapsody“ (1958) 

       Hans Hofmann

before putting variations aside, if only 

for the moment, let me explain why 

this piece, an essential component

in the history of the form in our 

Western Classical musical culture, 

is not called variations

let me get into it

Rachmaninov’s “Rhapsody on a 

Theme of Paganini“ is, essentially, 

a set of variations, but even more 

so, it’s a concerto, for piano and 

orchestra 

what’s a concerto, a concerto is a 

sonata, a piece of music consisting 

of more than one segment, movement,   

but written for a full orchestra, and one 

central soloist

Rachmaninov has therefore combined

two musical forms, variations and the

concerto, but eliminated the pauses 

between the movements, thereby 

blocking his path to calling his work  

a concerto, which requires identifiable

separate movements

with variations, Rachmaninov asserts 

the significance of repetition in our 

Western Classical musical structure,

each variation returns us to its source,

making manifest repetition, tradition,

ritual, as primary, as essential to 

community, to one-on-one trust

but each variation allows also for a

difference in tempo, another essential

element of the Classical architecture, 

these two aspects are therefore in

something of a conflict

tonality, the third essential component

of Classical music, remains essentially

untouched, there are no discordant

episodes 

this will happen, but only later

meanwhile, listen

R ! chard