Variation form...a cop out?

At times yes, but not always. Some famous variation form pieces: Goldberg Variations. Cop out? Certainly not. Diabelli Variations? Also a no. Mendelssohn's Variations Serieuses? Not a cop out. Clara Schumann's Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann? Perhaps. Is it true that a composer writes in variation form when he/she has no inspiration to come up with a better idea? In most instances I would guess no because there are plenty of respectable variation pieces out there.
Mendelssohn in his Variations Serieuses comes closer to the great and famous Goldberg and Diabelli than does Clara Schumann in her Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann. Thinking back to our studies of the Diabellis last semester, Beethoven achieves an elevated state of the theme through altering texture, tempo, character, etc. (In this case he actually took something trivial and made it better). After a certain point, the theme was barely even recognizable anymore. Mendelssohn, like Beethoven, also used a fugue in his variations. (Interesting, eh? since this piece was written for the Beethoven Monument in Bonn). Neither Mendelssohn's fugue nor his trajectory throughout the piece is quite that of Beethoven, but I still find a lot of merit in his work. Throughout the piece the theme is preserved and can always be perceived, yet through changes in setting, character, texture, and sometimes harmony, it does not get old. Mendelssohn remains rather conservative in the beginning, but by the 3rd variation (staccato chords and octaves) the original idea is almost completely changed. It is the harmony and contour of this variation that recall the theme. I appreciate that Mendelssohn is able to take us to a different place in each variation. One of my favorites is variation 13. The theme is blatantly obvious at this point, but I find it to be a refreshing return after exploring all of the different ideas that were just presented to us. Mendelssohn makes the variations his own. Don't you think that variation 11 sounds like a song without words?
While I respect and enjoy Clara Schumann's variations, they do not hold my interest to the same degree. She is not as experimental as Mendelssohn is, and she does not venture too far from the theme. It is always heard with relative clarity throughout the variations, and she even returns to the original idea of the theme a couple of times (variations 3 and 6 lie in the same vein - homophonic, more static than the others). There are some exciting moments of virtuosity though. Variations 2, 4, 5, and 7 illustrate the Bravura technique that I mentioned in my presentation. I can imagine that Clara wrote such variations for her own enjoyment while performing.

Teaching a Song without Words

I selected Mendelssohn's Song without Words Op. 53 No. 2 for this assignment because I think that it is pedagogically useful in teaching a number of elements of piano playing:
1) Two against three - the duple and triple rhythms swap between hands so that a student can learn to play both on either side.
2) Project the melody over the bass over the accompaniment - the student will learn how to separate and layer different voices.
3) Balance voicing within one hand - melody in RH with accompanimental chords underneath, or bass in LH with chords on top.
4) LH melody - project over the RH, for a change.
5) Use of the same texture (and similar melody) for different moods and characters - joyous at first, then the same texture is maintained but becomes dramatic later on.
6) Changing each repetition of the melody to add contrast and variation.
I would take the following steps to teach each of the above techniques:
1) First draw the rhythm so that the student can actually see how the beats line up. Using simple lines can show how the rhythm is intertwined. Next tap the rhythm and count, "1, 2 + 3." If counting does not make sense to the student, words can be supplemented instead. Sometimes sentences help students remember certain rhythmic patterns, such as "Tim is-my-friend," in this case. I would then have the student play the two against three rhythm out of context using a C major scale (something for which fingering does not matter, to make it easier). While practicing on the scale, have the student realize that if he/she is playing the rhythm correctly, notice that when triplets are in the RH, it will become farther and farther apart from the LH; when triplets are in the LH, it will soon catch up to the RH (when ascending). After all of this the student should be ready to put the rhythm into context.
2, 3) Layering voices - first show the student how to locate three different voices. The beginning is easy - RH melody is one voice, LH has two voices, bass and accompaniment. Ask, "Which one has to project the most? The least?" At the beginning of the piece, the teacher will have to teach the student how to play one hand more loudly than the other. Again, take this out of context to start. Going back to the C major scale, have the student try to play the RH more loudly than the LH, and then the reverse. In context, have the student play his/her LH alone. The bass should ring out more, and the accompaniment should be in the background with even an sound between the notes of the chords. Practice this without pedal playing the chords continuously while trying to match the sound for each one, pianissimo. Then separate the parts by playing the melody with the bass only, then melody with the accompaniment only, then LH bass and accompaniment while singing the melody (for advanced students only). When the accompaniment chords and melody come together in the same hand, first separate the two voices into two hands so the student can hear the difference between the parts. Then practice them together in one hand under tempo without pedal, trying to project the melody and maintain an even sound in the accompaniment.
4) When the LH has the melody, first practice the LH melody with just the counter-melody in the RH, eliminating the accompaniment for now. Then the melody with the chords and no counter-melody. And finally put all three parts together.
5) When the mood changes but the texture and melody remain virtually the same, explain to the student how the previously subordinate parts of the texture will have to come more to the forefront to support the melody and add more volume and tension in the more dramatic moments. Even though the texture is actually the same, it needs to appear fuller. Play out more, but still try to retain the hierarchy among parts so that the melody can still be heard.
6) Use dynamics and rubato to make a contrast in repetitions of the melody. On the first page, for example, there are two repetitions of the opening melody and secondary melody. Give suggestions such as a slight ritard going into the reappearance of the primary melody, and an increase in dynamics to make the restatement more emphatic. Leave it up to the student to decide how to change future repetitions.

Each student should have some basic knowledge of the composers and of the pieces that they are studying. My student should know such things as Felix Mendelssohn was German, he came from a wealthy, educated family, he was very close to his sister who was also a pianist and composer, etc. As for the music itself, students should know that the titles of these Songs without Words were not actually written by Mendelssohn but rather by editors. Also, they are called "songs" for a reason - they are vocally inspired. Keep this in mind while playing, and try to create a vocal texture, melody and accompaniment.

In order to stimulate the imagination of my student, I would always ask him/her first to describe the piece first before offering my own impression. But if I have a completely unimaginative lump of a student such as myself, I suppose that I would have to create some kind of story or scene for my student to follow. The beginning is so joyous. To me it sounds like the story of a young couple in love. It's spring time, they're in love, and they are out enjoying themselves and the beautiful nature around them. During the forte passages you can see them running and laughing, and the piano parts are the tender moments that the young couple shares. Time passes, though, they start to drift, and they become short with each other. This is depicted by the minor mode, but the texture and melody are much of the same, giving the impression that they are perhaps both looking back on their better times in scorn. But it doesn't last long, and soon enough they realize that they miss each other, and suddenly they're back together and in love again. A happy ending.