Variazioni su Old MacDonald’s Theme

The Variations on Old MacDonald's theme are a classical example of thematic elaboration. The composer uses a popular theme as the source of inspiration. The introduction sets the theme in a stately and imposing manner to demonstrate that even a simple theme can have musical importance. A stylistic-musical procedure starts that spans across multiple genres. We switch from the Country music of the first variation, to the polytonality of the fourth and the punctualism of the fifth variation. The sixth variation has Jazz tones, while the Blues finds its expression in the eighth. Melancholy is expressed in the second and then we dive into the past with the noble style of the fugue of the ninth variation. Captivating and unusual are the third and seventh variation, assigned to the Percussions. All this is completed with a surreal text (optional) by Marco Manera, preceding each variation, narrating an hilarious Wedding in a Pig's Family. Text Language: Italian, English. (Grad 3,5)