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The Oxford Handbook of Musical Variation by Jeffrey Swinkin (Associate Professor of Music (Theory), Associate Professor of Music (Theory), The University of Oklahoma) at Abbey's Bookshop,
The Oxford Handbook of Musical Variation
— —
Jeffrey Swinkin (Associate Professor of Music (Theory), Associate Professor of Music (Theory), The University of Oklahoma)

The Oxford Handbook of Musical Variation

Jeffrey Swinkin (Associate Professor of Music (Theory), Associate Professor of Music (Theory), The University of Oklahoma)

$486.95

Hardback

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English
Oxford University Press Inc
25 November 2025
Other performing arts; Music reviews & criticism
Series: Oxford Handbooks
Variation is among the most fundamental and essential musical processes. Yet, variation as a form has often been overlooked and undervalued for several reasons, including its formally fragmentary nature and its heavy reliance on melodic decoration. Across forty-two newly commissioned essays by forty-six authors from around the world, The Oxford Handbook of Musical Variation seeks to restore faith in this traditionally underemphasized form. It also examines variation as a technique apart from variation form--a technique that is integral to music of virtually all styles, forms, and genres. While exploring the traits of musical variation that have proven consistent over time, the volume also considers the diverse ways in which those traits have been treated, analyzing myriad works and their unique deployment of variational techniques.

This handbook examines both sectional and continuous variation forms, from Heinrich Biber to Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Subtopics include music cognition, Schenkerian approaches, hermeneutics, and variation in songs and sonata form. It surveys techniques such as developing variation, thematic work, contrapuntal treatment, leitmotifs, and thematic recurrence. It also considers variations that span the movements of a work (cyclicity) and even that span different works entirely (intertextuality). The concluding section delves into the teaching of variation, especially from historical vantages. Traversing virtually the entire history of Western music, from Renaissance music to jazz, The Oxford Handbook of Musical Variation is a multifarious exploration of the most cardinal of compositional practices and encompasses the plurality of topics and musics that characterizes modern musicology.
Edited by:  
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 142mm,  Width: 183mm,  Spine: 69mm
Weight:   2.087kg
ISBN:   9780197645352
ISBN 10:   0197645356
Series:   Oxford Handbooks
Pages:   1164
Publication Date:  
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Jeffrey Swinkin is Associate Professor of Music (Theory) at The University of Oklahoma. He has published many essays on a wide array of topics, including Adorno, Beethoven, chromaticism, form theory, musical meaning, pedagogy, performance and analysis, and performance practice. He is the author and editor of several books, including Performative Analysis: Reimagining Music Theory for Performance and Teaching Performance: A Philosophy of Piano Pedagogy.

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