Passacaglia (Webern)
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The Passacaglia for orchestra, Opus 1, is the first published composition of twentieth century Austrian composer Anton Webern. It is based on the 17th century musical form, the passacaglia.
Ordinarily a dance in triple meter, Webern's Passacaglia is neither a dance nor in triple meter. Structurally, it is based on an eight-note tone row forming a bass line, with twenty-three variations grouped into three paragraphs.[clarification needed]
It is in a late Romantic style, with echoes of Brahms' Symphony No. 4, in contrast to Webern's later work.
References
- Philip Huscher, Passacaglia for Orchestra, Op. 1 (PDF), Chicago Symphony Orchestra