What’s with all the variations on Fernando Sor’s Variations on a Theme of Mozart?”
The Spanish classical guitarist Fernando Sor (1778–1839) wrote many virtuosic variations on various themes. But his most famous—and most frequently performed—set is based on a melody by none other than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
I’ve played through a number of Sor’s other variation sets. They’re inventive, technically rich, and full of guitaristic flourishes. But—besides the short set of variations on “La Folies D’Espagne”—– they just don’t have the same magic. Am I just prejudiced? Clearly, Andrés Segovia agreed. This is the set of variations he chose to record and include in his concert repertoire. This simple Mozart theme—it’s just got good DNA.
Interestingly, Segovia removed Sor’s original, dramatic introduction. Those of us who discovered classical guitar in the 70s never even knew it existed. In the first video above, I explore that intro in detail.
In the second video, below, I focus on the theme itself—how Sor adapted it, and how Segovia interpreted it, and I go through my own process of deciding how I’ll interpret it. I first learned this piece over 40 years ago. But this is still a “reaction video,” to steal a popular social media term. I have always found that if I want the music I play to come to life, I have to respond to it anew each time I play it. (There’s also a brief tangent about AI, but that’s an offering to the gods of clickbait, not the main focus.)
Could AI perform Variations on a Theme of Mozart better than a living musician? Than Andres Segovia?
If you really want to get the most out of this video, I recommend watching all of the performances I’ve compiled below. They’ll give you a vivid sense of what Sor was drawing from—and if you’re working on this piece yourself, they might offer some of the same inspiration. Either way, you’ll probably walk away humming the tune. Which is the point.
Now, let’s talk about that theme.
Years ago, I listened to the entire opera to find the bit Sor lifted his theme from. I didn’t recognize it at first. Is it even the same tune? Sort of. The general shape and spirit are there, but Sor changed more than just few notes.He kept the character, but turned it into a vehicle for his own guitaristic purposes.
Another interesting detail: in the original opera, the structure of the theme is A B B. The first line isn’t repeated, giving it a slightly lopsided, whimsical feel. Sor “fixes” it into a more symmetrical A A B B—charming still, but a little less quirky.
Here’s a note-by-note comparison, courtesy of Wikipedia.
Now read the lyrics. They are simple and full of wonder. They are actually expressing how the characters in the opera feel when they hear the Magic Flute!
Das klinget so herrlich
That sounds so gorgeous,
Das klinget so schon!
That sounds so beautiful!
La la la, la la lalala la la la lala
Nie hab’ich so etwas gehort, noch gesehn.
Never have I heard or seen such a thing.
La la la, la la lalala la la la lala
Nie hab’ich so etwas gehort, noch sesehn
Never have I heard or seen such a thing.
Next, take a listen to this video, cued just before the theme enters. The fairytale atmosphere is unmistakable.
Here’s another version—the production is a bit darker in tone and and Harry Potterish in humor.
This one has something of a Wizard of Oz vibe:
The recorded sound production of this one is particularly beautiful.
Because the melody is so simple yet magical, it’s often given to children to perform. Here’s a version performed by a children’s guitar orchestra!
This one sounds like a school concert—well done, kids!
And this one is great. At the beginning you get to see (and hear clearly) the “glockenspiel,” which (even though it’s a piano pretending to be one) adds just the right touch of sparkle and charm.
Some Questions I’m Exploring:
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What if you played the entire piece—theme and variations—preserving the original A B B structure instead of Sor’s A A B B? Might be fun. I’m going to try it.
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What if you match the tempo of the opera performances? It’s a bit quicker than how most guitarists play it—and has a lighter, more buoyant feel. I’ll try that too.
Stay tuned for the next video in the series, where I dive into the 1st Variation. And if you’re interested in learning classical guitar—or taking your playing to the next level—feel free to email me at ja**********@***il.com.
