Mozart's Variations

Variation Elements Varied Elements not varied
1 Right-hand quarter notes change to Left hand mostly the same with
16ths, with neighbor tone patterns some rhythmic variants

2 Left-hand quarter notes change to Right hand keeps melody with some
16ths with neighbor tone patterns chords and suspensions

3 Right hand switches to triplets, and Left hand keeps steady quarter
the melody comes from a mix of the notes
harmonies of both hands

4 Left hand switches to triplets Right hand plays melody in chordal quarter notes

5 Both hands bounce off each other Right hand continues to play melody
with an eighth-quarter pattern

6 Left hand starts on neighbor tone Right hand starts with melody in sixteenth pattern, which switches chordal eighth notes, which switches
to the right hand and back to the to the left hand and back to the left
left

7 16th note scale passages in the Left hand has a variation of the
hand melody in half and quarter notes

8 Switches to minor, left hand Right hand has a variation of the
accompanies melody

9 Both hands play a very light Right hand has a variation of the
staccato, sometimes the left seems melody
to imitate the right

10 Right hand answers left hand with Left hand has melody, but often
three sixteenth notes crosses over the right hand

11 Adagio, dotted eighth, sixteenth Right hand has melody in a more
motive, left hand accompanies right complex form

12 Left hand has running sixteenths Right hand has melody with many
with somewhat of a neighbor tone trills and embellishing tones
pattern

Overall, this piece has an ABA form. The first A consists of the theme and first 7 variations, B is variations 8, and the second A is the last 4 variations. I would definitely pair the first two variations together as the are basically the same with switched hands. The same goes for variations 3 and 4. After variation four we seem to lose momentum for a bit with simple eighth and quarter notes. We pick back up with sixteenth note patterns and runs in variations 6 and 7, but again slow back down with we hit the minor mode of variation 8 along with the simplicity of variation 9. We then start to pick back up with the sixteenth is variation 10, slow down a little but are still not bored with the 32nd note runs in the adagio variation 11 and move full steam ahead into the quick sixteenths of variation 12, ending on a nice full C chord completing a PAC.