chaconne
French composer
Definition
A set of variations over a repeating harmonic progression or bass line, originating in the Baroque era. Gubaidulinas Chaconne (1962) uses a 23-note serial tone row as its ground, subjecting it to inversion, retrograde, and retrograde inversion while maintaining tonal gravity around B minor. The result blurs the boundary between chaconne (varying harmony) and passacaglia (varying bass line).
Interpretive Guidance
The ostinato underpinning should be felt as a gravitational presence even when it is distributed across registers and disguised by figuration. Gubaidulinas sister, the pianist Ida Gubaidullina, warns that alongside its virtuosity the piece is deeply tragic — resist the temptation to treat it as a technical showpiece.