Violinist age 12 plays Air Varie #5 by Dancla – Variations on a Theme by Weigel

Charles Dancla was a French violinist, composer and teacher. His skills were so impressive as a young child that he began studying at the Paris Conservatoire when he was only 9, and he later became a professor of violin there. He wrote six “Air Varies” for violin students, and they all start with a theme (here, a song that he borrowed from another composer), followed by a set of variations (fancy rewrites based on that theme). The variations are designed to showcase different aspects of violin technique, so these pieces are for more advanced students.

You’ll hear the theme first. Then listen out for:

1. A fast, flowing variation to show fast left hand work
2. A fiery “show-off” variation with technical challenges in the form of fancy bowings, and big chords for the left hand
3. A slow, singing variation - in which the violinist is accompanying herself by plucking with her left hand, at the same time as using that hand and her bow to play sustained notes
4. A fast, short ending section called a coda – which literally means tail – to wrap things up with a flourish