SARABANDE

sarabande: translation

This stately dance melody, utilized by STANLEY KUBRICK and composer LEONARD ROSENMAN as a leitmotif inBARRY LYNDON,is wrongfully attributed to the baroque composer George Frideric Handel. Actually, it predates Handel by a century. As a 16-bar ground bass, the sarabande was used as the basis of variations for many composers, most notably Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713) in his “La Follia” variations in G Minor, Opus 5, No. 12. Corelli was one of the most celebrated Italian composers of his day, enjoying great popularity during his career in Rome, where he wrote music in the service of Cardinal Ottoboni, a nephew of the pope. His Opus 5 consists of 12 parts—11 sonatas and the concluding “La Follia” variations. The 23 variations pair the ground bass with an accompanying melody in chaconne rhythm. The tune has been the subject of many other sets of variations, including those by Bach,Vivaldi, and Liszt. Most notable among these, however, is Sergei Rachmaninoff ’sVariations on a Theme of Corelli,Opus 42, one of his masterpieces for solo piano.