C minor - Research on Harmony - Variation 4

After the darkness of the first three variations, Variation 4 opens into light. Fifty-four percent highlights — more than half the canvas — where the series had been 73%, 4%, and 2% respectively. The same bell shape and Lent tempo, but the starting point shifts to C2 (not C1) and the pitch sequence omits the lowest registers.

C2, C4, G4, G5, Eb6 — the two roots start a register higher than before, and the arch climbs to Eb6 (light red-orange to violet at this height). Two G's appear in the mid and upper registers, the fifth's red-orange warmth spread across the middle of the phrase.

The brightness shift is striking. Same chord, same tempo, same shape — but moving the bass note up one register changes the tonal balance dramatically. Variation 4 is where C minor first discovers that it can also be luminous.