D Major - Research on Harmony - Variation 7

The third enters early. In most descending variations the melody opens at the top and works down through the chord; here F#2 appears near the bottom, the seagreen of the third surfacing low in the bass register before the line climbs to A5 and then falls. A descending waltz in six notes, legato, Lent.

D1 and D2 anchor the dark bass, but F#2 sits just above them — the third already present in the lower portion of the canvas before the fifth and root recur above. Seagreen appears lower than it typically does in this series, the cool tone lending its color to the bass region where the roots usually dominate alone.

Six notes, unhurried, the étude falling from A5 to D1, with the third's early arrival giving the low end an unexpected coolness alongside the warm orange roots.