A Minor - Research on Harmony - Variations 10

Two A's and two C's at the peak. Variation 10 arches from A2 to C7 through five notes: A2, A4, A5, C6, C7. The structure places two versions of the root in the middle register, then two versions of the third at the top — A4/A5 as warm yellow-orange midpoints, then C6/C7 ascending in pale red to silver at the extreme.

C7 is the silver extreme, and the étude reaches it through this pattern of root-root-third-third rather than a gradual ascent. The two pairs give the phrase a particular rhythmic quality: the root repeated twice in warmth, then the third repeated twice in increasing luminosity.

Highlights dominate at 67%, the two silver and pale C's pulling the painting's weight upward. Lent, mp, legato, four beats. Variation 10 is efficient and architectural — five notes, two pairs plus the bass anchor, the arch built from repeated pitch-classes rather than a varied sequence.