F Minor - Research on Harmony - Variations 20

The second mf in the series — and a valley. Variation 20 pairs the stronger dynamic with the series' dominant valley shape: Animé, mf, valley, with D3 and D5 (orange accents) bracketing the phrase. The mf gives the valley a fuller, more grounded presence than the mp valleys.

F2, D3 (orange), F4, Ab4, C5, D5 (orange), Ab5: two orange D's at opposite ends of the phrase (D3 low, D5 high), the chord's blue-Ab and red-violet-F in between. The palette is 68% midtones — the mf settling the phrase into the middle tonal zone.

D3 and D5 as orange bookends is distinctive. Where other études place accents at a single point, Variation 20 surrounds the chord's core colors with orange on both sides, the warm chromatic element framing the cool F minor palette from below and above.