C Minor - Research on Harmony - Variations 13

The arch peaks at Eb7 — the series' first appearance of the extreme-high Eb, translating as near-silver, the color almost entirely drained of its characteristic red-violet. Variation 13 is the first bell étude to reach this extreme: C2, G3, G4, G5, A5, Eb6, Eb7 — seven notes, Lent, mp.

Three G's (G3, G4, G5) build red-orange warmth across three consecutive registers before Eb6 and Eb7 lift the phrase into the bright zone. The A5 yellow-orange accent appears between G5 and Eb6, a brief warm color before the two Eb's arrive. Highlights dominate at 53%.

The three G's are notable: no other étude in this series stacks the fifth across three registers. The red-orange accumulates through the middle of the arch before releasing into the silver-white Eb7 at the crest. A slow, deliberate build — the warmth of G accumulating before the arch opens into near-white at the top.