Variation 7

Andante
4/4 and 3/4 time

Variation begins a subdued phase of the set which extends to the very end, with only one exception, Variation 12.

After the rush and intensity of Variations 5 and 6, Variation 7 is slow, restful, almost motionless. Chords alternating between treble and bass are held and extend across bar lines, thereby cloaking any rhythmic drive. The interest is in small changes in harmony between the chords and at the end of each chord as one or two of its notes fall, sometimes only a semitone. The last section changes from 4/4 to 3/4 time, but the effect is not at all disruptive, merely creating a slight increase in motion. The final bar is again notated 4/4, allowing the last chord to be held one beat longer. There is a pause on the last note.