Editing Goldberg Variations (section)

=== Variatio 1. a 1 Clav. ===
{{listen|type=music|help=no|filename=Goldberg Variations 02 Variatio 1 a 1 Clav.ogg|title=Variatio 1. a 1 Clav.|description=Performed by Kimiko Douglass-Ishizaka on piano}}
This sprightly variation contrasts markedly with the slow, contemplative mood of the aria. The rhythm in the right hand forces the emphasis on the second beat, giving rise to [[syncopation]] from bars 1 to 7. Hands cross at bar 13 from the upper register to the lower, bringing back this syncopation for another two bars. In the first two bars of the B part, the rhythm mirrors that of the beginning of the A part, but after this a different idea is introduced.

Williams sees this as a sort of [[polonaise (dance)|polonaise]]. The characteristic rhythm in the left hand is also found in Bach's [[Partita for Violin No. 3 (Bach)|Partita No. 3 for solo violin]], in the A{{music|flat}} major prelude from the first book of ''[[The Well-Tempered Clavier]]'', and in the D minor prelude of the second book. Heinz Niemüller also mentions the polonaise character of this variation.