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Continuous variations over a repeating harmonic progression (rather than a specific bass line). Often confused with passacaglia.
The chaconne varies the harmonic progression rather than a fixed bass. This gives more freedom — the bass can change while the chord progression remains. Like passacaglia, build intensity through the sequence of variations.
Bach's Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D minor for solo violin — one of the greatest sets of variations ever written, over a repeating harmonic progression.
Chaconne is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
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