This study will explore Logan Skelton’s "Civil War Variations." Completed in 1988, this work is based on the familiar song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" by Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore. The work is comprised of twenty-five variations which display a wide variety of compositional styles, including, among others, traditional tonal settings, bold harmonies reminiscent of Bartok and Lutoslawski, minimalism, a Siciliano and blues.

This dissertation is in four chapters. The first chapter introduces the purpose of this dissertation. The second chapter explores the origin and development of variations, as well as the types and technique of variations. The third chapter briefly introduces the development of American music, Logan Skelton's biography and the creative background of "Civil War Variations," before undertaking a musical analysis and offering suggestions for interpretation. The fourth chapter is the conclusion which summarizes the previous chapters.