At the time of composing the theme for this set of variations, I had spent nearly six weeks at Brevard Music Festival during the summer of 2016. Everything I had experienced during those six weeks and the following days are summarized in these variations. The dedicatee is one of the people I grew close to during the festival; several variations are inside “jokes”, referencing such things as her intentionally incessant plunking of “Heart and Soul” (var. 5) and the fact that she had performed Grieg’s Concerto in A minor (var. 6). I had chosen to write 18 variations from its conception as I planned to offer them as a gift later that year for her 18th birthday. Within about a week, I had essentially completed the set, revising the piece on-and-off until my first performance of the work about two years later. As a result of having spent a month and a half being exposed to all kinds of music on a daily basis, I drew on various styles in writing each variation. The theme itself is a quiet statement in mostly unison that breaks of into harmony. Variations 1-6 present the theme in various contrasting contexts while remaining in E minor. The brief sixth variation serves as a transition between the hazy resolution of the fifth and the tonally unstable seventh. Following the harsh final chords of the seventh is the fanfare of the scherzo, calling the theme back into tonality. Variations 9 and 10 reintroduce tonal instability to the theme, first as one continuous breath then as a jagged dance, culminating into a vicious ascent up the keyboard. The brooding octaves of Variation 11 reveal themselves to be cathedral bells introducing a solemn chorale. Following the final plagal cadence, the piece takes on a more introspective tone, culminating in the penultimate variation, loud yet pensive. I had originally intended to end the piece here but thought it too depressing as a birthday present. Instead, I placed a livelier variation at the end, ending the piece on an ambiguous major-sounding sonority. The restatement of the theme at the end was a recent suggestion introduced by my piano teacher when I played it during a lesson. I took her advice after considering the emotional implications of hearing the theme return: that the piece itself is a nostalgic recollection of both an experience long past and of an old friend.
(from the composer's own words)
Please take note that the audio AND sheet music ARE NOT mine. I do recommend changing the video quality to a minimum of 480p.
Original audio: Abraham Alinea (
Original sheet music: please feel free to contact the composer.
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