Variations on a Medieval Tune

The eight variations that constitute this piece are bound by the right-hand melody of the theme, which occurs in each in ornamented, but recognizable form. There is an additional reference to the tempo changes in mm. 6 and 12 of the theme in virtually all of the variations. It is these two factors that should be projected in a performance of the piece to allow the listener to follow the composer’s reference to the theme and its use as a structural block for all that follows. The composer describes the reference to the dream at the head of the score as “…one I had while writing the piece. It was a dream just before waking, and as I came to full consciousness I could feel the image—and the ability to speak to the birds— dissolving just out of reach. I hope the music has captured some of the mystery of that experience.”

Program Note by David Maslanka