Variations and Fugue for Orchestra
Lee Actor
About this work:
Variations and Fugue for Orchestra is a short piece consisting of several related, linked sections followed by a concluding fugue, all played without pause. Unlike the usual variation form, in which a musical theme is presented and then followed by a number of altered restatements of various temperaments, Variations and Fugue for Orchestra begins without a recognizable theme as such. Instead, the intervallic, harmonic, and rhythmic material heard in the brief opening section is used as the basis for four “variations” of increasing length. These are centered harmonically around the tones from the first four minor triads at the beginning of the piece: B, F, D, and B-flat. Melodic material emerges gradually throughout the variations, eventually coalescing into the theme (subject) of the fugue. The exposition of the fugue, written in strict 4-voice counterpoint, is followed by various episodes and counterexpositions, which successively recall material from the preceding variations. About 2/3 of the way into the fugue, an apparently new theme is stated in the horns and violas. It is based on the notes B-A-C-H, where in German terminology B denotes B-flat and H denotes B-natural. (This theme was used extensively by Bach himself in his Art of Fugue, as well as by composers such as Albrechtsberger, Schumann, Liszt, Reger, Busoni, Piston, and Casella.) In fact it is not a new theme, but has previously appeared throughout the piece in different guises. It initially gives the impression of a double fugue, in which there are two distinct fugue subjects, each with its own exposition. However, the development of the B-A-C-H theme is quickly compressed and combined with the initial fugue theme. The two themes are fused together in a chorale-like passage, followed by an abrupt coda, which revisits the opening bars of the piece.
Written in the fall of 2001, Variations and Fugue for Orchestra was commissioned by the Palo Alto Philharmonic, to whom it is dedicated.
Year composed: 2001
Duration: 00:09:00
Ensemble type: Orchestra:Standard Orchestra
Instrumentation: 2 Flute, 2 Oboe, 2 Clarinet, 2 Bassoon, 4 Horn in F, 2 Trumpet, 2 Trombone, 1 Tuba, 1 Timpani, 1 Strings (General)