Fretwork

Second Set of Changes, for 4 viols 1994

The title indicates that there must be a First Set of Changes. That piece, Air with Changes, was written for solo harp, both pieces sharing the same subject for alteration, namely the old Danish folk tune The Power of the Harp. It’s a lovely tune, but in its original rhythmical version, quite stiff, so in both cases I’ve softened up the beat, making it ‘swing,’ so to speak. Writing for viols is - for a non-player - frighteningly difficult. One has to disregard all habits accumulated over the years, having composed entirely for modern strings and approach the medium from scratch.

Having chosen an ancient tune to go with ancient instruments it’s hardly surprising that the result has a whiff of early music to it; I’ve combined my much used change-ringing technique with a kind of airily almost minimalist ‘swing,’ thus paying homage to the days of Purcell and my own time.

And Purcell, who indirectly has instigated this series of commissions, where’s he? Nowhere as such, but the sound, the mood, this particular mixture of joy and melancholy should be present in my tiny composition. In my youth I heard quite a lot of Purcell. My father owned quite a substantial collection of old ’78s by Alfred Deller - Ode to St. Caecilia etc., so it’s in no way foreign or alienating to me, dealing with a commission honouring Henry Purcell. Neither should it: the BBC has commissioned again in relation to the tercentenary - a huge orchestral piece, based on a theme by Purcell (the first witch chorus from Dido) which was premiered by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Birmingham in May ‘95. So, I guess this year is my youth ‘revisited’, but at the performing end. And it’s a real pleasure…

Commissioned by The South Bank Centre. First performed 7th March 1995, The Purcell Room, London.

Published by Edition Wilhelm Hansen, Copenhagen.