Score & Part
Variations on an original nursery tune, op. 9 : for cello and piano / Richard Peter Maddox.
Library shelf no. 787.4/MAD 1 [Not for loan]
Work Overview
The theme for this piece grew out of the evening rituals of
putting children to bed (based on the nursery rhyme "Pat-a-cake,
pat-a-cake, baker's man"). It has a gentle, soothing quality
conducive to slumber. The variations then take on the different
characters of the child's response to being put to bed, working
through a somewhat rebellious march, several quieter sections,
then the playfulness of Variation V and the follow-the-leader
canon (in the piano part) of Variation VI, and finally the
Nocturne of Variation VII which leads back to the return of the
theme, indicating that sleep has arrived.
The piece is intended as a pastiche, with each variation
imitating the style of a different composer. (Bach, Beethoven,
Schumann, Chopin and Brahms are some of the names that might be
invoked here.) This enables the listener to indulge in a sort of
guessing game as the piece proceeds.
Work Details
Year: 1984
Instrumentation: Cello, piano.
Duration: 10 min.
Difficulty: Medium
First performance: by Susan Langbein, Richard Peter Maddox — 22 Feb 95. Madgwick Hall, University of New England, Armidale, NSW
Subjects
- In the form/style of: Variations
Performances of this work
22 Feb 95: Madgwick Hall, University of New England, Armidale, NSW. Featuring Susan Langbein, Richard Peter Maddox.
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