↑ Theme and Variations in F# Minor

Composed in 2012, this theme and variations is a programmatic work using a similar story to that employed by Sibelius in his Valse Triste, musically portraying a dying person's final thoughts and recollections. It also subtlety references familiar classical works that the listener is likely to know so that even on first hearing the listener can share in the nostalgia experienced by the protagonist. That said the work stands on its own, and even without these program notes, the listener can enjoy a full musical experience. 

Story: 

In the theme the protagonist is introduced, slow, tired and in pain. Variations 1 and 2 return to memories of youth, playfulness and great energy, and 3 remains playful but calmer. The 4th variation evokes reminiscences of a great love. The 5th and 6th variations recall periods of contentment, and life flowing effortlessly, with a subtle reference in the 6th to Saint-Saen's graceful "Aquarium." Variation 7 portrays the onset of disease with its slow tempo and painful dissonances, but in variation 8, nostalgia for better times returns in this light-hearted waltz evoking the dances of Dvorak and Brahms. In variation 9, a manic tarantella signals the return of disease, fever and delirium, and in variation 10, wild and asymmetrical rhythms show the condition worsening. Variation 11 represents a dream of entering the majestic portals of heaven with a grateful song at its core celebrating the end of suffering. But the dream soon fades and in the final Variation 12, the protagonist in bed, once again lucid and at peace prepares for and accepts the arrival of death. 

Frank Levin, Vancouver BC, August, 2019

↑ Little Theme and Variations in E Major

When I composed this little theme in 2009, I realized it was little more than a two bar motif repeated four times and then again an octave higher.  As such, the dearth of material to work with left it open to limitless possibilities. So I decided to compose a series of variations on the theme, some following the theme fairly closely, and others based on flights of fancy employing little more than the recurrent motif. Thus variations 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, and 11 do follow the theme fairly closely, but the others less so. Some notable variations include: #4, perhaps the most beautiful in the set, marked “dolce e con contabile” which begins following the melody and then launches into a new and impassioned extension of the theme before coming to a beautiful ending; #s 8 and 9 that treat the theme in augmentation; #10 marked “andante doloroso” in the relative minor mode with a totally new harmonic profile; #13 marked “allegro scherzando” freely based on a short, rhythmic variation of the theme’s motif; #14 marked “cantabile espressivo e poco rubato” which presents the theme in retrograde; #16, which is a rag built on the theme’s motif; #17 marked “rhythmic and fast” and patterned on a quick descending tenor voice line towards the end of the theme and the final variation, #18, marked “vivo,” a lively dance with an interlude based on the opening alto voice of the theme and concluding with a repetition of the theme with a lively coda. The piece was revised in 2022 shortly before Noel’s recording.

↑ Polytonal Choral and Variations

While I was introduced to polytonal music at the Conservatory, and heard some examples, it didn't make a strong impression on me, and I never pursued it. However, one day in 2008, I was doodling at the piano and began playing an essentially pentatonic melody on the black keys with a random accompaniment of notes on the white keys. It was decidedly dissonant but not unpleasantly so, so I wrote it down and with a little tweaking came up with my polytonal choral theme.  After playing it for a while, I decided to write some variations and over the next four months, I composed fourteen variations including a rousing finale. Lastly, I organized the variations musically and  put them away never to be contemplated again for over fifteen years.  When Noel McRobbie began recording music for my website, I rediscovered the piece, and out of a whim, asked him to tell me what he thought? He liked it, learned it quickly, and under his skillful hands, it didn't sound bad at all! So I had it recorded, and to my amazement many people told me it was the greatest and most original piece I ever composed! Now it stands as an anomaly in my work. There is nothing else like it. Had I taken it more seriously, I would have treated the theme more imaginatively. But people seem to like it as it is, so if by consensus "it ain't broke," I'm not inclined to fix it.