Fand Catalogue

  

Theme and Eight Variations

for solo Piano

Gary Higginson

In honour of my much-revered teacher and friend, Dr Edmund Rubbra

The first music that I had to write for Edmund Rubbra in my early composition lessons with him in January 1972 was, like several other of his students, a set of variations on an original theme. I remember thinking that it might become a dry, rather academic exercise, little realising the crucial importance of variation technique at that time. I remember, too, finding it very difficult to discipline myself.

The first variations were written with a struggle. I took them to Rubbra who, in front of me, slowly transformed them, singing as he went. I was horrified at first, then I realised that he had simply tightened up the original ideas, particularly in variation 1.

After a few weeks in what I felt was a straitjacket, I came out suddenly with a rather eccentric third variation which nevertheless adheres to the variation rules I was aiming at. Indeed, I suddenly found that writing variations was actually liberating and relished composing the others, which I think I wrote week by week, making revisions en route.

A version of the complete work received its first performance in July 1972 by Robert Thompson, also a Guildhall student, at All Saints’ church, West Bromwich. I was dissatisfied with the performance and, anyway, lost that particular (revised) version.

Sometime later a scrappy pencil copy of my original notes came to light, and it has been my intention for some while to reconstruct the work and, as Rubbra showed me, to improve it. It keeps, however, its early opus number.

The theme had been written on Christmas Eve 1970, hence the fact that I originally called it a ‘Carol’. The words “Gentle Jesus, Gentle Jesus, Gentle Jesus will save us” came to my mind and fit the rhythm which permeates the piece.

I have for some time considered that it might now be the right time to have this work published, as the style of the music is now more suited to our times than to the 1970s. A few small revisions have been made.

—Gary Higginson, January 2025

Sample pages

(Click to enlarge)

	Composer	Title	Grade	Forces	Duration
	Gary Higginson	Theme and Eight Variations for solo Piano	7	Piano	10¾ mins

Recorded performance

In the absence of a live recording of this piece, John Meccanico has obliged to give you an idea of how it sounds

Catalogue code: FM296 • Published: 18th April 2025
Entry last updated: 18th April 2025