Fred's Fancies
for oboe, bassoon & piano

Details:

Duration: 15'
Performing Materials: score and parts
Published by: Dunsinane Music Publishing

Composer's Note: A “fancy” is an English version of the Italian “capriccio,” a form introduced in the 16th century for works in various media “wherein the force of imagination has better success than observation of the rules of art” (Furetière, Dictionnaire universel). The term is also used to describe a suite of dances. Fred’s Fancies is a series of six dances that are quite capricious in nature, a fair portrait of the person to whom the work is dedicated. The suite’s musical material is introduced in the first movement, an athletic Allegro. The following four movements emphasize some aspect of the first. The second, Waltz, is a quiet variation of the first movement’s opening gesture. The third, Manic, combines the opening gesture with a secondary theme emphasizing descending perfect fourths separated by half-steps. The fourth movement, Arioso, re-visits themes from the Waltz, now set in a freer rhythm. The fifth, Favotte, combines elements of the gavotte with fugal episodes. The cycle culminates in a speedy final movement, Vivace, that brings back the all principal themes of cycle