Variations on General Reid's March of the 42nd or Old Highland Regiment: 'In the garb of old Gaul'

The first performance of these 'Variations' was at a concert in 1994 marking the centenary of the Faculty of Music, and given in the Reid Concert Hall by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Matthias Bamert.  

The idea for this set of variations came from the following passage from Logan Turner's History of the University of Edinburgh concerning Herbert Oakeley, who became Reid Professor in 1865:

At the close of his Inaugural Address, delivered in the Music Classroom, several of the students, according to the Edinburgh Courant of that time, expressed a strong desire to hear the organ.  Professor Oakaley accordingly played General Reid's Garb of Old Gaul  "with specimens of varied harmony, followed by an extempore fugue on the opening subject and other contrapuntal devices".

Taking the same theme that Oakeley used, the four composing members of the Faculty each wrote a variation for chamber orchestra.  A number of other composers associated with the Faculty were invited to contribute and variations by four Faculty graduates and a former Forman Fellow in Composition make up this set of nine pieces.

The composers were given a completely free hand to respond to the occasion as they saw fit, apart from the stipulation of a maximum length of five minutes.  The Faculty wishes to express its gratitude to all the composers for responding so generously and for making this a truly unique occasion.

Edward Harper, Neil Mackay, Leon Coates, Lyell Cresswell, Peter Inness, Nigel Osborne, James MacMillan, Peter Nelson, Alasdair Nicolson.

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Theme 'In the Garb of Old Gaul' ... Reid arr. Harper

Var I (strings alone) ... Mackay
This is a long crescendo using the rhythms of the march, the cellos eventually appearing with a sustained version of the theme marked 'appassionato'.

Var II ... Coates
A short introduction leads to a variation in the minor key which explores various canonic and imitative possibilities.

Var III ... Inness
A gently expressive piece with the theme embedded in rich, almost impressionistic harmonies and textures.

Var IV ... Nelson
Lively and jazzy with a surprise ending.

Var V ... Cresswell
A set of variations within a variation.  Short contrasted sections leading to an extremely robust treatment of the theme in which it is joined by one or two others.

Var VI ... Osborne
Described by the composer as 'Professor Oakeley's chaotic fugue'.

Var VII ... Nicolson
A 'wild' violin solo accompanied by tom-toms leads to big orchestral chords after which oboe and then solo violin reflect quietly on the theme.

Var VIII ... MacMillan
High sustained string and woodwind lines are increasingly disturbed by references to the march.  The climax is a ferocious distortion of the theme followed by a long lament on the cor anglais.

Var IX .. Harper
Quiet contemplation of the theme gradually builds to a convivial conclusion.

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