This is my set of theme and variations composed on Paganini's 24th Caprice in Aminor. Many composers have been influenced by this particular piece and have done similar things. I originally wrote this for solo piano with 19 variations in total but then later decided to arrange it for a Piano Trio. For this arrangement I picked the ten best variations from the original and also ones that could be best instumentated for these instruments. The Variations are as follows: 

1. Theme
2. Var I Allegro Molto
3. Var II Allegro ma non troppo, grandioso
4. Var III Meno mosso, grave 
5. Var IV Allegro con energica
6. Var V Presto
7. Var VI Allegro con animato 
8. Var. VII Allegro 
9. Var. VIII Lento 
10. Var. IX Adagio 
11. Var. X Tempo rubato 
12. Finale, Presto 

These variations are designed to test the techniques and virtuoso skills of the player as well as focusing on producing nice harmonys and textures across the three timbres. Hope you enjoy it! 

Paganini Caprice No. 24 in Aminor - Arr. Piano Trio

The slow introduction to the final movement of my Seventeenth Quartet is essentially a reworking of the introduction to the opening movement.  It preserves at 0:49 a dissonance which appeared in the 1979 trio version of the music, but which I smoothed out in the first movement of the present work.  The finale proper, Allegro Scherzando, originated in 1988-89 with the sketch of the passage at 8:04 - 8:08, and grew out of it largely in back-formation.  The notion of reiterating the first movement introduction was similarly a back-formation; the five-note scale principal motif of the Allegro Scherzando is closely related to the theme of the introduction, but to the best of my memory the finale began life independently and the relationship was fortuitous.

The Seventeenth Quartet was completed on the Moscow Metro on the evening of August 17th, 1991 (with minor revisions in 2014 and 2018), and is dedicated to my sister Ruth, the intended recipient of the abortive String Trio of 1979 out of which it grew.

A.M.Bell - String Quartet No. 17 (IV - Finale:  Lento - Allegro Scherzando)

Recording of me playing Mozart's Divertimento No. 15 on the Piano without orchestra. Arr. likely by Balanchine

Paganini Caprice No. 24 in Aminor - Arr. Piano Trio

E.F.J.Fagan

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