This is the first piece that was written for my composition course with Dr. Deirdre Piper in 2002. The assignment was to write a theme and a series of variations for a small ensemble using an artifical mode or scale. The scale used in this work is the Scala Enigmatica of Giuseppe Verdi (C Db E F# G# A# B C).

This is a series of four variations on the theme, each one having a very distinctive character. The second variation is a mild parody of the Funeral March in Beethoven's Symphony #3, and the final variation is in the style of the the "Hineh ma tov" from Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms.

This piece is dedicated in loving memory of the great Canadian children's entertainer, Mr. Ernie Coombs (1928 - 2001) (a.k.a. Mr. Dressup), who passed away at age 73 after a stroke. He taught us that with some colored paper, a milk carton and a toilet paper roll or two, you can make almost anything your heart desires.

 Listen to "Kaleidoscope Variations"