Chanson Variations (2013)

Christian Carey (b. 1973) — Chanson Variations (2013) for organ

“Chanson Variations” (2013) was composed for Carson Cooman. The source material is one of Carey’s original songs, a setting of a chanson text by the French Renaissance poet Clément Marot (1496–1544). Carey’s original music for Marot’s text evokes the drones and modal atmosphere of medieval and Renaissance music, while adding a contemporary flavor through mixing two transpositions of the Lydian mode. After the theme is heard over a drone, there follow six contrasting variations entitled: 1) Sonore; 2) Giocoso; 3) Celtic Reel; 4) Serenata; 5) Fauxbourdon; and 6) Finale.

Christian Carey (b. 1973) is a composer, performer, writer, and musicologist specializing in music theory, and post-1945 and American music. Educated at the Juilliard School, Boston University, and Rutgers University, he is currently on the faculty of Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. His primary teachers included Charles Wuorinen and Lukas Foss. Carey’s compositions range widely in impetus and intent: from an orchestra piece with live train locomotive to contrapuntal Latin motets for the sacred liturgy. His eclectic and vivid style embraces everything from mid-century American serialism to Renaissance modality. Carey’s music has been performed in many venues across the USA, and his writings on music have appeared in numerous journals and publications, including Perspectives of New Music, Tempo, and Musical America. http://www.christianbcarey.com