Fit for a King - Variations 11 & 14

Instrumentation

Wind Quintet [Fl, Ob, Cl, Fg, Hn]

Other Information

These variations on the famous Welsh melody Sosban Fach was written in celebration of the birth of HRH Prince George of Cambridge, 22nd July 2013, and is respectfully dedicated to HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales; HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and HRH Prince George of Cambridge.

When the Duchess of Cambridge’s pregnancy was announced, the Chairman of the Central Composers’ Alliance, David Fisher, resolved to bridge the royal generations by inviting his colleagues in the Alliance contribute to a joint work on a famous Welsh theme to acknowledge the lineage of the Princes of Wales from Dafydd ap Llywelyn to HRH Prince Charles. As this heredity will continue to HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and then HRH Prince George of Cambridge, this work is therefore respectfully dedicated to all three generations.

The melody of Sosban Fach was chosen by David Fisher as one of the most famous of all Welsh tunes. It hasn’t been chosen for its subject matter, though it is originally a nursery song, but for the popularity in the Principality as one of the most often sung songs in the Welsh language. It is best known for its association with Llanelli Rugby Union Club and by internationally renowned performers such as Only Boys Aloud. Robert Ramskill arranged the theme before the composers’ contributions were collected over several months. Dr Ramskill was also entrusted to the difficult task of editing and ordering the pieces for publication.

The whole story of the Fit for a King and the accompanying videos may be accessed by clicking HERE. Variations 11 & 14 of  ´Sosban Fach´ are described by the composer thus:

Variation 11 - Kenneth Gange:

"Having been born and educated in the Llanelli area I have known this tune all my life. Llanelli rugby team was known as the “Sosbans” and this song was associated with them. The opening four beats of the theme suggested to me the opening of the slow movement of Mozart’s Symphony 40 in G minor so I tried to marry the two pieces. Not quite another Musical Joke! Although Mozart’s original was in the major key I have used the minor key of the theme for this variation."

Variation 14 - Kenneth Gange:

"From the theme I took the opening two notes and the shape of the last four notes in the fourth bar and developed them into a jaunty movement. I incorporated various phrases from the song but did not use the complete theme. As the “Dai bach y sowldiwr” appendage is not as I know it in my childhood I made no use of it. I have used a major key rather than the minor of the theme and have written in a linear style so that each instrument has some melodic input." 

[Left] Serenata Winds in the process of recording Fit for a King on July 22nd 2013 at the Ellen Terry Building of the University of Coventry on the very day that HRH Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge was born.

[Right] Serenata Winds performing the world première of Fit for a King at the splendid venue of The Ark, St Laurence Church, Alvechurch, Worcestershire on the evening of 5th April 2014.