Enigma

Enigma was originally written for brass choir and organ for the dedication of the Red Cedar Organ in the Michigan State University Alumni Chapel. This version was created for my friend Henry Dorn and the St. Olaf Band. Enigma comes from a Greek word that means "to speak in riddles," and in this piece, the riddle -- or theme -- is revealed gradually. The theme comes from the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor by Johann Sebastian Bach, which is one of my favorite pieces of music, and, once the theme is revealed, it is repeated cyclically with 21 variations, just like in Bach's original. This piece is dedicated to my former teacher, Jose-Luis Maurtua, a composer, theorist, conductor, and teacher with whom I studied at Central Michigan University. Jose-Luis was an extraordinary musician and teacher who was tirelessly dedicated to his students and to pushing them to do their best. I am forever grateful for the lessons I learned from him, and my music and my life are far better for having known him. Unfortunately, he was taken from this earth far too young -- at the age of 57 -- by pancreatic cancer in the spring of 2022. I miss him dearly, and this music is for him.