For Sally

This is another miniature gift piece in a series of short works for piano quintet. Its roots are in chant and folksong but it is coloured with delicate piano sprinklings and chromatic deviations. A sense of a melodic core is maintained in spite of various peripheral commentaries and shadings. It is dedicated to Sally Beamish, the composer and great friend of mine, who has made her home in Scotland in recent years.

2006, James MacMillan