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The "l'Homme Armé Variations", though written after the "Scherzo on Westron Wynde" is the first
movement of the "Symphonies on Ancient Tunes". (The middle movement the
"Fantasia on the Willow Song" was the
last composed. No fourth movement is currently planned but I may change
my mind.) The text of the 15th century tune on which it's based (often
used, as is "Westron Wynde", as the basis for polyphonic Mass
settings.) is, in the original French:
L'homme, l'homme, l'homme
armé, l'homme armé,
L'homme armé doibt on doubter.
On a fait par tout crier,
Que chascun se viegne armer, d'un haubregon de fer.
L'homme, l'homme, l'homme armé, l'homme armé,
L'homme armé doibt on doubter.
And it may be translated as:
The man, the man, the armed man,
one must beware the armed man.
the word is that everyone
must arm himself with a hauberk (iron chain-mail vest).
The man, the man, the armed man,
one must beware the armed man.
As you can see, things haven't changed that much from the
15th century!
The Variations begin with an introduction leading into the
theme proper (which is quoted rather freely.). The beginning of this
introduction is really based on the "Westron Wynde" tune and I've tried
to make it as "windy" as possible with the use of a wind sound effect.
(In an actual performance, this might be done with soft string slides.)
This is followed by a lively pair of variations, a more lyric pair, a
gigue, a sicilienne, a fugal section culminating in a rather martial
statement of the subject, a partial repeat of the introduction and
finally the coda.
I've tried, by the texture, the parallel 5ths, and the
percussion, to give the whole piece a medieval feel.
