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Programme Note

 
Composer note:
The Versatility Rag was commissioned by Barbara Munford for Dr. Robert Munford. Written in Dallas in September, 2006, the piece is based on two themes from my work The Dot and the Line (2004) for narrator and chamber ensemble with text by Norton Juster. The first theme, used in the introduction of the rag, accompanies the passage in The Dot and the Line, "...And they lived, if not happily ever after, at least reasonably so." The main theme of the piece follows the narrator's mention of the word "Versatile...," hence the title. The music is cast in a simple ABA form. It swings in a jazzy, upbeat style: mostly tonal, but with some spiky surprises.

— Robert X. Rodríguez