La Folia, a 16th-century street dance from the Iberian Peninsula, has over time become St. Pierre’s “folly” (in the sense of apparent obsession). It was featured in the 1991 film, Tous les matins du monde, as well as in The Addams Family movie, also from 1991. Beethoven quoted it in the second movement of his Fifth Symphony. It is also the tune to the Taizé hymn, Laudate Dominum.
He has composed over thirty variation sets on it, some for solo instruments, others for chamber groups, string orchestra, and concert band.
However, unlike traditional sets, his are mostly fantasy variations; that is, there is no note-for-note, bar-for-bar correspondence between the theme and the variation. He moves freely from one key, tempo, and meter to another, and modulates liberally between keys within variations.
…the intricacy of most Folia variations … lends them to repeated listens. The exact same tune repeated over and over quickly gets dull. But when a composer picks up a theme and plays with it, toying with the harmonies or the instruments, we fall under its spell. …when a melody is “buried” it can sustain longer engagement across multiple repetitions.
La Folia is surely proof of this: it has been passed down and used by countless musicians in their own way, like a family cookbook where everyone adds their own recipe. The point, though, is that the basic ingredients are always the same. In this way, La Folia spirals on to new things, unforgettable even at the start of its seventh century.
Excerpt from article at BBC: Culture
26 July, 2019
FOLIA VARIATIONS
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ARPAFOLIA (2019)
SIX VARIATIONS ON ‘LA FOLIA’ FOR RECORDER & HARP
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ANTHONY ST. PIERRE, RECORDER
JACQUELINE GORING, HARP

A Suite of Follies (2021)
courtly dances in the style of FranÇois Couperin, but employing a modern harmonic palette
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Anthony St. Pierre, piano

Bassafolia (2021)
four variations on ‘La Folia’ for unaccompanied double bass
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Jesse Dietschi, double bass

Bassonafolia (2022)
six variations on ‘la folia’ for unaccompanied bassoon
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christian sharpe, bassoon

BrassAfolia (2020)
nine variations on ‘La Folia’
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Toronto Brass Quintet

canzona on ‘la folia’ (2022)
A CANZONA IN THE EARLY 17-c. ITALIAN FORM WITH ANACHRONISTIC HARMONIES
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ANTHONY ST. PIERRE, organ

CELLOFOLIA (2022)
five variations on ‘la folia’ for unaccompanied cello
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amahl arulandandam, cello

CLARIFOLIA (2022)
FIVE VARIATIONS ON ‘LA FOLIA’ FOR UNACCOMPANIED CLARINET AND BASS CLARINET
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pETER STOLL, CLARINET

CORFOLIA (2022)
six VARIATIONS ON ‘LA FOLIA’ FOR UNACCOMPANIED horn
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jessie brooks, horn

FANFARE, FOLIA, FORLANE & FURIA (2019)
‘LA FOLIA’ APPEARS ALONG WITH FRAGMENTS OF TUNES BY BACH, COUPERIN AND RAVEL
PERFORMED BY SINFONIA TORONTO & CONDUCTED BY NURHAN ARMAN
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*****RECORDING GENEROUSLY FUNDED BY KURT AND MAURA JUNG*****

FIESTA FOLLIES (2019)
SEVEN VARIATIONS ON ‘LA FOLIA’ FOR RECORDER & GUITAR
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ANTHONY ST. PIERRE, RECORDER
RAFFI ALTOUNIAN, GUITAR

FOBOLIA (2022)
six variations on ‘la folia’ for unaccompanied oboe
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clare scholtz, oboe

folia for flute (2022)
seven variations on ‘la folia’ for unaccompanied flute and piccolo
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laura chambers, flute

FOLLIES FACILES (2021)
FOUR EASY VARIATIONS ON ‘LA FOLIA’
suitable FOR INTERMEDIATE PIANO STUDENTS
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ANTHONY ST. PIERRE. PIANO

FOLLIES FOR MALLETS (2021)
six variations on ‘la folia’ for solo mallet percussion
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Daniel Morphy, mallet percussion

forays on ‘LA Folia’ (2022)
FIVE VARIATIONS ON ‘LA FOLIA’ FOR ORGAN (MANUALITER)
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ANTHONY ST. PIERRE, ORGAN

LA FOLIA À TRE CORNI (2022)
FIVE VARIATIONS ON ‘LA FOLIA’ FOR HORN TRIO
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JESSIE BROOKS, DAVID QUACKENBUSH, CHRISTINE PASSMORE – HORNS

LA FOLIA VARIATIONS & FUGHETTA FOR ORGAN (2004)
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WILLIAM O’MEARA, ORGAN

mÉtamorphose des dominos (2022)
Variations on François Couperin’s ‘Les Follies françaises’
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ANTHONY ST. PIERRE, piano

PHOLIA (2006)
NINE VARIATIONS ON ‘LA FOLIA’ FOR RECORDER & PIANO
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ANTHONY ST. PIERRE, RECORDER
LARRY GREEN, PIANO

Sassofolia (2021)
five variations on ‘La Folia’ for unaccompanied alto saxophone
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Mike Wark, alto saxophone

SAXOFOLIA (2021)
SIX Variations on La ‘FOLIA’ FOR SAXOPHONE QUARTET
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tORONTO SAX QUARTET

trombofolia (2022)
FIVE VARIATIONS ON ‘LA FOLIA’ FOR UNACCOMPANIED TROMBONE
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david pell, trombone

Trompetafolia (2021)
five variations on ‘La Folia’ for unaccompanied trumpet
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Katherine Moffatt, trumpet

tubafolia (2021)
FIVE variations on ‘La Folia’ FOR UNACCOMPANIED TUBA
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JEN STEPHEN, TUBA

viofolia (2022)
eight variations on ‘La Folia’ FOR UNACCOMPANIED violin
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wendy rose, violin

violafolia (2022)
seven variations on ‘La Folia’ FOR UNACCOMPANIED viola
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anthony rapoport, viola
FOLIAS FOR RECORDERS
Alto & harp (Arpafolia)
Alto & piano (Pholia)
Alto & tenor
Alto, tenor, bass
Sopranino & percussion (Percufolia)
Sopranino or piccolo (solo)
Soprano, alto, tenor, bass
Tenor/alto & guitar (Fiesta Follies)
Various stand-alone
FOLIAS FOR VARIOUS ENSEMBLES
Brass quintet
Concert band
Horn trio
Saxophone quartet
String orchestra
SOLO FOLIAS
Strings
Violin
Viola
Cello (coming soon)
Double bass
Woodwinds
Piccolo or sopranino recorder
Flute
Oboe
Clarinet/bass clarinet
Bassoon
Saxophone
Brass
Horn (coming soon)
Trumpet
Trombone (coming soon)
Tuba
Percussion
Mallet percussion
Keyboard
Organ
Piano
2023 © anthony st. pierre composer
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