Peter Lawson
VARIATIONS ON HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU for piano duet
Goodmusic GM433

This is a version (rather than a reduction) for four hands on one piano, of the Variations on ‘Happy Birthday To You’ for orchestra (Goodmusic GMCO140). It is intended for two players of a Grade 7 standard or upwards. The music is very much the same, with the fugato section near the end slightly slowed down for clarity and ease of playing. The main criterium is that it should be a fun piece to listen to and equally fun to play. To reflect the worldwide popularity of the tune, most of the twenty variations are in musical styles from around the world and some are well-known pieces of mainly classical music in which ‘Happy Birthday’ makes a comical ‘intrusion’. After an introduction, there is full-scale version of the theme itself followed by a waltz section, a Latin-American section and various other styles and well-known pieces which are ‘infiltrated’. There is then a fugato section, whose subject is based on the theme, leading to a majestic recapitulation of the theme itself, with which an audience can join in. Peter Lawson
Duration 11 minutes
Also available for a solo instrument with piano accompaniment (GM432).