Three Blind Mice

This composition is based on the children’s song ‘Three Blind Mice’, of which the melody is featured in a range of variations: in a canon, in inversion, in minor, transformed, with changing harmonisations and orchestrations, andin different times and tempi. The work consists of three continuous, contrasting movements: 1) Mouse March: The mice cheerfully set off while the original melody is presented as a march. - 2) Hymn: In a tuneful hymn,the wonderful praises of the life of mice are sung. - 3) Catch Me If You Can: In an animated chase, the farmer’s wife is trying to catch the mice. Following a stirring acceleration, she cuts off their tails in accordancewith the lyrics of the song. I hope this work, with its humorous touch, will be a welcome contribution to the expansion of interesting repertoire for the lower divisions. - Bert Appermont