Rosedale Variations

Variations on an Original Theme; 'Rosedale', for Orchestra, by Stephen Gamble Rosedale is a valley in the North Yorkshire Moors; it is surrounded by moorland that rises up to over 1,300 feet. The River Severn flows down through the vale eventually to join the River Rye. The landscape of Rosedale is marked by the visible signs of history, both geological and human. Apart from centuries of farming Rosedale has a long history of glass manufacture and in the nineteenth century the valley became a centre for iron ore extraction. The remains of a railway, rows of workers cottages and three massive sets of kilns can all be seen in varied ruinous states. The village of Rosedale Abbey itself was once the site of a Cistercian Priory, the stones of which now make up much of the village architecture. Rosedale has layer upon layer of history that appears out of chronological order but partly visible in the landscape so it seemed to me a set of variations laying layers over a theme would form something of a musical impression of the place. The theme itself was written down whilst I was up at Dale Head and was originally for solo violin. The solo violin version is contained within the publication 'Music for Solo Violin: North Yorkshire' and is available on Lulu.