In my studies at the New England Conservatory, Arthur Berger plunged me into his language of hexachordal atonality that was his synthesis of Milton Babbitt’s synthesis of Anton Webern. These variations were my first successful experiment. Avoiding triads and learning a new sensitivity to register, I discovered, for me, a new spectrum of harmony and color. The student pianist who premiered these variations (Michael Kamen) startled me afterwards when he fervently related this piece finally helped him appreciate contemporary music!