The Final Beguine

As a child, composer Jack Stamp was fascinated by the music box that sat on his mother’s dresser, in which she kept her rings. When you took the lid off of the music box, it played Cole Porter’s Begin the Beguine in a 6/8 time signature. This work was written in memory of Mr. Stamp’s morher, Doris Stamp, who passed away in May of 2014 at the wonderful age of (almost) 92. The work is a variation and theme based upon the Porter classic with a surprise “twist” at the end. Download the “music box” file from www.kjos.com.