Programme Note In January, 1985, I was approached by oboist Lawrence Cherney to write a new work for Oboe and String Quartet. I decided immediately to call the work Requiem Parentibus, "Requiem for my Parents". The past few years had been difficult for our family, with my father, especially, being very ill. It was also a difficult few years for myself, involving an intense sabbatical year away from my work in Newfoundland. I thought that a new work whose essence would be rest and peace (the basic meaning of the Latin word requiem) would somehow help to resolve the great strains that were affecting our family. At the beginning of August, 1985, Lawrence Cherney informed me that we had indeed received the commission from the Ontario Arts Council for Requiem Parentibus. I arrived back in Newfoundland on August 12 eager to start the new work. My father died suddenly on August 14, the day after his 72nd birthday. The work is in three movements (played without pause): Sonata Allegro, Theme and Variations, Fugue. It is dedicated to Lawrence Cherney.