The Fish Piece was written for Joseph Lee. I have worked with a number of different ensembles that include strings and piano, but never for this combination. This instrumentation is the most known for Schubert’s D. 677, the Trout Quintet. I wanted to take this opportunity to revisit the famous work, and see what I could do with some of the materials Schubert used in the theme and variations movement. Schubert has not been an easy composer for me. I have had a harder time appreciating his music and style, and I wanted to work on his theme with a little bit of wit and twist. Several direct quotes are used from Schubert’s original work throughout this piece.