Rubaiyat started off as a small fragment for string quartet, stated in the first nine bars. At the time, c. 1995, I was attempting to understand the Baroque approach to composition, especially that of Henry Purcell (1659-1695).

I made a series of sketches for various voice and instrumental combinations but, largely owing to a succession of house moves, many handwritten scores and sketches from that time were lost. Two however did survive. This one I rediscovered in 2008 and decided to develop for ‘cello quartet. There it remained on a computer file until I found it once again in 2024. Deciding that violas could better accomplish a sound both contemporary, yet redolent of 16th century viols, I adapted it into its current form.

The work is composed in quatrains that are thematically related and seek to find a musical expression of the mysticism of Sufi poetry. The number four was considered a symbol of material life, representing the seasons, the cardinal points (North, South, East, West) and the elements of Earth, wind (air), water and fire.