The Partita, composed in 1971, is inscribed 'For the Rt Hon. Edward Heath, M.P., Prime Minister'. Its five movements enjoy the almost improvisatory freedom that is characteristic for Howells' writing, yet they are bound togetherby a kind of cyclic feeling engendered by a fairly consistent use of an original mode: it descends from C to C as follows: C, B, B flat, G, F sharp, E, E flat, C. The Partita exploits both the melodic and harmonic implications ofthe mode.