The People United Will Never Be Defeated!, Frederic Rzewski's massive set of 36 variations for piano, is easily his best-known work. This tour de force has justifiably been considered a modern classic since its premiere in 1976. Though the whole piece is quite interesting, I am particularly enamored with the first variation, which might be the most elegant display of how a melody can, indeed, be completely recognizable in pitch-class space if the listener is carefully and properly prepared by the composer to hear it that way. Listen to this month's clip and see if, with just the last few seconds of the theme, you can not hear it in the pitch-class presentation which softly and immediately follows.