An anthology of 26 worksfor the student piano player by 13 contemporarypiano teachers and composers

Barbara ArensAnna BlonskyJaap CramerBen CroslandAndrew EalesAndrea Granitzio Simon HesterSarah KonecsniAlison Mathews Christine Artemis Pappa Paul PostonNikolas Sideris Borislava Taneva

MOSAIC vol. 3For Solo Piano

Londonwww.musica-ferrum.com

Index

Notes on the works of vol. 3

Alison Mathews – Something is Brewing

Andrea Granitzio – The Curious Pointer

Barbara Arens – Black Rocks

Andrew Eales – A Drama at the Theatre

Simon Hester – All Aboard

Borislava Taneva – Crossed Melodies

Sarah Konecsni – Echoes from Within the Hall of Wonders

Christine Artemis Pappa – In the Rabbit Hole

Barbara Arens – Are Ye a Pirate?

Nikolas Sideris - Étude

Anna Blonsky – The Goblin Assembly

Paul Poston – A Swordfish Tango

Alison Mathews – Summer Haze

Nikolas Sideris – Skipping Together

Simon Hester – Phantoms in Parade

Sarah Konecsni – Ocean Waves at Sunset

Andrew Eales – Rainbow Prelude

Anna Blonsky – Valse Triste

Jaap Cramer - Fragile

Ben Crosland – Prelude

Christine Artemis Pappa – Baby Rag

Jaap Cramer – Rêverie

Ben Crosland – Sambamamba

Borislava Taneva – Boogie Woogie Mood

Andrea Granitzio – Grandmother's Old French Carillon

Paul Poston – Opposing Bishops

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Proof reading: Jessica Carnevale

Cover Design: Steven Cruz Paez

ISMN 979-0-708147-50-3© 2020 Editions Music Ferrum. all rights reserved

Notes on the works of vol. 3

Alison Mathews Something is Brewing 7

Nimble finger work and movement is needed throughout, with a lightness at the start and the end. Use the accents and staccatos to help create a feeling of anticipation or even mischievousness! Go for maximum drama with the wide variety of dynamics, and build to fortissimo at the climax. The fist-roll in bar 11 starts on a D, but needn’t be exact — it is there for effect! However, the final semiquaver/16th note run should be light and articulated clearly, even at pianissimo.

Andrea Granitzio The Curious Pointer 8

The pointer (a dog breed) took its name after showing great affinity for pointing out other animals in the wild. In order to do that they tend to utilize their keen sense of smell. Imagine that every pattern in this piece is a pointer sniffing a scent in the air, by a shrub, or under a tree. You get the picture, right? Its longest sniffing session can be found in bars 15-16 and requires some attention to your fingering, but otherwise this piece is as straightforward as... smelling!

Barbara Arens Black Rocks 9

Are you thinking, “Too many flats!”? My pupils and I found that it’s actually easier to play mainly on the black keys; hence the title! I would practise this piece quite a lot with metronome — though at first considerably slower than at 144. But even when you’ve nailed the piece, by all means continue to play with the metronome. It sounds good! My own recording for YouTube is with the metronome ticking away.

Andrew Eales A Drama at the Theatre 10

Something wildly unexpected is happening on stage. But what’s that old saying — the show must go on! Do you recognize any pieces quoted in the music as the performer valiantly struggles to entertain? Oh dear… is there a doctor in the house? Evidently not. Have fun telling the story with dramatic and sudden shifts in mood and style!

Simon Hester All Aboard 12

The train approaches at full speed right from the start of the piece. Its shrill whistle can be heard in the distance. As we approach the station in the last line, the brakes are on! We have just two bars at the end to let off a little steam. For maximum impact, make the most of all the dynamics and articulation, and never let the music drag.

Borislava Taneva Crossed Melodies 13

You’ll love getting tangled up in this piece! While playing you’ll find the melody crosses from one clef to the other. Sometimes your hands exchange the melody, but sometimes they cross, too! Sound waves will entangle as you play through dissonances. Yes, “Crossed Melodies” is definitely an apt title for this particular piece. It may look short, but look out for the repeat and D.S. al Coda as you disentangle yourself and fumble toward the ending. The G minor key remains almost intact with a few visits in relative scales. The most important element here is the voicing, so keep an eye on where the melody is going and let the legato slurs guide you.

Sarah Konecsni Echoes from Within the Hall of Wonders 14

Draw your audience into the mysterious Hall of Wonders! Echoes from distant rooms are all around you. Strive to distinguish the echoes clearly with strategic pedaling (sustain and/or una corda as appropriate). Move the music forward with a strong rhythmic impetus and a dancing lilt. Experiment with the optional extended piano techniques that encourage you to play the strings directly by reaching inside the piano to create the mysterious effects.

Christine Artemis Pappa In the Rabbit Hole 16

Have you heard of Alice? She's gone through quite an adventure in the famous story by Lewis Carroll. In this musical retelling the heroine is wandering through the same rhythmic pattern, first in contrary motion, next in parallel motion. Throughout the piece she explores a variety of tonalities. The middle section introduces rising arpeggios in the left hand, while the right hand breaks away for an independent melody. With so many transpositions it's only natural for the pianist to be on their toes! Can you help Alice find her way out of the rabbit hole?

18Barbara Arens Are Ye a Pirate?

Here are the original lyrics for this sea shanty dating from the late 16th century:

“Look ahead, look astearn, look to weather and to lee.Blow high! Blow low! and so sailed we.I see a wreck to windward and a lofty ship to leea-sailing down all on the coasts of High Barbary."Then hail her" our Captain he called o'er the side.Blow high! Blow low! and so sailed we."O are you a pirate or a man- o'- war?" he cried.A-sailing down all on the coasts of High Barbary...“

There were very fierce pirates along the coast of North Africa, called High Barbary. My 10x great-grandfather was Jan Janszoon van Haarlem, who, under the name of Murat Reis, was one of the most famous of the Barbary pirates. He helped found the Pirate Republic of Salé and was its first president and grand admiral! So you can see: I have a personal interest in this piece!

Nikolas Sideris Étude 20

Étude is the French word for “study”. A musical étude is an opportunity to hone a particular skill. In this particular case the left hand is carrying the weight of the harmonic movement and voicing with its legato phrasing. The right hand’s cantabile melody must project so as not to be overtaken by the continuous flow of notes in the left hand. Careful observance of the correct fingering in both hands and practicing without the sustain pedal will facilitate learning this piece successfully.

Anna Blonsky The Goblin Assembly 22

Goblins are often depicted in European folklore as elusive, mischievous creatures with magical powers. Here, the individual goblins are jumping lightly from octave to octave with greater ease than a mountain goat, so you have to be mindful of the correct register of your keyboard. The middle section is dominated by fast chromatic figures which require nimble fingers. In bars 31-32, can you feel the magic being cast by the shaman of the goblin assembly?

Paul Poston A Swordfish Tango 24

Ah, the fiery tango! But here, the iconic rhythms of the Argentinian dance are nowhere to be found. There is a shifting, invisible current, and as the swordfish glide through the water their movement is met by its resistance or flow. You can feel the current shift with each change in time signature. The trained ear and eye will notice the repeated patterns and phrases, which will offer some coherence in a vast sea of notes.

Alison Mathews Summer Haze 26

As you play this you should feel the dreamy warmth and relaxation of a summer’s afternoon. You can be free with the tempo, using a little rubato as you phrase the melody. This should be expressive with a singing tone, so make sure you balance the hands very carefully. The sustain pedal is very important and can be changed when you feel it is needed. Listen carefully as you want to create a sublime, floating feeling without sacrificing the clarity of the melody. For example, in the opening bars you might change the pedal every two measures, or half-pedal where appropriate. In bar 12 you may like to change the pedal on each dotted crochet/quarter beat. In bars 13-16 I have indicated you hold the pedal across those bars to create a colourful wash of sound. You can also add the una corda pedal from bar 17-20 for effect.

Nikolas Sideris Skipping Together 27

Imagine holding hands with your best friend and skipping. Such a happy feeling, right? Your two hands are best friends in this piece, especially as they're always hanging out together. A combination of swing rhythm in the right hand and a rag stride in the right can be challenging, but if one learns the left hand and its big jumps by heart, the right hand will surely follow.

Simon Hester Phantoms on Parade 28

Did you hear something? Look! It seems to be a parade like any other, its participants marching steadily closer. By the second ending it’s obvious that things are not quite as they seem. Enjoy building the tension in the 10 bars leading up to the “screaming” section, where you can make as horrible a sound as you like! Things then calm down and the marching continues, although not without a few more unsettling moments. Keep the rhythms and textures clean and crisp to contrast with the parts where the pedal creates a more confused texture.

Sarah Konecsni Ocean Waves at Sunset 30

The main challenge in this work is to bring the melodic line clearly over the top of the continual rolling waves of arpeggios underneath, and then to allow that melody to have its own dynamic rise and fall following the contours of the phrase. Use legato pedal technique smoothly and efficiently to catch the melodic line and carry it forward.

Andrew Eales Rainbow Prelude 32

In the midst of the darkest storm, as the sun begins to break through the clouds, a rainbow appears in the sky —– a universal symbol of hope for better things to come. “Rainbow Prelude” was composed to reflect this sense of hope for the future. The steadiness of the left hand should not limit your sense of rubato and the melody being played at different registers of your keyboard will guide you on how to express all those different rainbow colours and dynamics. Finally, the grace notes should be light and fast, as fast as the light that passes through the water droplets and creates... a rainbow.

Anna Blonsky Valse Triste 34

“Valse Triste” is a melancholic waltz, reminiscent of the Romantic era. The use of your second finger in the right hand is advised for the ascending melodies that begin on a sharp. Attention should be given to the descending melody in bars 12-14 and 36-38 where a delicate balance will facilitate the exchange of notes from right hand to left. Where the melody occupies the bass clef, use forearm weight to lend a rich tone to the left hand, and keep the right hand accompaniment light.

Jaap Cramer Fragile 36

These things are fragile. A wrong move could shatter them. Feeling hesitant? It could be the irregular 5/4 key signature or the minor seconds. It could be that each time the fragile things make a sound, you wonder if they’re broken. Don’t be alarmed at the fortissimo in the middle section, and don’t fret if you can’t reach the octaves in the left hand; just play the lower note. We ultimately return to the gentle motion of the beginning, and the fragile things get the last quiet “clink.”

Ben Crosland Prelude 37

In this colourful prelude the accidentals are evident from the first bar, and so is the restlessness that takes over with the use of polychords. But this precarious harmony is what gives way to a resolution in the very last bar. The opening broken chords should be played like a whisper, with no emphasis on either the bar or the beat. The melody is best approached as one long phrase that builds in intensity right until bar 17. The 6/8 feel can become more pronounced from bar 11.

Christine Artemis Pappa Baby Rag 38

To be honest “Baby Rag” is not to be performed by babies, but it was inspired by one! The stride piano style of the left hand and the 6ths in the right may be a little bit of a challenge. That is not to say that everyone can't enjoy the syncopated rhythms, the joyful harmonic progression, and the chromatic slips of the melody. On the contrary! Once you listen to it, you won't want to let go.

Jaap Cramer Rêverie 40

Being lost in your thoughts and wandering the corridors of your mind is enticing. Daydreaming can be a fascinating way to escape. Your dream, in this case, is filled with strange worlds, those of parallel fourths, parallel fifths, quartal harmonies and major 7th chords. In “Rêverie” there's a real adventure happening as the same four-chord progression evolves through transposition and textural changes. The conclusion of this Reverie sounds ambiguous, just like awakening from a dream.

Ben Crosland Sambamamba 42

The title of this light-hearted piece is a play on two of its distinctive features – the strong Latin influence and the scales in the opening theme. Make sure to bring out the upper note of the LH chords in the melody where appropriate; this will require precise coordination to ensure the RH lifts cleanly and smoothly. Watch out for the subtle change in rhythm in bars 17-18, and observe the pedal markings closely so as to preserve the contrast between the crisp, staccato chords and the longer, pedalled ones.

Borislava Taneva Boogie Woogie Mood 44

“Boogie Woogie Mood” is an energetic, danceable piece with two strong pulses per bar. It’s inspired by the influential boogie-woogie genre that emerged in African-American communities in the late 19th century. Early on, this style was also known as “fast western,” “fast blues,” and “barrel house piano.” You might like to check out authentic boogie-woogie musicians like Sugar Chile Robinson, Meade Lux Lewis, and Albert Ammons. In “Boogie Woogie Mood,” the ostinato figure of the left hand provides the foundation for the whole piece, while the right hand playfully contributes syncopated rhythms on the interval of a fourth. The solo excursions in the middle section are constructed around a strong sense of the two-pulse backbone. Even though we don’t hear the left hand ostinato here, keep the pulse alive!

Andrea Granitzio Grandmother's Old French Carillon 46

Let’s start by clearing up a couple of points. Firstly, the manual carillon is a large instrument. Imagine a piano with large batons for keys, and bells instead of strings! Sometimes, these resonating bells can sound a little out of tune. Secondly, “scassato” in Italian means “broken.” Indeed, this particular “scassato” carillon is severely out of tune. This should explain the odd notes that tend to stand out. Don't be spooked by the continuous semiquavers/16ths, or by the compound time signature. It's grandmother's old carillon, so it will be beautiful no matter what.

Paul Poston Opposing Bishops 48

If you’ve ever played chess, you know the bishops can only move diagonally along either the white or black squares of a checkerboard. In “Opposing Bishops,” the left hand plays only the black keys, while the right hand plays only the white keys. Editorial suggestions have been taken into account so the above is not always the case (e.g. Bars 2, 4, and anywhere else there's a chromatic scale involved), but otherwise the bishops play a fair game. Don’t miss the pedal in bars 13-14, even if all else seems the same. When programming this piece in a recital, our suggestion is to perform it first, so as to recreate the famous Bishop’s Opening!

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