I’m so excited to share my new album, Christmas in the Air. You can listen to it on every major streaming service, including: Spotify Apple Music (and iTunes): Click Here Amazon Music: Click Here Pandora: Click Here YouTube And pretty much every other streaming service that’s out there. *Please note that I will be uploading […]
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In 1989, contemporary minimalist composer Philip Glass (b. 1937) released his album Solo Piano. The album has seven tracks: Metamorphosis I Metamorphosis II Metamorphosis III Metamorphosis IV Metamorphosis V Mad Rush Wichita Vortex Sutra Notice how the first five tracks all have the same name: Metamorphosis. Glass composed these particular pieces for a staging of […]
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Introduction: Grieg and Nationalism Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), one of Norway’s most famous composers, conveyed his love for his homeland through his music. This type of national pride in music is known as nationalism, where composers use musical ideas (themes/motifs, melodies, rhythms, harmonies, etc.) that are identified with a specific country, region, or ethnicity. Grieg’s music […]
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Hello readers! I know it’s been a long (long long long) time since I’ve posted here on A Pianist’s Musings, but today I want to share with you my newest album called Stratosphere Lullabies. Stratosphere Lullabies is dear to my heart. I began composing the pieces for this album two years ago while pregnant with […]
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I’m so excited to share with you my latest composition, Luna! A lullaby of sorts, I wrote this piece for my twins while I was pregnant with them. Luna explores the beautiful combination of melody with minimalism. The alternating third interval motif heard from 0:07-0:15 drives the music forward, creating a sense of stability underneath […]
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Hello readers, it’s been a minute! I have been on maternity leave and enjoying time with my newly expanded family, but I am slowly starting to get back into the swing of all things music. For today’s post, I’d like to write about something I am currently experiencing: how to get back into music after […]
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Throughout his lifetime, American composer William Grant Still (1895-1978) wrote more than 150 works, including 8 operas and 5 symphonies. His love of music began at a young age. Still’s stepfather encouraged his exploration of classical music, while his grandmother sang African-American spirituals; as a result, Still’s distinctive compositional language combines these two seemingly separate […]
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One of the most famous sequences of Gregorian chant, Dies Irae – “Day of Wrath” – describes the Last Judgment of souls before God where the saved will go to heaven and the unsaved cast into eternal flames of suffering. This 13th-century plainchant melody has since been used by composers throughout time to symbolize death, […]
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Leoš Janáček (1854-1928), one of the most important Czech composers of the 20th century, was greatly inspired by folk music to create a unique musical voice. His piano cycle V mlhách (In the Mists) – composed in 1912 – shows off his incredibly coloristic, moody, and mature compositional style. In the Mists paints a mesmerizingly foggy […]
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To some musicians, the word improvisation can be downright scary. The idea of creating music spur-of-the-moment is intimating, especially if you don’t know how to start. But improv doesn’t have to be scary! Here are 3 secrets to successful improvisation, whether you’re new to the improv block or not. 1. Start with something you know. […]
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