Heartbeat: an Original Piano Composition

I’m so excited to share my latest piano composition with you, entitled Heartbeat:

Heartbeat is a piece for solo piano that uses modern-day minimalism combined with beautiful melodies, lush harmonies, and driving rhythms. If you want to play it, download the sheet music here!

Background

A few months ago, I first heard the piece The Runner by contemporary choral composer Joshua Rist:

I was immediately struck by its simple-yet-intense beauty. The swirling nature of the themes combined with the constant piano ostinato captivated my ear, and that’s when I decided to write Heartbeat.

I first spent some time improvising with The Runner‘s opening theme, and eventually, I finalized the two themes present in Heartbeat and turned it into a piano piece.

Analysis of Heartbeat

The work opens with a driving ostinato in the right hand. What’s unique about this rhythm, though, is that it’s made of triplets created with two alternating notes (instead of three). This sounds normal to the ear at the beginning, but it allows for an interesting juxtaposition when the left hand plays on the beat. Contemporary composer Ludovico Einaudi uses this technique in his composition Fly (starting at the 1:00 mark):

The triplet motif carries through the music in Heartbeat. It doesn’t stick with an alternating E and G, though; there’s a shift in emphasis at the start of the 2nd theme (1:54).

The first theme consists of long, sustained notes in the left hand. It’s a simple melody: E – D – E – F# – D – A – E. The second theme moves more quickly, beginning with a simple scale of E – F# – G. Each theme grows in intensity until an abrupt stop right before the end of the work.

Minimalism and Contemporary Piano Music

Much of contemporary piano music uses ideas explored in minimalism. Heartbeat also implements those ideas with its simple melodies, building layers, arpeggios, and harmonic and melodic repetition. Modern listeners love hearing piano pieces that rely on the items I just listed. The simplicity combined with the detailed attention creates a unique atmosphere; one you can get lost in.

That was my goal in composing Heartbeat, and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed writing it.