Several months ago, I had the idea to write a year cycle for the piano. Composers throughout time have done this (such as Fanny Mendelssohn and Pyotr Tchaikovsky); they wrote a short character piece for each month of the year that imitated the mood of that specific month. (Check out this post for some examples.) I sketched some ideas for a movement for January, but before finishing I started working on February. And this is what I came up with:
February (Coffee Shop Time Lapse)
Get the sheet music here:
When I first started composing this piece, I knew what I wanted the mood to be: nostalgic, reminiscent of dreary February snow days, interrupted by a waltz. And I love being inspired by the works of other composers, so I used harmonic ideas similar to Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1 to create a sense of ambiguously passing time. The sparse rhythms work with the slowly progressing harmonies to support the wistful melody.
Here’s Gymnopédie No. 1 to compare:
This static daydreaming gets interrupted, however. A sparkling waltz uses minimalism combined with a lyrical melody to create a lush middle section. The theme is repeated twice (the second time with more texture) before returning to the opening nostalgia.
The Deluxe Version
I really enjoyed working on February (Coffee Shop
The music video for February (Deluxe) shows a little bit of my creative process. When I start a new composition, I hash it out at the piano over and over and over again, listening for what does and doesn’t work.
I also spend time notating the music on my computer, doing research for accomplishing specific sounds, and writing about what I have written. (Often times my computer is with me at the piano which makes it really easy to notate and compose at the same time.)
I hope you enjoy listening to February as much as I enjoyed creating it.