Debussy’s Images Book 1 (usually pronounced the French way: im-AHJ) is a gorgeous French Impressionist work for solo piano. It is the first set in a series of six solo piano pieces composed between 1901 and 1907: Background Debussy (1862-1918) was – and still is – known for his innovative music. During his life, the Romantic Era […]
Read More
There is a lot going on in the world today that makes me question whether us humans know how to be, well, human anymore. And as I’ve been thinking about the world, I’ve been turning to music to help ease the stress and the anxiety surrounding all of the difficult things we go through. While […]
Read More
As I’ve been doing some research and score study for a new composition, I came across Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958). After listening to it on repeat this week, I thought I’d share it with you! Background Composed in 1910, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (also known as […]
Read More
Hello readers! Sorry for not posting consistently over the last few weeks; I was working as a pianist at a music summer camp for middle and high schoolers, but now I’m home and ready to get back into my own music-making! This week on the blog, I want to share some of my favorite pieces […]
Read More
Today I want to share a contemporary piece entitled Elastic Harmonic by Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy (b. 1970): Elastic Harmonic and Dennehy’s Style Elastic Harmonic is not Einaudi. There isn’t a singable melody or anything really familiar about this piece. While Dennehy uses minimalism as a compositional technique, his works do not follow the “modern-classical-music” style. And after […]
Read More
Have you ever been handed a difficult piece of music and been expected to play it immediately? If you have, you know that it’s not the easiest thing to do. If not, well then you’d best prepare yourself for when it will (eventually) happen. Here are 5 ways you can incorporate sight reading into your […]
Read More
Here is Grieg’s Melody, Op. 47 No. 3, a small gem of a piano piece hidden amongst his huge collection of Lyric Pieces: History One of the Romantic era’s leading musicians, Norwegian pianist and composer Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) helped shape the face of classical music. His use of Norwegian folk styling and themes in his […]
Read More
I had the opportunity to attend a concert put on by the Oregon State University Chamber Choir this weekend, so today’s blog post is going to discuss some of the highlights from the show. There was so much wonderful music ranging from Bach to Penderecki that it was difficult to narrow down which pieces to […]
Read More
I recently had the opportunity to compose, record, and attend the premiere of my original wind ensemble composition Symphonies of Silence. I began writing the piece in May of 2017, and on May 31, 2018, the Oregon State University Wind Ensemble premiered it at their final concert of the school year. Here is a video of […]
Read More
How many of you took piano lessons as a kid? And then how many of you stopped soon after? Whether it’s due to scheduling conflicts or a lack of interest, sometimes music lessons just don’t happen. But here are 4 reasons why you should learn how to play the piano: 1. It teaches discipline. One […]
Read More