The Simple Beauty of The Swan by Saint-Saens

The Swan

In 1886, French composer (and organist/pianist/conductor) Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) composed and premiered his fun and humorous chamber work The Carnival of the Animals. Each of the 14 movements represents an animal, and when the movements are put together the work is a parade of color, sound, and images. One of the most famous movements of this work is […]

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What Makes Gymnopédie No. 1 so Special?

In 1888, the eccentric French composer Erik Satie (1866-1925) published three short, atmospheric piano solos called Gymnopédies. The first, marked Lent et douloureux (“slowly with pain/grief”), is perhaps one of the most famous piano solos penned during the late Romantic era. Let’s dive a little deeper into Gymnopédie No. 1 and see what makes it so […]

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Schubert Impromptu in G-flat Major, Op. 90 No. 3 Analysis

piano keyboard

In 1827, Classical/Romantic composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828) wrote eight solo piano pieces called impromptus. An impromptu is a musical work, usually for a solo instrument, that embodies the spirit of improvisation. His impromptus were published in two sets of four: Op. 90 and Op. 142 (which wasn’t published until after he died). These eight impromptus […]

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5 Ways to Stay Motivated to Practice Your Instrument

piano and sheet music

Learning a musical instrument is difficult. Between the fear of disappointing your teacher and being shown up by child prodigies, sometimes it can be difficult to motivate yourself to keep practicing. But here are 5 ways you can stay motivated to practice even when you don’t feel like it. 1. Enjoy the music you are […]

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Zygmunt Stojowski: Poland’s Forgotten Composer

Zygmunt Stojowski

One of my favorite things about our local classical radio station is that it always introduces me to new (sometimes obscure) works and composers. This leads me to today’s topic: Polish pianist and composer Zygmunt Stojowski (1870-1946). I heard one of his piano concertos on the radio and was hooked from the start of its […]

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A Look Inside “Pavane for a Dead Princess”

Way back when I first started this blog, I was learning a piano solo called Pavane for a Dead Princess (or Pavane pour une infante défunte) by French composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). I wrote a blog post discussing the history of the work, and before you read this post you should check that out: Since then, I have recorded and posted on […]

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Combining Old with New in “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

The last track on my album Christmas Piano is an arrangement of the beloved carol O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. And because this is my husband’s favorite Christmas song, I wanted to make the arrangement extra special. Check out the sheet music here: A Brief Recap You might remember that O Come, O Come, Emmanual had its origins in 9th […]

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The First Noel Piano Arrangement (and a funny Christmas story)

To kick off December’s first blog post, here is my piano arrangement of The First Noel: You can find the sheet music here: I’ve already talked about the history of this beautiful Christmas carol; check that post out here: Now I want to share a funny story with you about my arrangement of The First Noel.  Back […]

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Mary’s Alleluia: An Original Composition

As part of Christmas this year, I wanted to compose an original piano piece that captured the wonder and awe of the season. With that in mind, please enjoy Mary’s Alleluia: If you like it, check out the sheet music here: This work is special to me. After being inspired to create the main theme, I […]

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What Child is This? – New Video!

This week I posted the video for my arrangement of What Child is This? up on YouTube! For the history behind this beautiful Christmas carol, read my post here. And if you’re interested in the sheet music: I wrote this arrangement in the spirit of a contemporary waltz. Notice the waltz accompaniment in the left hand beginning […]

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