Five Narratives for Piano
A History with the Piano
Like many, I took piano lessons at an early age with a fantastic local teacher named Bill Tobin in Pittsburgh, PA. However, I gave up my studies prematurely because I had started playing the trombone in the school band program, and from my limited perspective, I thought I was too busy to keep up with both instruments as a sixth-grader. Looking back, it's kind of funny to think about. My parents were reluctantly supportive of my decision, but since late high school, I have regretted it. Bill's instruction was so sound, though, that it helped me pass my piano proficiency classes when I entered music school.
In high school, some of my friends and I made a weekly pilgrimage from rural PA to Borders bookstore, where they had the ability to give samples of new albums (CDs) and preview them. We would get a quick dinner and spend the entire night listening to albums, ultimately choosing one to take home. This is where I discovered many artists and albums that I still hold in high regard today. I grew up with a keen interest in jazz and would comb through new releases each week. Ultimately, I received a jazz performance scholarship while pursuing my undergraduate degree, and it was during my undergraduate degree that my world expanded with some exposure to “western art music.” We analyzed using a typical curriculum in the mid-2000s university, and those composers were familiar. Still, I began to appreciate them with the same reverence I already had for Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly, or Keith Jarrett.
How I work with the piano now
I usually begin with rough sketches and ideas on the piano, creating enough material and concepts to continue working and engraving on the computer. This process requires a lot of creativity, patience, and persistence.
Although I have composed for the piano in the past, I have always felt intimidated by the idea of writing a significant work for solo piano. The instrument has a rich history, and many accomplished pianists and composers have written so well for it. However, instead of being discouraged, I decided to accept my limitations and focus on learning as much as I could about the instrument's nuances.
To do this, I worked to understand the resonance, timbres, virtuosity, coordination, and independence that a skilled pianist can bring to the performance. I listened to recordings of pianists and composers of piano music to analyze their techniques, paying close attention to how they used the instrument's full range of sound and dynamics.
A sketch by Megan Grindle
About ‘Five Narratives’
I enjoy and play with the idea of guided improvisation using fanned beams, aleatoric passages, and tastefully ambiguous guidance. I believe that in a world where we may soon be able to get exactly what we intend in every facet of life through the implementation of AI, the unique qualities that a human performer brings to the table are what I love about the interpretation of my work - "imperfections" and all. I feel like I have a chance to interact with a performer when they bring something new to the table. I am fascinated by how someone else, with their training, can bring their world views and perspectives to life through their interpretation. It's what drew me to studying improvisation as a younger student and what I find incredibly exciting about working with performers today. This piece incorporates small moments of this appreciation for improvisation so that each performance might have its own character.
I'm calling the piece 'Five Narratives for Piano,' not because I'm assigning any specific story to work, but because I believe each movement has a distinctive character that can take the listener on a musical journey through the artist's interpretation. When I say 'narrative', I'm referring to the artist's point of view when they perform the piece. As I perceive it, each character is a musical gesture (or two) that persists throughout the movement.
I'm also paying homage to a few composers I can't help but think about while writing. Each of the movements includes the initials of two composers, which I was thinking about when writing them. I'll list them below, but I'll let you guess which composers I had in mind for each movement:
Nrtv i. MR & LM
Nrtv ii. SM & FL
Nrtv iii. FC & TM
Nrtv iv. GL & KJ
Nrtv v. OP & PH
This is my first attempt at creating a more straightforward work for solo piano. I would be remiss if I didn't thank Kevin Sun, Grace Burns, and Ashley Lewis for taking the time to talk me through their thoughts as I was engaged in this work. I'm also grateful for composer Matthew Heap's expertise in running ideas past him each week. I hope you enjoy the work!
