Music 466-473: A Little Night Music

8 Nocturnes for piano

Once again there is no story today, as we catch up on posting music.

Here are 8 Nocturnes for piano. Appropriately, tomorrow is the Winter Solstice, so a little night music from the Southern Hemisphere is not out of place.

                Nocturne 1 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE
                Nocturne 2 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE
                Nocturne 3 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE
                Nocturne 4 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE
                Nocturne 5 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE
                Nocturne 6 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE
                Nocturne 7 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE
                Nocturne 8 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE

               

Music 462-465: Four Landscapes for Oboe and Piano

As the world nears the denouement of this blog planned to occur at the appearance of the 2500^th story in a month or so there are a few things that have got a bit muddled over time. To tidy things up and lend an air of completeness to this blog there are a few things I will post over the next few days. The area that has suffered through lack of posting is the music sphere in particular.

So if I may, I shall post the music compositions of 2022AD that I failed to post. That way I can say in the end “It is done!”

One of the things that stops me from posting music is that I feel it is a nuisance to the readers who come here expecting a story. So if you are here for stories please come back in six or seven days once I have rid myself of these musical encumbrances. Also if you are a regular commentator please don’t feel any obligation to comment.

By now you must be beginning to decipher that I have a substantial inferiority complex! Perhaps the music posted today – called “Four Landscapes for Oboe and Piano” – might point to my propensity for solitariness. Perhaps the real me is hidden in these four pieces!

Here then are “Four Landscapes for Oboe and Piano”:

             Landscape 1 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE
             Landscape 2 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE
             Landscape 3 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE
             Landscape 4 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE

            

               

2382. Concert pianists

See that dear little old lady sitting in the front row? She’s always there when the twin pianists Andriy and Raahim Karpenko are giving a concert. I wouldn’t miss their concert for the world, but that little old lady is priceless. She reads a book and seems to take no interest whatsoever in the music. She even looks a little bored at times and yet she comes to every concert. You’d think she was their teacher or something and she’s heard it all before.

It’s amazing to think that Andriy and Raahim Karpenko are only thirteen years old. They’re child prodigies. And I would imagine they were pushed hither and yon by ambitious parents. Nothing ruins talent more than pushy parents.

Oh my goodness! That little old lady has put her book in her handbag and has taken out her knitting! Knitting! She’s knitting! Knitting, while two child prodigies play Olivier Messiaen’s Visions de l’Amen. What a scream! I don’t know why that little old lady even bothers to come, and I would imagine, unlike me, she has no interest at all in classical music, given her knitting.

There! That’s over. They’re getting a standing ovation, and deservedly so. That little old lady has stood up but she’s not applauding. She’s too busy stuffing her knitting back into the handbag next to the novel.  Oh-oh! Andriy and Raahim Karpenko are coming down into the audience. They’re going over to the little old lady.

They’re speaking to her! They’re announcing something! I don’t believe a word of it. Not a word! I don’t believe that little old lady is their mother, chauffeur, and piano teacher. Impossible! I heard that their mother is the Professor of Music at the Conservatory. Pshaw! That old knitter ain’t no Professor of Music nor their mother. If she was she’d show a lot more interest.

Music 445: Water Wheels

Here is a piece of music for woodwind and piano. The woodwind is made up of flute, oboe, Bb clarinet, and bassoon.

Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.

Music 439-444: Six Sundry Pieces for Piano

Here are six assorted pieces for piano.

1 Jig: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.
2 March: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.
3 Chase: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.
4 On a Swing: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.
5 Sunlight on Water: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.
6 Dance: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE. 

Music 436-438: Three Etudes

Here are three Etudes for piano. Basically an Etude is an exercise for improving on a specific skill in playing a specific instrument, but people like Chopin managed to turn them into pieces good enough to play in a concert.

Etude 1: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.
Etude2: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.
Etude3: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.

Music 432-434: Three Christmas Carols in Partial Disguise

Here are three short pieces for piano – basically me messing around with three different Christmas Carols. See if you can recognize them!

Carol 1: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.
Carol 2: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.
Carol 3: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.

Joyful Days – Sunday

Hello Everyone – Today I’m going to do something different for a week and give myself a break. I am going to post a piano piece each day – Sunday to Saturday – and I’ve called the collection “Joyful Days”. Basically I think they’re happy pieces, and are modelled a little bit on Ragtime Music.

I thought of posting all seven days of the week at once and then decided to do it each day. Some are quite short.

So those of you who are not into piano music can take a break too, and I’ll see you all (hopefully) on November 14th!

So here is today’s Joyful Day: Sunday!

Click HERE for the audio. Click HERE for a pdf of the written music.

Music 418-24: In the Mode

For piano

Most will be familiar (at least in name) with Major and Minor Scales. But there are lots of other scales besides those. Some are called Modes, but are basically the same thing as a scale. Modal Music was the music of the Ancient Greeks and of the Early Church.

Here are seven pieces for piano each based on a different mode. The pieces are named after the names of each mode used.

The fourth piece here – called after the Locrian Mode – is one that some advise never to use as it’s very dissonant. I couldn’t resist, but “cheated” a tiny bit by adding a few non-modal notes!

1. Dorian: The audio HERE, and the sheet music HERE.
2. Ionian: The audio HERE, and the sheet music HERE.
3. Lydian: The audio HERE, and the sheet music HERE.
4. Locrian: The audio HERE, and the sheet music HERE.
5. Mixolydian: The audio HERE, and the sheet music HERE.
6. Aeolian: The audio HERE, and the sheet music HERE.
7. Phrygian The audio HERE, and the sheet music HERE.

Music 414-416: Three Whimsies for Piano

Here are three short pieces for piano.

Squaddle Doddle: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.
Snicker Doodle: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.
Slither Slather: Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.