Three Piano Pieces for Shira

About Three Piano Pieces for Shira

Three Piano Pieces for Shira is a gift for my friends Matthew and Sarah Fradkin’s daughter, Whitney. I was thinking about how much I’d love to teach her about music someday and got into listening to piano pieces written for young musicians that, though easier to play, don’t compromise artistically. The Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, Schubert’s and Tchaikovsky’s Albums for the Young, and Stravinsky’s Les cinq doigts (a personal favorite) were inspirations for my work here.

Though these three pieces are a probably a little tough for a two year old, and I have no idea if she’ll ever take up piano, I do hope that other young musicians will be able to get something out of them. They may be a good way to introduce advanced students to some of the techniques commonly used in modern music, such as mixed or phasing meters and spatial notation.

In any case I hope that Whitney enjoys listening. I enjoyed writing them.

Note: When Whitney’s brother was born, who is louder, I orchestrated these pieces as the Debut Sea Preludes.