descripção
From OPENING DOORS, the in-progress collection of late-elementary piano pieces in keys of 2+ sharp/flat key signatures, this is In the Style of a Pavane in A-flat major - the only elementary-level piano piece in Ab major of which I (the composer) am aware.
Notes on the composition:
A pavane is an old dance form traditionally in slow 2/2 or 4/4 time, most commonly danced during the 16th century but surviving in instrumental music for much longer than that. The dance step used in the pavane is now called the "hesitation step" and you will sometimes see it at weddings. The mood of the pavane is grave and ceremonial.
Notes on the collection:
The in-progress collection OPENING DOORS features mid-to-late beginner piano solos representing all key signatures with two or more sharps/flats (including enharmonics)--keys rarely seen in today's pedagogical piano literature for the early grades. This collection grew out of the high praise for my early intermediate collection of unusual-key solos, entitled VENTURING BEYOND and published in 2014, which led to some requests from teachers and adult students to write a similar collection a couple levels easier than most of Venturing Beyond's pieces.
These pieces, written in Baroque, Classical and Romantic styles, not only help acquaint students with the idea of reading "within keys," but they also introduce common musical genres of the Western Classical canon. These short, expressive compositions--each no more than two pages in a medium-sized font and requiring no more than a major sixth reach--are also ideal for adult students or college group piano students who desire to play musically satisfying repertoire that is within their technical grasp, but still suitable for public and private performance. Many of the pieces are cast in binary forms with repeats, which allows students to increase the length and substance of a piece for performance without requiring them to learn more musical material.
This volume also refrains from invoking programmatic titles or content that might suggest that it is geared toward the school-age student; thus, it is ideal for student pianists of all ages, from 5 to 105!
Exhaustive fingerings are not included in this edition, given that ideal fingering choices vary widely among different hand sizes and are best decided upon by consultation with a knowledgeable teacher.