Description
From VENTURING BEYOND, this is Scherzo in C# major! To my (the composer's) knowledge, this is the only early to mid-intermediate piano piece available in the key of C# major.
Live performance given by the composer at Indiana University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yifFvGkIcpg
Link to purchase entire Venturing Beyond volume: https://ndipaolo.musicaneo.com/sheetmusic/sm-226266_venturing_beyond.html
Notes on the composition:
The undulating diminished chords in this piece evoke a mysterious, almost surreal atmosphere, much like what (I
imagine) one would feel while experiencing a divine vision. While performing this work, the second time through each
section should be played more softly than the first (while still articulating the dynamic contours).
Skills employed in this piece:
* Reading heavily flat key signatures and C-flat
* Reading enharmonically respelled passages
* Beginning polyphony
* Compound duple time signatures
* Controlling dynamics in the soft range
* (Optional) use of the una corda pedal
Notes on the collection:
VENTURING BEYOND features twenty late beginner to early intermediate-level piano solos, representing all key signatures with three or more sharps/flats (including enharmonics)--keys rarely seen in today's pedagogical piano literature for the early grades. 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 (including the scherzo, sarabande, minuet, and fugue). 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 who desire to play musically satisfying repertoire that is within their technical grasp, but still suitable for public and private performance.
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! This volume is pre-formatted to print double-sided, so that each of the two-page pieces will lie on facing pages when bound and no page turns will be required."