2017
11′ 10”
Program Notes
Piano Bagatelles is a collection of short pieces, each one exploring a particular idea in a concise manner, depicting a specific character. The pieces are unrelated to one another within the set, and can be played independently. While functioning as standalone music, this collection also aims to present easily digestible pieces for new listeners of modern music. For this reason, there is a wide range of styles present, as well as a wide range of emotions within the pieces to show the versatility of music beyond functional harmony. Most of these pieces use pitch class sets, which I use linearly to develop lines of music, rather than vertically to describe harmony. This application provides a basis for musical integrity and control in terms of the individual voices while maintaining a degree of freedom in color.
I. Gravity
II. Psalm
III. Rhythmic Sets
IV. Wistful Prarie
V. Clockwork
VI. Romance
VII. Marching Chorale
VIII. Crippled Music Box
IX. Cross Traffic