Four Easy Pieces (2021)

Instrumentation: Piano Solo

Duration: 3:30

Program Notes:

Recently I read Eric Walter White’s masterful book on Igor Stravinsky. Part biography, part musical analysis, and part catalogue of Stravinsky’s writings, I found the wealth of knowledge present to be at times overwhelming, but always thrilling. During my investigation of Stravinsky I noticed two things: 1) Stravinsky was not afraid to be simple when called upon and 2) Stravinsky dedicated an awful lot of his music to his friends. In this piece I challenged myself to be as simple and straightforward as I could be while also staying true to myself. I also decided to dedicate these four easy pieces to some of my friends and composer colleagues. I hope I succeeded in creating a piece that is fulfilling for students and professionals and leaves the listener unchallenged and carefree.