5 Evening Pieces for Piano
Each movement is descriptive of how one’s evening might progress. The pieces may be played as 'stand alones' or as a set. The audio versions are from a recording by pianist Edward Turley, DMA, at Benedicta Arts Center concert hall located at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota.
Also included is a live performances by Dr. Turley of the first piece, Evening Begins.
Composer's Notes
Evening Begins
In Evening Begins, the feeling that inspired the piece is transition. Its joyful mood captures the feeling of having just finished one’s work day or school day and the feeling of looking forward to the rest of the evening. The dance-like rhythmic interplay of bass and treble along with the use of short bursts of silence propel the piece forward to its boisterous ending.
Evening Walk
Evening Walk utilizes a repeating pattern until the very end, grounding it with the steady rhythm of walking. Its constant 5/4 helps musicians to settle into this more unusual meter as easily as taking an evening walk.
Waves of Lake Superior
Waves of Lake Superior was inspired by watching and listening to the continually varying length of time it took for each wave from the Great Lake, Lake Superior, to wash up the beach and back down into the lake. At the time I observed those waves, they were generally moving at the pace reflected in the varying rhythm of this piece.
Prayer-like
In Prayer-like, the pianist uses very close hand positions, which, along with liberal use of the pedal, evokes contemplative, haunting, and meditative sonorities.
I had no title at the time of writing it. Ed Turley said "it is like a prayer," so the title became Prayer-Like.
Sleep Now
Sleep Now was written many years ago, when my oldest daughter, who has been an adult for a good many years, was four years old. She had awoken from a bad dream in the middle of the night and was crying. I took her into the living room to calm her down. While sitting with her on the couch, watching a gentle snowfall out the window, the main theme and the lyrics of the piece came to me. This is the instrumental version. The vocal version, which is more complex, is included on this website.
