New Commission for Abigail Maser of Bowling Green State University
It is with great excitement to announce my new commission for solo piano
"Wach ya HAYDN!.
This piece commissioned by my friend and colleague Abby Maser, was made possible through the generosity of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (CURS) at Bowling Green State University.
This new work for piano was composed based on and paired with a piano work in the standard repertoire. Haydn's Sonata in D major Hob. XVI: 37 was the work chosen for this pairing. Using elements from this sonata, the result would be a piece that is pedagogically crafted as an introduction to new music for the early collegiate piano student.
The spelling of the title is in Jamaican patois and has two meanings:
1. Watch here (literal translation) or Look here HAYDN! In this context: See what I can do?! This is my personal musical exhibit parody in the likes of Mozart toward Antonio Salieri.
2. What are you hiding? A nod to the musical structure itself; the game of hide and seek. The piece is an experiential account of the journey. The main theme from the Haydn Sonata is the 'person being hidden' and after initial searching, checking the obvious places, checking areas once or twice and no progress, the frustration kicks in. Then you are forced to start thinking creatively and the search in unconventional hiding spots begin; you start to get closer to finding the person and then finally, you found them!... then it's over.
Given the recent occurrences regarding the pandemic the world premiere of this work is being postponed until further notice.
Nevertheless, I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and looking forward to being able to add this and more to the pedagogical canon of new music.
