Nocturne for piano (1999)
Commissioned by the Music Teachers National Association
and the Georgia Music Teachers Association
Duration: 7 minutes

Video

Program Notes

Like many Nocturnes, this one evokes a hazy, atmospheric quality in certain of its sections. For inspiration, I drew upon my love of nature, including the sounds and sensations of summer evenings. Especially significant for the ending was the beautiful mountain scenery I experienced during my daily walks at the Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences, the artist colony in the north Georgia mountains where I completed the work.

Among the influences in this work, none is as great as the music of Debussy. The opening of the piece came from a dream that occurred as I was struggling to decide on the stylistic direction and content of the work in general, and of the beginning measures in particular. In the dream, the figure of Debussy was seated next to me at the keyboard. He simply said, “You could do this”, as he played a series of ascending chords. When I awoke, I wrote down a similar chord progression that became the ostinato for the first section. My debt is acknowledged by the inscription above the composition’s title – Hommage à Debussy.

Score

Nocturne – perusal score

Performance materials available from Laurence Sherr Music