Suite for Piano

Description

I wrote my Suite for Piano in about 1995. Having written for a variety of instrumental combinations and ensembles, I wanted to have a few short solo pieces of my own that I could play if someone asked ‘what does your music sound like?’.
There are four movements. The first two are ‘toccatas’, a name given by Baroque composers to pieces designed to show off a performer’s fast finger work. Toccata Burlesca is playful in a robust, energetic way, while Toccata Leggiera is like a ‘moto perpetuo’ with constantly flowing rapid notes. Elegy is a slow, thoughtful contrast to these more showy pieces, with a sad lyrical melody which rises to a passionate climax before fading away in the closing bars. The finale is entitled ‘Fugato’ and marked ‘giocoso’ (joyful), and it is a happy, celebratory piece with dancing melodic lines that weave in and out of each other before building to the final climax of the whole piece.