date

2005;
2009;
2009

duration

11 minutes;
8 minutes;
8 minutes

instrumentation

piano

movements

Book 1
1. Moderato; smoothly
(after Bach)
2. As quickly as possible, chirring
3. Slowly; delicately thrumming
(after Chopin)
4. Very swiftly; restless, agitated
5. Slowly; lyrically
(after Debussy)
6. Quickly; vibrant, full of life

Book 2
1. Moderately; wistful
2. Extremely quickly; manic, mechanical
(figure-ground)
3. Slowly; delicate, fragile
(ripple effect)
4. Quickly; raucous, boisterous
(mirror game)
5. Slowly; calm, placid
(parallel play)
6. Very Quickly; massive, unrelenting

Book 3
1. Moderately; tranquil, serene
2. Very Quickly; fidgety, nervous
3. Moderately; flowing
4. Very Quickly; nimble, playful (solfeggio)
5. Slowly, with rubato; delicate, innocently (lullaby)
6. Very Quickly; spirited, bouncing

premiere

Book 1
October 5, 2005
Calogero Di Liberto, piano
Duncan Recital Hall
Houston TX

Book 2
November 20, 2009
Brian Connelly, piano
Duncan Recital Hall
Houston TX

Book 3
November 20, 2009
Brian Connelly, piano
Duncan Recital Hall
Houston TX

Pattern Preludes (books 1–3)

preludes for piano

about the piece:

“Pattern“ pieces abound in the piano literature, pieces constrained by a single idea (usually a rhythmic or textural ostinato) through which a composer expresses a narrowly focused thought. Patterning is especially well-suited to preludes, which are by convention short, concise and introductory.
Most of the patterns in the first book of six preludes are immediately identifiable: a repeated-note motive in no. 2; asynchronous cascades between the hands in no. 4; and a gesture bouncing between interlocked hands in no. 6. In addition, three of the pieces give a nod to other famous preludes in the piano repertoire. No. 1 is a gloss on what is likely the most famous prelude ever written, Bach’s Prelude in C major from the Well Tempered Clavier, Book I. Within an innocent arpeggio, Bach skillfully intertwines several rhythmic patterns, something exploited in my paraphrase. No. 3 takes its cue from Chopin's Op. 28/4, which every student of harmony knows (and which a professor of mine once called the epitome of ‘creeping chromaticism’). No. 5 is a retirement gift dedicated to my high school music teacher, whose lessons were inspirational preludes to my own study of music. In mood and phrasing it echoes some well-known Debussy preludes. Pattern Preludes was written for Calogero Di Liberto.

[Program Note for Book 2]
“Pattern Prelude” is a title I have been using for an ongoing series of short piano pieces, works which are characterized by a single, consistent surface texture which prevails from beginning to end. In Pattern Preludes Book 2, the elements of musical patterning are present—interlocked syncopations in no. 1, superimposed meters in no. 6—but the focus is also on patterns in the physical and visual sense. No. 2 has one hand playing only white keys, the other only black keys (they exchange roles mid-way through); the small gesture of no. 3 is gradually multiplied, expanding outward; in no. 4 the hands play symmetrically around the instrument’s central axis; no. 5 features closely packed eight-note chords locked in tandem motion.

[Program Note for Book III]
Pattern Preludes Book 3 arose out of a commission from the Renée B. Fisher Competition for Young Pianists, a request for a piece tailored to their middle school division. The work is thus intended for an “intermediate pianist” and, though not overtly pedagogical, the set presents one musical element most conspicuously: rhythmic patterning. The six preludes explore both regular and irregular patterns through a range of odd time signatures and metric subdivisions. They alternate slow and fast tempos and are grouped in pairs, set in meters of five (nos. 1 & 2), seven (nos. 3 & 4) and nine (nos. 5 & 6) beats. In addition to the rhythmic elements, no. 4 (solfeggio) is my own gloss on a well-known intermediate level piano work by C. P. E. Bach; and no. 5 (lullaby) is written for my 2-year old son.

Karim Al-Zand

composer