VirtualArtists.com

Kudos to Michael for discovering two really cool piano compositions - one that will make you laugh and another that may inspire you pianists and composers!

The first, called Experiment Piece I is somewhat reminiscent of our famous Scariest Sixty Seconds compostion contest.   Michael thought Gabe would particularly enjoy this one, and also Noah.   Hang on to your hat, as you learn what a "piano" in the hands of a computer explorer can really do!   Don't try playing this one at home. 



Crazy, huh?    Totally nuts, right?   And yet ... it really is a composition.  Notice how it builds up through the first few measures by progressively adding layers to the texture, then climaxing on the held notes.  Then the wildness starts again, but it's far from random.  It has repeated themes, "counterpoint", contrast ...  How would you critique it, if you were the composition judge and this were an entry?   The old labels of melody, harmony, rhythm hardly apply here, and yet there is a method to the madness.   Can you see it?   Hear it?

And now for the more serious side of Michael's recent musical discoveries.   This is a piece by Marc-Andre Hamelin.   Until Michael sent me this link, I didn't know that Hamelin composed.  I've known him as a superb pianist, and now I'm learning about another side of this great musician.   This piece is called Prelude and Fugue, a deceptively simple and traditional title.   Again, hang onto your hat as another wild journey unfolds.  This one, you could try at home - that is, if you are a virtuoso pianist. 



Thank you Michael, for these great discoveries!!!

-- Julie Harris