Frank Bridge (1879-1941) 

English composer Frank Bridge is an interesting and enigmatic figure in British music. His compositions range from simple, melodious works included here to the highly dissonant style of the Expressionist composers. He was a multi-faceted musician, an accomplished violinist and respected conductor. Both pieces on this CD come from a set of three pieces titled, Miniature Pastorals composed in 1917.

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) 

Chopin revolutionized piano composition by making use of the full range of the keyboard. His lyricism and harmonic approach is unique, and his melodies are unsurpassed. The Andante Spianato was composed as the
solo piano introduction for his Grande Polonaise Brillante, which is his sixth and final work for piano and orchestra, composed around 1831. It is a tranquil, harp like nocturne with a pleasant mazurka that appears about
two-thirds into the work. Though often performed together, the Andante Spianato is a beautiful piece and can stand alone.

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) 

Composed in 1910, La fille aux cheveux de lin from Préludes, Bk. 1 is one of Debussy’s most famous works. The
title for each of the 12 pieces in Book 1 was placed after the last measure. Thus, listeners would not be influenced by preconceived ideas stemming from the titles, but rather could respond to the lush harmonies on their own terms.

Niels Gade (1817-1890) 

Considered the most important Danish composer in his day, Gade was a composer, conductor, violinist, organist and teacher. Early in his career, he became friends with Mendelssohn. He was also friends with Robert Schumann and his shorter piano works show a similar affinity towards Romantic era character pieces. In 1848 he became the Director of the Copenhagen Musical Society, a post he held until his death in 1890. He taught both Edvard Grieg
and Carl Nielsen. Composed in 1857, Evening Twilight is a translation of the title found in Idyllen, Op. 34, No. 4 (Le Crépuscule) and the piece gives the listener just this impression. As the title suggests, the Scherzo in Aquarelle, Op. 19 (1850) also sparkles in a bright, energetic style.

Reinhold Glière (1875-1956) 

Russian composer Reinhold Glière spent much of his life teaching and his students included Sergei Prokofiev and Aram Khachaturian. He had an active career, and successfully navigated through Russian upheavals and totalitarian regimes. His music is a rich mix of lyrical melodies and colorful harmonies composed in traditional forms. Though some of his larger works are known outside Russian, his piano works remain relatively obscure. Published in 1909, Twelve
Sketches, Op. 47, No. 3 was chosen because of its joyous nature and offbeat 5/4 meter. Also published in 1909, the entire set of Eight Easy Pieces, op. 43, is accessible for intermediate students.

Alexander Gretchaninov (1864-1956) 

Gretchaninov came to music studies very late because his father expected him to manage the family business. He began his studies, unbeknownst to his father, in 1881 at the Moscow Conservatory and in the late 1880s moved to St. Petersburg where he became acquainted with Rimsky-Korsakov. Rimsky-Korsakov saw great potential and became a mentor, supplying him with both instruction and financial support. His works became very popular in Russian and by 1910, he was given an annual pension by the Tsar. Although he remained in Russia for several years after the Revolution, he eventually emigrated, first to France, and then to the United States. Like Kabalevsky, many of his works are composed for children and are in the Romantic style. Dew Drops, Op. 127b No. 2 is just such a set of pieces and it includes In the Garden Picking Flowers.

Jacques Ibert (1890-1962) 

Jacques Ibert, a French composer, was very prolific, composing in many media including operas, music theatre, and instrumental works. He began his career in the dramatic arts before turning to music. He viewed musical expression as another aspect of one‘s total experience. The Petite Suite is a set of 15 small pieces all with descriptive titles, published in wartime in Switzerland in 1944. Noted for his sensitivity to melody and harmony, Ibert‘s piano music often consists of short movements, many with picturesque titles. These pieces appear to be modeled on the compositional style of Robert Schumann, whom he greatly admired. Histoires, (1922) a similarly composed set of 10 character pieces and a more widely known work, has as one of its most famous pieces, The Little White Donkey.

Sergei Lyapunov (1859-1924) 

Sergei Lyapunov‘s piano teachers included a former pupil of Franz Liszt and his composition instructors included a former pupil of Tchaikovsky. Lyapunov went to St. Petersburg in 1885 and formed a lifelong friendship with Balakirev. After the Revolution he relocated to Paris where he taught until his death in 1924. He is best known for his Douze études d’exécution transcentdente composed in the memory of Liszt of which the Berceuse (1897/98) is first in the set.

Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) (Edgar Thorn) 

Edward MacDowell is an American composer most often recognized for his composition, To a Wild Rose. He had a very
interesting musical education which included studying with a Columbian violinist and a Venezuelan pianist. Later he studied at the Paris Conservatoire and also in Frankfurt, Germany. From 1896-1898 MacDowell published 13 piano
pieces and four four-part songs under the pseudonym Edgar Thorn. Apparently, he adopted this name when he became conductor of the Mendelssohn Glee club. Having written some part songs, he did not want the group to know they were composed by him, lest he appear immodest. Once he adopted this pseudonym, he then continued composing under the name for three years and dedicated all the royalties from these compositions to a nurse in Europe who had been very kind to his wife when she was in Europe as a little girl. Both Amourette and Forgotten
Fairy Tales were composed under this pseudonym. Though MacDowell claimed he masked his compositional style, the melodic structure still reveals his lyrical and serene approach to melody.

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) 

Mendelssohn composed eight sets of piano works each with six pieces titled, Songs Without Words. Composed with the 19^th century, middle-class household in mind, they range in difficulty from intermediate to advanced, and are character pieces in their truest form. They do not try to describe anything in specific terms; instead, they are lyrical expressions of moments in time. Composed between 1829-1830, the Songs Without Words, Op. 19, No. 1 is the first composition in the first set of these works which spanned his entire compositional life. It sets the tone for all the pieces that came after it and captures Mendelssohn‘s lyrical style.

Federico Mompou (1893-1987)

Spanish composer, Federico Mompou is best known for his impressionist piano works and his songs. He was a miniaturist and his works give a feeling of fleeting improvisations rather than the worked out motives
one would find in a classical sonata. Gitano from Impresiones intimas, is the last piece in a set of nine impressions composed between 1911-1914 and was Mompou’s first published work. Gitano is propelled forward by the regularity of a syncopated bass pattern similar to an ostinato figure, and it gives the listener a continuous sense of motion.

Moritz Moszkowski (1854-1925) 

The famous Polish pianist, Ignacy Paderewski, is reputed to have said that after the Chopin, Moritz Moszkowski knew best how to write for the piano. Indeed, his piano works are very pianistic and typically have a seamless fluidity. Offrande, the second piece in Trois Pieces, Op. 87 and Siciliano from Trois Morceaux poétiques, Op. 42 are no
exceptions. The Siciliano‘s compound meter sways in an easy manner and Offrande’s happy exuberance helps one to understand how, in his day, Moszkowski was very popular and respected. Many of his works are attractive, bright spirited and range in difficulty from intermediate to advanced.

Nkeiru Okoye 

Nkeiru Okoye is a rising star among African women composers. Born in New York of Nigerian descent, Dr. Okoye earned music degrees at Oberlin and Rutgers and has received several composition awards. Inspired by childhood
memories of the rains in Nigeria, Dancing Barefoot in the Rain, is the first in a set of three pieces found in the piano suite, African Sketches.