PSearPianist Videos

I like to upload one or two seasonal items in December, but this year had nothing written by others in practice, owing to accompanying commitments. So here is the first of a series of five fantasies on well-known Christmas carols and hymns. The tune on which this piece is based is ' Humility ' written for this 'Hymn for Christmas Day' in 1871 by Sir John Goss (1800-80) , the 19th c British organist and composer of church music, whose greatest hit this undoubtedly was ... piano classical ...

Tags: piano classical contemporary British yule xmas seasonal festive

A piece loosely (and not ornithologically correctly!) based on the popular musical motif of the cuckoo call. There are (approximate) references to the best-known cuckoo piece of them all: Daquin's 'Le coucou'. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Played by Phillip Sear www.psear.co.uk

Tags: piano classical contemporary British

The less flamboyant pieces from "Harmonies poétiques et religleuses" are not so often played, and I can appreciate that some might find their sentiment saccharine. Given their religious connections, I think the best preparation to play these pieces is to watch on TV some of the special services from the Vatican broadcast on EWTN and elsewhere, and listen to the unsophisticated but fervent singing of the choirs there. It is a world away from the Anglican church music with which I am more ...

Tags: piano classical Hungarian romantic

Two pieces based on the famous nursery tune 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' (or 'Ah vous dirais-je, Maman'), so masterfully used by Mozart and Dohnanyi. The style of the first piece harks back to French and Russian music of the late 19th c; the second piece is more New World in feeling, and has (maybe) echoes of Copland in its harmony. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Played by Phillip ...

Tags: piano classical contemporary British

This piece comes from book of anonymous piano transcriptions of standards: "The Best in Broadway Standards: Piano Solos" - published by Warner Bros. in 1991, and found by me recently in a charity shop. Unlike many such books these pieces are not mere reductions of the published piano/vocal arrangements, but independent arrangements without chord symbols. To me many of the arrangements in the book (probably by more than one arranger) are interesting, but bizarre in their sometimes crude piano ...

Tags: piano popular standard US

Hofmann (1842-1902) was a German composer, born in Berlin, and well-known in his lifetime for orchestral works and operas. He is mainly remembered today for shorter piano works, some of which are still used for educational purposes. The Träumerei is about the same length and mood as Schumann's more famous piece, but not at all derivative. At 2:13 of 'At the Brook' there is a momentary foreshadowing of the opening of Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto

Tags: piano classical German deutsch

Hofmann (1842-1902) was a German composer, born in Berlin, and well-known in his lifetime for orchestral works and operas. He is mainly remembered today for shorter piano works, some of which are still used for educational purposes. This piece is prefaced by the following verse: 'From the depths of ocean upward swelling, Sounds the evening bell so faint and low, Of that wond'rous ancient city telling, Whose grey walls beneath the water glow.' (Wilhelm Müller, transl. J Powell Metcalfe) This ...

Tags: piano classical German deutsch romantic

The less flamboyant pieces from "Harmonies poétiques et religleuses" (1853 version) are not so often played, and I can appreciate that some might find their sentiment saccharine. Given their religious connections, I think the best preparation to play these pieces is to watch on TV some of the special services from the Vatican broadcast on EWTN and elsewhere, and listen to the unsophisticated but fervent singing of the choirs there. It is a world away from the Anglican church music with which ...

Tags: piano classical hungarian magyar

A short piece based on the opening of the well-known song by Henry Purcell: 'If music be the food of love' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Played by Phillip Sear www.psear.co.uk

Tags: piano classical contemporary British

This arrangement comes from a book of anonymous piano transcriptions of standards: "The Best in Broadway Standards: Piano Solos" - published by Warner Bros. in 1991, and found by me recently in a charity shop. Unlike many such books these pieces are not mere reductions of the published piano/vocal arrangements, but independent arrangements without chord symbols. To me many of the arrangements in the book (probably by more than one arranger) are interesting, but bizarre in their sometimes ...

Tags: piano operetta transcription US standard