Carolyn's Song

Listen to the work here!
 
Carolyn’s Song is a work for solo piano dedicated to my mother, Carolyn Waters, and was written as a gift for her for Mother’s Day. She has always been there to support me in everything that I do, and as I often find myself turning toward music when words are inadequate to properly and fully express myself, I wanted to create a work that would capture my gratitude for her support.
 
Musically, the piece is primarily in binary form with a brief reprise of the first section serving as a brief coda. The introduction and first large section of the piece draw inspiration from the music of alternative folk pop artists such as Noah Kahan, a favorite artist of my mom’s. The use of chromatic mediants throughout gives the music a light airiness, as might be associated with sunrise breaking through a window. The second section of the piece, underpinned by a staccato chordal accompaniment, is meant to evoke of the sounds of British orchestral music, in a nod to my mom’s British heritage, particularly the music of Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams. This music moves throughout several key areas before returning to the slower material, and an ending with the character of a deep exhalation. The work also serves as a companion to my work Steven’s Song, written for my father for Father’s Day, and the two works may be performed simultaneously – not two incomplete parts of one whole, but two complete
statements that nonetheless bring out the best in each other, as my parents do.