Valentines Day Music: "(Melody Keeps) My Love on My Mind" in Level 4 by Gilbert DeBenedetti
For this Valentine's Day I wanted to write a song that was fun to play, had a popular sound and was clearly directed to a specific person. So the first word in this song is a two syllable blank where the performer can insert the name of any person whom he or she would like to honor with a special performance.
More Valentintes Day Music: "I Love a Lassie" in Primer Level
When I saw the words to "I Love a Lassie" I thought it would be the perfect song for Valentine's Day. Like "My Love on My Mind," it conveys the simple message, "I love you." Evidently I wasn't alone. Listen to this surprise proposal of marriage
at The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society in Detroit.
Sir Harry Lauder--described by Sir Winston Churchill as "Scotland's greatest ever ambassador"--composed and performed this song back around 1905.
Music for January 2012 : "The Rooster Crows" in Level 1A, and
"Reflections of Hawaii" in Level 4, both by Gilbert DeBenedetti
Get two brand new compositions of mine! You can purchase these pieces for US $1.95--now the same price as most of my other original pieces. Be aware that THE VAST MAJORITY OF MUSIC --all my arrangements of familiar songs--REMAINS FREE. Also be aware that by paying for my few original compositions, you support me as I create new material for you. For original music by Gilbert DeBenedetti, click the blue dots in the first column by those pieces. That will take you to PayPal where you can securely make your payments. I will then send you the sheet music as attachments to an email. Go to my bio page for a list of my compositions.
"The Rooster Crows" is the first of my new compositions. It is a great recital piece for beginning pianists at Level One. A little longer than most Level One pieces in method books, it conveys the
freshness and anticipation of the dawning of a new day.
In "Reflections of Hawaii" the left hand plays notes which
are placed symmetrically around (reflected by) the right hand's G'a and A's. The relationship
between the hands represents the reflection of a Hawaiian sunset in the ocean, while the repeated G's and A's in the middle section makes the image seem to shimmer in the water.
More Music for January 2012: The Indonesian song,
"Bangun Tidur/When I Wake" in Level 2A
I became intrigued with Indonesia when I discovered it has the fourth largest population of all the countries in the world. What makes this even more interesting is that the population is spread across many islands (see map), while still maintaining a strong sense of identity. Originally I found this song at Mama Lisa's site, but there are also many performances on YouTube.
With a simple catchy melody, you are sure to love teaching and playing "Bangun Tidur"!
December Music For Christmas: "Carol of the Bells" in Level 4A
Paul Potyen has arranged your new version of "Carol of the Bells." Sometimes referred to as the "Ukranian Bell Carol," it was originally written for chorus by the Ukranian comoser, Mykola Leontovych. It features a four note melody in the right hand which hardly changes throughout the piece--a perfect example of ostinato. Bells of various sizes accompany this figure, usually set to the words "ding, dong, ding, dong" in vocal arrangements. Gradually the bells get louder and lower and then gracefully taper off to a peaceful and quiet conclusion.
Just starting to play? Here's a holiday gift just for you:
Two mp3 files for every piece in the "First Pieces" level!
Now you can listen to correct versions as you play from your printouts! Either listen online or download the audio to a portable mp3 player. Every piece has a slow version and one at normal speed--pick the one that's best for you. And every version begins with clicks to tell you when the music starts and how fast to play.
Here's a great way to practice with an iPad:
Put your iPad on the piano's music stand.
Go to the First Pieces page.
Tap the leftmost green dot to display the pdf sheet music.
Go back to the "First Pieces" tab and tap a dot for mp3 audio.
When you hear the clicks, go back to the sheet music and play along!
November Music for Christmas: "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," version one in Level 2C, version two in Level 4B
Here is your favorite music, arranged by Karen Newby and myself, from Nutcracker Suite. Tchaikovsky called for a celeste for this dance, a small keyboard with a high delicate pitch. The celeste was a new instrument at the time which "Tchaikovsky had discovered in Paris. He wanted it genuinely for the character of the Sugar Plum Fairy to characterize her because of its 'heavenly sweet sound'." (from Wikipedia) Try to imitate this sound as you play!
More November Music For Christmas: "He Shall Feed His Flock," alto and soprano solos from Handel's Messiah in Intermediate Level 1
This beautiful melody transports you to a quiet and comforting place. Its slow tempo and gently pulsating 6/8 rhythms reassure you that all your troubles will be taken care of. How well Handel has set the words! The flock will never go hungry, the lambs will be protected, and those with young will be safely led. I have included the words in this arrangement for those who like to sing (the vocal range is perfect), and for those who might want them for inspiration.
October Music, 1: "Du, Du Liegst mir im Herzen / You, You are in my Heart" in Level 2B
In Level 2 I give you a sweet old German love song, dating from around 1820, though the composer and the lyricist are unknown. It tells of the heartbreak of someone whose love is not returned. Actually, "liegst" means "lie", in the sense of "resting in ones heart," but to say "you lie in my heart" might be misleading given that "lie" also means "deceive." So I translated this simply as "You are in my heart." Thanks to Thomas Keyes for these insights.
October Music, 2: "Hist Hvor Vejen Slar en Bugt / Where the Road Makes a Turn" in Level 3A
As a tribute to my Danish visitors I am including a song with words by their poet, Hans Christian Anderson. A nostalgic song, it describes a house at the turn of a road in which there live a mother, her son and their dog and cat. It is evening and quiet. Swallows twitter under the eves of the roof and finally the little boy falls asleep. A full translation can be found at Mama Lisa's web site. Thanks Mama Lisa!
September Music, 1: "Sailing, Sailing" in Level 3B
Just having come from the coast of Maine, I can still smell the salt water and see the waves splashing on the rugged coastline. I would love to have been out in a sailboat then. I loved the whale watching, though. I wonder what it would be like to see a whale from the little sailboat in this picture?!
Wikipedia tells us that this song was written in 1880 by Godfrey Marks, a pen name for the British organist and composer James Frederick Swift (1847 - 1931). Enjoy!
September Music, 2: "There's a Hole in My Bucket" in Primer Level
Henry and Liza just can't seem to understand each other! In this song Henry complains that there is a hole in his bucket, and Liza gives him all sorts of good advice about how he could fix it. So what's the problem? Something about fetching water makes this an absolutely impossible task for poor Henry.
I first heard this tune sung by Peggy Seeger on a record she made with her brother, Mike. Of course they are both members of that wonderful family of musicians, the family whose most famous member is Pete Seeger. This is a silly kid's song with some nonsense syllables thrown in at the end. Have fun with it and don't take it too seriously!
There are many theories of the origin of "The Wabash Cannonball". Utah Phillips states that hobos imagined a mythical train that appeared at the death of a hobo to carry his soul to its reward. Another theory states that the song is based on a tall tale in which Cal S. Bunyan, Paul Bunyan's brother, constructed a railroad known as the Ireland, Jerusalem, Australian & Southern Michigan Line. After two months of service, the 700-car train was traveling so fast that it arrived at its destination an hour before its departure. Finally, the train took off so fast that it rushed into outer space, and for all is known, it is still traveling through space!
--from Wikipedia.com
July Music 2: "Rain, Rain Go Away" without staff lines, in First Pieces
This is my easiest piece written in the "no staff lines" notation used in so many piano methods. The idea is that the staff lines confuse the young student with too much written on the page. If you would like to pursue teaching with this notation, use the Alfred's Level 1A; or Bastien Piano Basics, Primer Level; or Faber and Faber's My First Piano Adventure. All are excellent piano methods.
"Rain, Rain Go Away" also appears in traditional notation on the same web page. Just look down a few pieces.
A New Look; New Practice Tools: Click the Green Dots
Go to a page for your level and click the green dots. Columns are for:
pdf sheet music
midi playback
slow midi playback New
mp3 playback New
mp3 playback of left and right hands separately (Levels 2 - Keyboard Classics) New
pdf sheet music of piano duets
mp3's of piano duets New
mp3's of pop style accompaniments New
videos
Mouse over the icons at the top of the columns for a description of the practice tool --or click help, or watch a video.
Play the mp3 files on an iPod, iPhone, iPad or other portable mp3 player. Now you can play the music with headphones at your piano, or anywhere else you go.
June's Music: The Dutch & Belgian Tune, "Op een grote paddestoel / On a Giant Mushroom" in Level Two
"Hallo" to our Dutch speaking visitors. I have noticed that this site is quite popular in Belgium and The Netherlands, so I decided to include a children's song in Dutch (much of Belgium speaks Dutch). "Op een grote paddestoel" is about a tiny gnome sitting on a giant mushroom. As he rocks back and forth the mushroom splits in two. Up go his legs as he falls to the ground. There is a singable English translation in the score. Enjoy this new Dutch tune!
"Šano Dušo" is one of many Balkan tunes with, to the Western ear, unusual meters. The time signature of 7/8, actually quite common in the Balkans, is organized in groups of 3 + 2 + 2 eighth notes. I have found that children are able to play this "irregular" meter surprsingly well, maybe because they have not been hearing Western "regular" meters as long as adults. To get a feel for the rhythms listen to these excellent native performers.
In any case, do not shy away from this piece. It has a beautiful melody with an exotic sounding step-and-a-half in its scalewise passages.
This tarantella is Number 20 of a delightful collection composed by Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller as his Opus 100. Also from this collection are two other pieces included on this site, Arabesque (in Intermediate Level One) and Ballade (in Intermediate Level Two), but all of Opus 100, comprising 25 pieces in all is worth playing through. "La Tarentelle" was requested on this site's facebook page by Cecilia Melacarne, from Italy, for her son about a month ago. Grazie, Cecilia, for the suggestion.
Remember the earthquake, tsunami and threat of radiation in Japan by playing or assigning "Sakura" this month. We can honor those who are far away and who are in need of our understanding by learning about their culture. There is hardly a better tool for this development of empathy than studying a peoples' music.
While this piece is not new this month, it is deserving of our attention. Monthly music for April follows below.
April Music, 1: "All In an Easter Garden" in Level Three
This song contains a simple and straightforward narrative of the Easter story. The second verse, not found in the sheet music, reads,
All in an Easter garden where water lilies bloom,
The angels gave their message beside an empty tomb:
"The Lord is here no longer; Come see where once he lay;
The Lord of life is risen indeed, for this is Easter day."
April Music, 2: "Go Down, Moses" in honor of Passover in Level Three
Three times this African-American spiritual repeats Moses' forceful words to Pharoah in Exodus: "Let my people go!" During passover generation after generation of Jewish children learn the details of how their ancestors were subsequently freed from bondage in Egypt. Often, along with the prayers, singing and story telling, concern is expressed for other people who were similarly subjugated, among them African-American slaves.
March Music, 1: The Egyptian National Anthem, "Bilady, Bilady, Bilady," in Level Three.
In February the people of Egypt peacefully overthrew what they saw as an oppressive regime. Their nonviolent protests have been an inspiration around the world, and it is with deep respect for the Egyptian people that I offer their national anthem as Music of the Month for March. After I completed my arrangement a colleague pointed out that the anthem may change as a result of the change in government. If so my work would be in vain, but I don't think that will happen: the protesters themselves proudly sang their national anthem
in Tahrir Square and at the Presidential Palace.
March Music, 2: "Spring" from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons" in Level Two
Spring is here! (at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere). We celebrate with a Level 2 arrangement of the first movement of Vivaldi's violin concerto, "Spring." This is the first of four concertos in his popular set, The Four Seasons. The accompanying sonnet begins like this:
Springtime is upon us.
The birds celebrate her return with festive song,
and murmuring streams are softly caressed by the breezes.
In observance of Valentine's Day , February's music includes "For Michelle" written by Ken Allen who is a long time visitor to this site. Ken writes, "The piece was written in celebration of my upcoming 10th wedding anniversary. Michelle is a loyal, supportive wife, a great friend, and a devoted mother. She brought two beautiful children into this world, and works tirelessly to give them the best start in life. 'For Michelle' is my love for her written into music."
February Music, 2: "Flow Gently, Sweet Afton" in Level Four
Also in observance of Valentine's Day February's music includes "Flow Gently, Sweet Afton." Here Robert Burns writes of the small Scottish River Afton upon whose banks his beloved Mary has fallen asleep. He implores the gurgling stream and all manner of small animals to leave Mary undisturbed in her slumber. Burns goes on in successive verses to praise the landscape through which the Afton courses, but he is always drawn back to his Mary: "Flow gently, sweet Afton" he writes, "disturb not her dream."
Music for January 2011, 1 & 2: "Arkansas Traveler" and "Baby Bumble Bee" in Primer.
These two songs are identical except for their words and their ending. "The Arkansas Traveler" is an old time fiddle tune which performers punctuate with jokes: A city slicker and an Arkansas fiddler just can't communicate, with hilarious results. I chose to include an mp3 of me singing this tune instead of the usual video.
The "Baby Bumble Bee" has many verses (not on the sheet music) which get more and more improbable.
Music for January 2011, 3, "Little Swallow" in Level Four
"Little Swallow" is a Chinese song added in honor of the upcoming Chinese New Year, Februrary 3, 2011. I got the melody at my favorite site for children's music from around the world, Mama Lisa's World. About this particular piece, Mama Lisa quotes Wang Li: "'Little Swallow' is a children's song originally in a film called 'A Nurse's Diary' and has been very popular in China for about half a century."
Music for December 2010, 1: "Auld Lang Syne" in First Pieces .
This song is known around the world and is often sung to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight. Its Scots title may be translated into English literally as "old long since", or more idiomatically, "long long ago","days gone by" or "old times". Consequently "For auld lang syne", as it appears in the first line of the chorus, is loosely translated as "for (the sake of) old times".
Singing the song on New Year's Eve very quickly became a Scots custom that soon spread to other parts of the British Isles. As Scots (and other Britons) emigrated around the world, they took the song with them.
--from Wikipedia.com
Music for December 2010, 2, for Australia Day, January 26: "Click Go the Shears" in Level Four
This song details a day's work for a sheep shearer in the days before machine shears. The enduring popularity of this song reflects the traditional role that the wool industry has played in Australian life. The song describes the various roles in the shearing shed, including the "ringer", the "boss of the board", the "colonial experience man" and the "tar boy". After the day's shearing, the "old shearer" takes his cheque and heads to the local pub for a drinking session.
The tune is an adaptation of the American Civil War song "Ring the Bell, Watchman" by Henry Clay Work.
--from Wikipedia.com
Shearing the Rams by Australian painter, Thomas William Roberts
November Music for the Holidays, 1: "Un Flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle / Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella" in Primer Level
Le Nouveau-Né by Georges de la Tour
This carol was first published in 1553 in France, and was subsequently translated into English in the 18th century. The song was originally not a song to be sung at Christmas, but rather dance music for French nobility.
In the carol, visitors to the stable have to keep their voices down so little Jesus can enjoy his dreams. To this day in the Provence region, children dress up as shepherds and milkmaids, carrying torches and candles to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, while singing the carol.
The painter Georges de La Tour painted a nativity scene based on the carol.
--from Wikipedia.com
November Music for the Holidays, 2: "Ner Li / I Have a Candle" in Level Three .
This Hanukah song has become one of my favorites for its simplicity and innocence. A child identifies with just one of the eight Hanukkah candles whose light shines bright and long.
November Music for the Holidays, 3: "Lulajze Jezuniu / Sleep Little Jesus" Level Two .
This Polish Carol was requested on this site's facebook group. It begins, "Sleep little Jesus, my little pearl" and portrays the tenderness all mothers have as they sing their children to sleep. Aside from the sheer beauty of the melody, this particular carol is memorable because Chopin used it in one of his pieces. His Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, op. 20 calmly quotes the lullaby preceded and followed by two fast, agitated sections. Writing in Vienna, Austria, Chopin was in a nostalgic mood, thinking of his native Poland as he spent his first Christmas away from home. In this video, the tune appears at 4 minutes and 30 seconds.
New Music for Halloween: "Toccata" from Toccata and Fugue in D Minor in Level Four .
This piece has been arranged for us by Karolina Szurek. It is a favorite in the States at Halloween because of its frightening power. However Karolina writes, "Do you know the French cartoon series "Il Etait Une Fois... L'Homme" (in English, "Once Upon a Time... Man")? Toccata is the main theme in that cartoon and that's why all my students know it so well. It's from 1978 but it's still very popular in Poland."
By the way, the Toccata and Fugue were oringinally thought to be by Bach, but some scholars are now questioning whether he really wrote them.
New--and early--October Music for Thanksgiving: "For the Beauty of the Earth" in Level Two
I love this piece! It's clearly a hymn of Thanksgiving, but it is nondenominational, and appropriate to any number of religions. There is also a modern appreciation for the nature that surrounds us on our fragile planet. I thought I would introduce this song well before the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday so my visitors would have plenty of time to master it. Happy early Thanksgiving!
BSome people may have heard this with a different tune. See (Youtube). And some may have heard this with different words.
New Music for September: "In the Field there Stood a Birch Tree" in First Pieces .
This traditional Russian song was used by Tchaikovsky in the fourth movement of his fourth symphony. The movement begins with a tremendous fanfare, after which the birch tree theme is played softly by the woodwinds (listen to the accompanying video). The lyrics begin:
See the lovely birch in the meadow,
Curly leaves all dancing when the wind blows.
Loo-lee-loo, when the wind blows,
Loo-lee-loo, when the wind blows.
More New Music for September: Gurlitt's "Dance" in Keyboard Classics
Cornelius Gurlitt
Cornelius Gurlitt (1820 - 1901) made a name for himself as an organist in Leipzig, Germany, the city where JS Bach also played organ and wrote many of his major works, and in Rome, Italy, where he also studied painting. On his return to his native Germany, the Duke of Augustenburg engaged him as teacher for three of his daughters. He very much loved music but wanted music to educate people, not just to entertain them. So as a music teacher he wrote many pieces like this 'Dance'.
--from Wikipedia
New Music for August: Los Pollitos / The Chicks in Level Two .
This is a Spanish children's song popular in many countries and sung with many variations. Here's a translation: Baby chicks say "pio, pio, pio" when they are hungry, when they are cold. The hen looks for wheat and corn; she gives them their food, and keeps them warm. Under her wings, tucked in and snuggled tight, The chicks fall sleep until daylight.
"Allemande" is the French word for "German." The "Allemande" then is a typically German dance, but the way it sounded changed a lot over the centuries. During Franz Joseph Haydn's time "Allemandes" referred to dances in triple meter, some actually anticipating the waltz.
It's possible that the names of the square dance figures, "allemande right" and "allemande left" came from these German dances.
New Music for July: Tarantella Napoletana in Primer and Level Four.
This is The Tarantella for many Italian-Americans. It is named after the the tarantula spider (in Italian, "tarantola") and its place of origin, Naples. Yet the Tarantella may be danced to many melodies, and many composers have composed their own. The Tarantella is in a fast 6/8 meter, though the primer version here has been changed to 3/4 for ease of reading. Legend has it that dancing this strenuous dance would be an antidote to the tarantula's bite.
"Sakura" is a traditional Japanese folk song depicting spring, the season of the cherry blossom. The song was first composed during the Edo period for children learning to play the koto (see picture below). The koto is derived from the Chinese guzheng. Originally, the lyrics "Blooming cherry blossoms" were attached to the melody of "Sakura." The song has been popular since the Meiji period, and the lyrics in their present form were attached then. It is often sung in international settings as a song representative of Japan.
--from Wikipedia
Listen to "Sakura" played on a guzheng.
The Slavonic March (also known as Marche Slave), is an orchestral composition by Tchaikovsky. In June 1876, following incidents in which Turkish soldiers killed a large number of Christian Slavs who were rebelling against the Ottoman Empire, Serbia declared war on Turkey. Many Russians sympathized with those they considered to be their fellow Slavs and sent volunteer soldiers and aid to assist the Kingdom of Serbia. A close friend of Tchaikovsky asked him to compose a piece for a concert benefiting the wounded Russian volunteers. In a burst of patriotism, Tchaikovsky composed and orchestrated what was first known as the "Serbo-Russian March" (later to be known as "Marche Slave") in only five days. The piece was premiered in Moscow on November 17, 1876 to a warm reception.
--from Wikipedia
Listen to Tchaikovsky's original orchestral version.
"Oh! Susannah" was composed by Stephen Collins Foster who was born in what was then called Lawrenceville, but what is now part of my home town Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Also like me, he was the baby of the family. In 1846, Foster moved to Cincinnati, Ohio and became a bookkeeper with his brother's steamship company. While in Cincinnati, Foster penned his first successful songs, among them "Oh! Susanna". This song would prove to be the anthem of the California Gold Rush from 1848 to 1849. If you come to Pittsburgh you should see the Stephen Foster Museum at the University of Pittsburgh, curated by my friend, Deane Root.
New Music for May: Schubert's "Ave Maria" (complete) Level Four.
This is the complete version of the very popular Level Three piece on my site. It was originally composed as a setting of a song from Walter Scott's poem "The Lady of the Lake." In Scott's poem the character Ellen Douglas, the "Lady" of "the Lake" (Loch Katrine in the Scottish Highlands) has gone with her father to hide in the "Goblin's cave" nearby to avoid drawing the vengeance of the King on their host, Roderick Dhu. While there she sings a prayer addressed to the Virgin Mary, calling upon her for help.
--from Wikipedia
Music for April, 2010: Theme to "Raindrop" Prelude by Chopin in Level Four.
Portrait of Chopin by Eugène Delacroix
The theme to this prelude was arranged for you by Karolina Szurek in honor of the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth.
This prelude is one of a set of preludes in Opus 28. It "is the longest of the collection of short preludes, but it's known for reasons other than its length: The prelude is noted for its repeating A-flat [in this arrangement, G], which appears throughout the piece. The A-flat sounds like raindrops to many listeners, giving Op. 28 No. 15 a nickname: The "Raindrop" Prelude. The "Raindrop" Prelude is associated with romance, having appeared as the musical backdrop in romantic film scenes -- its stormy middle section has even been used in Halo 3, a war video game."
Music for April, 2010: "Simple Gifts" in Level Two.
This drawing was published in Two Years Experience
among the Shakers, by David Rich Lamson, in 1848.
"Simple Gifts was largely unknown outside of Shaker communities until it became world famous thanks to its use in Aaron Copland's score for Martha Graham's ballet, Appalachian Spring, first performed in 1944. Copland used "Simple Gifts" a second time in 1950 in his first set of Old American Songs for voice and piano, which was later orchestrated.
The composer of "Simple Gifts," Elder Joseph Brackett was born in Cumberland, Maine, on May 6, 1797. He first joined the Shakers at Gorham, Maine, when his father's farm helped to form the nucleus of a new Shaker settlement. In 1819, Joseph moved with the other Shakers to Poland Hill, Maine, where he learned that he could sing very well. He later served as first minister of Maine Shaker societies, as well as Church Elder at New Gloucester, Maine, now known as Sabbathday Lake, the last remaining Shaker community. Elder Joseph Brackett died on July 4, 1882."
