Faye-Ellen Silverman
Journeying From B to C
Year: 2018
Duration (in minutes): 12
Difficulty: High (professional)
Category: piano
Instruments: piano
Publisher: Seesaw Music, a division of Subito Music Corp.
Publisher website: https://www.subitomusic.com/
Purchase score URL: https://www.subitomusic.com/shop/
Description: Journeying From B to C was composed as a present for my former student Baron Fenwick. It is built around his name – BAFEC (the American B rather than the German Bb). The main motive unfolds from the beginning. The slower beginning in low octaves followed by a loud, fast version of the main motive is a tribute to the Liszt B minor Sonata. Each motivic pitch also sets off a separate movement. Movement I (Starting at B) travels from B to A. Parts of the motive are used throughout the movement, but the beginning and end have straight-forward statements of the material. Movement 2 (Watching the Garonne) moves from A to F. The Garonne is the river that I saw outside my studio window at VCCA-France, where I sketched many of the main ideas of this work. The Garonne once was a rushing commercial waterway, but now it is almost still. The opening trills come from the rustling of the water. This half-step motion spins out into other presentations of the material. At times the hands of the pianist cross – a continuation of the wave-like idea on a bigger scale. Movement 3 (Pausing at F) goes from F to E. It contrasts with the continuity of movement 2 not only by its faster tempo but also by its chordal textures – beginning with large leaps that are the opposite of the gentle beginning of the second movement. There is one final cascade as the chords die out, preparing the mood and tempo for the next movement. As the title of the 4th movement implies (Lullaby for Troubled Times), this movement – which goes from E to C – begins and ends with a lullaby but faces an eruption in its middle. Movement 5 (Arriving at C) fulfills its title by starting and ending on C. It is a short, boisterous dance – almost a coda since the point of arrival has been reached and is now being stablilized. It is, perhaps, also an unconscious tribute to Bartok, one of the premiere composers of 20th century piano music and also a personal favorite. Thus, as the title implies, Journeying From B to C is a musical journey, both pitch-wise and also in terms of mood. The work inter-relates some of its tempos as well as parts of its motives (from BAFEC also come the half and whole steps of the trills that appear in several movements). As in all my works, I play with the colors of the instrument – its high/low and loud/soft contrasts, among other possibilities.