Piano Sonata

Before composing this piece, I had considered writing a solo piano version of (or a follow-up to) an earlier piano duo titled The Bells of Cologne Cathedral. Instead, I decided to write an entirely new piece that borrows some ideas from Bells which I felt deserved more exploration. The resulting piece develops two separate themes. The first is that of inharmonic spectral tones, or tones played so quietly above a louder fundamental that they are heard as part of the timbre of the low note rather than as independent tones. In Bells, I used this idea to imitate actual
bell timbres, here, however, the timbres are entirely invented. The second theme is that of harmonic spectral exploration realized through sympathetic resonance.
I composed this piece for, and dedicate it to, my former (and, in a sense, perpetual) teacher and current friend Marti Epstein, as a token of gratitude for her strong support of my music.