By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 20th Century, Classical, Contemporary. Score. 4 pages. Niska Music Publishing #678241. Published by Niska Music Publishing

Piano Solo - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1278318 By Michael Swedberg. By Johann Sebastian Bach. Arranged by Terrence Niska. 21st Century,Baroque,Contemporary,New Age. Score. 8 pages. Niska Music Publishing #870024. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1278318). My first encounter with this beautiful work by Bach was when I performed it as a piano/organ duet at the baccalaureate service prior to my high school graduation. The piece begins with bells in the distance answered by the shepherd on his flute. There is a decidedly peaceful feel to the music when the melody begins, but it is not the pastoral feel of the original, but rather a pop-inspired treatment with more syncopation in the melody. The second theme is more straight-forward in the right hand with a flowing eighth-note figure in the left hand. Following a brief interlude the melody moves to the left hand while the right plays a figure which brings to mind the tolling of a single bell. The piece closes with the return of the opening duet between the bells and the shepherd on his flute as the sun sets and the flock rests for the night.

Piano Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1414465 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 21st Century,Classical,Romantic Period. Score. 8 pages. Niska Music Publishing #996186. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1414465).

Piano Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1073979 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 20th Century,Classical,Contemporary. Score. 4 pages. Niska Music Publishing #678245. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1073979). There is a Chopinesque quality to this piece, but with a haunting, unsettled aspect more reminiscent of Scriabin as it searches for an ever-elusive rest. It is a walk through the woods at the end of Autumn, when the leaves are all but gone and the ghostly branches reach their skeletal fingers toward the moonlit sky. The clouds float across the sky, blotting out the light of the moon as you find yourself descending deeper into an almost hypnotic trance. There is the tolling of a bell off in the distance. It does not waver, hanging on to a single note as the harmonies change beneath in the left hand while the opening melody returns. There is a change in mood as the music becomes more chromatic while shifting between two chords until it finally resolves and the opening melody returns. As it comes to a close, there is no sense of resolution…rather it ends with a question.

Piano Solo - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1276116 By Michael Swedberg. By Johann Pachelbel. Arranged by Terrence Niska. 21st Century,Classical,New Age,Pop. Score. 8 pages. Niska Music Publishing #867876. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1276116). One of the earliest CDs I bought was a CBS Great Performances disc entitled “Pachelbel’s Canon: Baroque Favorites.� I can recall listening to it over and over. Among my favorites were Handel’s “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba,� Mouret’s “Rondeau,� Albinoni’s “Adagio for Strings and Organ in G minor (which I later discovered was actually written by Remo Giazotto in 1958), and, of course, Pachelbel’s Canon in D.The Canon has been a source of musical inspiration to a great number of artists over the years including Maroon 5’s “Memories� in 2019 and George Winston’s “Variations on the Kanon by Johann Pachelebel� from his 1982 album December.My arrangement is a series of variations starting with a simple statement of the chord progression and gradually making use of the themes as the piece progresses. In this respect, it is more of a chaconne than a true canon. (A chaconne being a type of musical composition which uses a repeated short harmonic progression as a vehicle for variations and melodic invention). It eventually works its way to a section of forte chords based on the rhythm of the second theme before gradually returning to a simpler use of the chords and bass line from the opening.

Piano Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1125814 By Michael Swedberg. By Felix Bartholdy Mendelssohn. Arranged by Terrence Niska. Christmas,Contemporary,Holiday. Score. 8 pages. Niska Music Publishing #726554. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1125814). Once again the influence of George Winston and Mannheim Steamroller can be heard as this prelude begins with a burst of joy and energy that does not subside, but only grows with each verse. The changing meters make this piece a challenge to play and requires a strong technique to handle some of the scale passages. This arrangement is a far cry from the original music of Mendelssohn, but the lyrics inspired me to create something full of vibrancy and passion to match the glorious news that the angels came to deliver! The first verse establishes the 5/4 meter heard throughout the prelude and is filled with the pealing of church bells in the right hand as they send forth the melody in octaves! Meanwhile, the left hand continues the broken chord pattern established in the opening. In the next verse, the left hand is now rising and falling, while the right is still playing the melody in octaves. Only now it is filling the spaces with eighth notes to match the left hand…essentially combining the two hands of the previous verse. For the final verse, the left hand takes on the orchestral role of brass and percussion with thunderous chords punctuating the rhythm of the melody in the right hand. There are moments of fireworks as the hands break free of the 5/4 meter for some wonderful, albeit brief, scales which increase the growing excitement. The piece concludes with a return of the rhythmic material from the opening as the hands work their way down the piano in arpeggiated fashion only to race back up the keyboard for a final flourish before a resounding Amen: Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Glory to the new-born King!

Piano Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1048634 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 20th Century,Classical,Contemporary. Score. 4 pages. Niska Music Publishing #653043. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1048634). From the opening tremolo in the right hand, there is a sense of forlornness that permeates this prelude. The left hand stubbornly repeats the same four notes as the melody begins to weave its way above, searching for a place to rest that seems only all too elusive. The melody repeats, but is now joined by another voice which only adds to the feeling of despondency as it snakes around creating a melancholy harmony. The title refers to a house that has been forgotten to time and is slowly being covered by the encroaching forest. With no one around to witness the end of a home that once knew laughter, but now knows only sadness and decay, the piece ends with the sighing of the wind through the branches of the trees.

Piano Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1125799 By Michael Swedberg. By Jean Baptiste Calkin. Arranged by Terrence Niska. Christmas,Contemporary,Holiday. Score. 8 pages. Niska Music Publishing #726539. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1125799). I must admit that I was far more familiar with the 1956 setting of this poem as sung by Bing Crosby to music by Johnny Marks than I was to the one found in many hymnals. It was on several of the Christmas albums that would be played on the phonograph in our house during the holiday season. However, I chose to arrange the carol setting for this collection as it resonated more deeply with me and seemed to better capture the essence of the poem by Longfellow. He wrote it during the Civil War, on Christmas Day of 1863, and several of the verses make reference to the war. While I did not set any of the Civil War verses, there is an almost martial quality to the opening music and one can almost hear the brass choir ringing out in the first verse. With each subsequent verse, the rhythm of the right hand becomes quicker, moving from half notes to quarter note triplets to eighth notes and finally to eighth note triplets in the final verse. For the most part, the left hand maintains the steady beat of quarter notes, with the exception of the final verse where it begins to move in eighth notes setting up a two-against-three pattern between the hands. It is the most jubilant of the verses and feels like an explosion of sound as the bells ring out across all the land proclaiming God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men..

Piano Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1077068 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 20th Century,Classical,Contemporary. Score. 4 pages. Niska Music Publishing #681210. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1077068). We begin this stroll through the forest with our hearts filled with joy and delight, enjoying the rustling of the leaves and the sunlight-dappled earth beneath our feet. There is a shift in mood as the trees become thicker and the light from above is diminished lending a more disquieting feel to the surroundings. It is not dangerous, nor evil, like the woods of some fabled land with witches and goblins, but there is a sense of unease rising within us. Our pace quickens with the beating of our hearts, but the path is clearly marked and we continue on to eventually find our way back to the sunlit world where birds can once again be heard and our momentary concerns are forgotten. We are at peace.

Piano Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1125807 By Michael Swedberg. By John Henry Hopkins Jr. Arranged by Terrence Niska. Christmas,Contemporary,Holiday. Score. 8 pages. Niska Music Publishing #726547. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1125807). The travels of the three wise men as they followed a star to see the newborn King was the inspiration for this arrangement. It starts with the right hand representing the twinkling of the stars in the vastness of the heavens, while the left hand provides the feeling of winds blowing across the desert sands as the magi set out on their journey. Soon the melody is heard in the right hand, though in a more stately rhythm than the traditional, more pastoral original. The left hand continues its sweeping motion unabated and drives the piece ever onward as the wise men draw ever nearer to their destination. The minor mood of the song is replaced in the chorus as the star of wonder shines down upon them, filling their souls with hope. Eventually they arrive at the stable and offer their gifts to the babe lying in a manger: gold, frankincense and myrrh. It is the last of these gifts which foreshadow the death of Christ and his burial in the stone-cold tomb. After they have spent some time praising their new-found king, the three wise men return to their homeland as the music follows them back across the desert sands to their homes in the East.

Piano Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1376865 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 21st Century,Classical,Romantic Period. Score. 8 pages. Niska Music Publishing #961431. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1376865).

Piano Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1373223 By Michael Swedberg. By Franz Schubert. Arranged by Terrence Niska. 21st Century,Classical,New Age,Romantic Period. Score. 8 pages. Niska Music Publishing #957568. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1373223). As a vocal major and accompanist during my undergraduate and graduate years, I became familiar with a great number of lieder by Franz Schubert. It's far too difficult to pick a favorite, but this song was one of the first pieces I learned to sing. As common in so many of his songs, Heidenröslein has a very simple, folk-like melody, and the accompaniment almost has the feel of a pianist vamping at the keyboard. My arrangement is very much inspired by the music of George Winston. The right hand has a somewhat ostinato feel in the opening. When the melody enters, the right hand figure is moved into the left hand while the melody floats above as though carried on a summer breeze. The second verse takes on a more music box feel as it makes frequent pauses in the music, but the melody is always present in the right hand, even when it is surrounded by a steady stream of eighth notes.The work closes with a return of the opening material and fragments of the melody tossed back and forth like the falling petals of the rose on the heath.

Piano Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1048631 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 20th Century,Classical,Contemporary. Score. 4 pages. Niska Music Publishing #653037. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1048631). There is an elegant simplicity to this gentle lullaby. You can hear a variety of birds twittering, trilling, warbling and chirping as they call to one another and get ready to settle in for the night. The sun is sinking in the west and there is not much time to return to the nest and await the morning. For the pianist, there are ample opportunities to practice trills, both long and short, but always keeping in mind the direction and flow of the melody.

Piano Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1077064 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 20th Century,Classical,Contemporary,Romantic Period. Score. 4 pages. Niska Music Publishing #681206. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1077064). There are few things more majestic than an eagle in flight against an azure sky…the broad stroke of its wings as it rises and falls on currents of air. It is with an undeniable sense of grace and elegance that it soars through the firmament. From a pianistic standpoint, the left hand provides the imagery of the winds on which the melody, representing the eagle, floats. In fact, once the piece begins it does not stop until the very end. The melody of the right hand is almost piano concerto-like in its approach. At the beginning it is very chordal, stately and grand. But as the piece progresses there are moments of flourish which capture the eagle’s delight as it swoops through the sky, ascending and descending at will…the master of all that it sees.