Piano Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1073967 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 20th Century,Classical,Contemporary. Score. 4 pages. Niska Music Publishing #678231. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1073967). This prelude begins and ends with a gentle breeze upon which ride the butterflies from the title. Soon the simple quarter-note melody becomes more complex with the left hand creating counterpoint to the right. With the addition of a triplet figure in the right hand against which the eighth-notes of the left hand have a separate melody, the interplay of the two hands bring a new feeling of fluttering about in the wind. The mood changes briefly from major to minor, as though a cloud has passed over the sun. Soon the clouds part and a wonderful syncopated section takes up the melody until at last the butterflies disappear from sight.

Piano Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1414486 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 21st Century,Classical,Romantic Period. Score. 8 pages. Niska Music Publishing #996260. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1414486).

Piano Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1048637 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 20th Century,Classical,Contemporary. Score. 4 pages. Niska Music Publishing #653046. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1048637). The winds howl, hurling the snow through the air with a vengeance. It is near impossible to see your hand before your face as the storm rages on and the Icy Breath of Winter threatens to freeze the very blood in your veins. This prelude requires the pianist to have a keen understanding of the multiple voices needed to be brought out between the hands. There is a great deal of arpeggio work in the left hand and the quick tempo of the piece demands a strong technique and lightness of touch.

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 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1038540 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Lee Niska. 20th Century,Classical,Contemporary. Score. 4 pages. Niska Music Publishing #643505. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1038540). From the first notes to the last beat this piece captures the constant activity of the bees as they gather nectar throughout the day. The right hand buzzes about in a constant stream of eighth notes, rising and falling, twisting and turning, while the left hand moves along in quarter notes to create the harmonic underpinnings that never really settle until the final chord. It is one one the shortest of the nature scenes, but requires a light touch and strong technique.

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 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1378676 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 21st Century,Classical,Contemporary. Score. 8 pages. Niska Music Publishing #963337. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1378676).

Piano Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1378686 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 21st Century,Classical,Romantic Period. Score. 8 pages. Niska Music Publishing #963347. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1378686).

Piano Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1414517 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 19th Century,21st Century,Classical,Romantic Period. Score. 8 pages. Niska Music Publishing #996292. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1414517).

Piano Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1038549 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Lee Niska. 20th Century,Classical,Romantic Period. Score. 4 pages. Niska Music Publishing #643518. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1038549). These are not the winds of a beautiful autumn day, full of sunlight and colored leaves gently wafting to the ground. These breezes have a bite as though they are a precursor to a gathering storm. There is a relentless feeling behind the music, and the player must be keenly aware of the melodic voices in both hands and bring them out amidst the swirling triplets.

Piano Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1048636 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 20th Century,Classical,Contemporary. Score. 4 pages. Niska Music Publishing #653045. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1048636). There is a playful, whimsical quality to this prelude. The music goes back and forth between phrases which have a more floating quality and those that create a feeling of sudden shifts in direction, much like the dragonflies of the title. As the piece draws to a close, the sun slowly falls below the horizon and the dragonflies take shelter for the night...awaiting another day.

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: A0.1073968 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 20th Century,Classical,Contemporary. Score. 4 pages. Niska Music Publishing #678234. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1073968). The most Impressionistic of Opus 3, the cathedral in this instance is the forest rather than the sunken one from Debussy’s prelude. The canopy of the trees is the vaulted ceiling and the trunks serve as the columns. As one walks down the colonnade, the spaces between the trees serve as windows onto the magnificence of nature. From a musical standpoint, the thick, rich chords of the right hand create a feeling of majesty and awe broken by the melismatic figures of the wind through the boughs. Once again, it is of great importance to balance the chords to bring forth the melody.

Piano Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1414518 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 21st Century,Classical,Romantic Period. Score. 8 pages. Niska Music Publishing #996293. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1414518).

Piano Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1077072 By Michael Swedberg. By Terrence Niska. 20th Century,Classical,Contemporary. Score. 4 pages. Niska Music Publishing #681214. Published by Niska Music Publishing (A0.1077072). The sun is setting and the swallows are enjoying one last dance before retiring for the evening. They take to the skies and wheel about with effortless grace and an intricacy of movement that would make the most professional dancers blush with envy. It would seem that they have rehearsed for uncounted hours as they swoop and glide about on an invisible dance floor. One moment rising to great heights, the next plummeting toward the earth, all the while maintaining a strict sense of control that does not lack for beauty. Slowly they begin to depart the stage, one by one, until they have all returned to their nests for the night. The sun sets and the curtain falls.