Piano Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.995799 Composed by Kathleen Ryan. 20th Century,Contemporary. Score. 7 pages. Indigo Mesa Music LLC #5197945. Published by Indigo Mesa Music LLC (A0.995799). Verbs is a set of 24 impressionistic preludes for piano left hand alone, composed by Kathleen RyanEach prelude evokes the energy and mood of its title verb. Thus, the preludes utilize a wide range of modern styles and harmonic languages.Wait - to be in readiness or expectation. These preludes hark back to earlier antecedents by Debussy, Rachmaninov, Chopin and J S Bach in their variety and appeal, creating an album rich in contrasts. Ryan’s composing style is eclectic, referencing jazz, contemporary classical, traditional classical, and American folk songs and hymns: Play, for example, is a vibrant anthem, redolent of sacred harp singing, while other Preludes are more contemplative, tender and wistful (Forgive, Bloom). Push is energetic and rumbling, suggesting bustling city life, Bounce scampers playfully around the keyboard with jazzy syncopations and colourful harmonies, and Tangle is redolent of some of Prokofiev’s more introspective ‘Visions Fugitives’. The album closes with the meditative Bless. Frances Wilson, The Cross-Eyed PianistVerbs: 24 Preludes for Piano Left Hand is a fascinating collection of pieces composed by Kathleen Ryan. The project originated in 2006 when [Keith] Porter-Snell asked Ryan to create a set of twenty-four piano preludes for left hand only, one in each key. In her search for a unifying theme, Ryan settled on the idea of verbs, one for each prelude, because a verb conveys a distinct quality of energy and motion. ... Ryan’s eclectic composing style contains elements of jazz, contemporary classical, traditional classical, and her own vision that includes making the piano sing. ... It is hard to believe that these preludes are played with only one hand, as they are full, rich, and sound like they move all over the piano keyboard. All of the titles are one-word verbs and the preludes range in duration from 34 seconds to a little more than four minutes. Some are light and playful and some are more complex and dramatic. All are very different from each other and specific to their individual ‘verbs.’ Kathy Parsons, MainlyPiano.com
