Autrefois (In Olden Days)

This music can be found at Sheet Music Plus through this link.

(1997-2012) This started as a French valse for the left hand alone in D major, and in my opinion was a very strong work.  The original dedicatee, Tiffany Oliver, did not like the work and would not perform it, because she felt it had too many leaps.  I transposed it to D-flat major and recast it for two hands as Valse lente.  As it shares some motivic shape with the Sonatine first movement, I added a coda and recast it as the second movement of the Sonatine.  This piece has had a longer "gestation period" than any of my pieces, until when - or if - that first movement of the Sonatine ever comes to light,  

When I decided not to release the Sonatine as a three-movement work, I reverted to the “Valse lente” title for a brief time.  In its most recent and most drastic makeover (2012) I recast it in 6/8 time, tidied up the middle section, removed an obvious Ravelian flourish in the coda, retitled it “Autrefois”  (In Olden Days) and dedicated it to Angelyn Traylor.  

Not only has this work given me a huge amount of "composition" trouble, I have frankly had a mental block in performing it to my satisfaction!  The following video will simply have to do until I grab the bull by the horns and make a better one - or perhaps I can sweet-talk a colleague who lacks the "baggage" that I have with it.  Lucy Wenger?  Chase Kimball?

This music can be found at Sheet Music Plus through this link.

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