Conversation Pieces, Vol 3.

Released: 30 September 2018

I have been composing piano music since I was six. Conversation Pieces is a compilation of some of my favorite compositions. So that I could share more of these “highlights,” I edited most of the pieces, chiefly by eliminating section repeats.

CD Artwork

Liner Notes

  1. Chromatic Waltz: This piece employs chromatic scale themes designed to produce a haunted effect.
  2. The Next Generation: This piece was dedicated to one of my nieces, Aubrey Fine, who was the first of my parents’ grandchildren and thus the leader of her generation!
  3. Jerrymeandering: This piece was a wedding present for my friend, Gerald F. Daneshvar. I thought it would be fun to write an upbeat piece based on the sequence of notes represented by Jerry’s initials.
  4. Rondo Alberti: This piece in classical style, which utilizes the “Alberti bass,” was composed as a gift for my friend, Albert Catalan.
  5. Kaleidoscope Colors: This piece was composed at the home of John and Jennifer Nastelin to celebrate the birth of Caleb Ernst in 1999.
  6. Alien Gerbil/Anion Gap: Many years ago, my children and I collaborated on a song called “Alien Gerbil.” (They came up with the provocative title and the lyrics.) This track has the introduction to that song merged with a ragtime piece.
  7. Melpomene: I composed this piece to honor my dear niece, Julia. Melopmene was a nickname my erudite father gave a young Julia many years ago.
  8. Beholding Eleanor: This composition was gift to my fabulous daughter, Ellie, a week or so after her birth in early 1994.
  9. Singing to Benjamin: I wrote the first part of this piece for my wonderful son, Ben, shortly after he was born. The second section (starting at 1:56) began as a little song that seemed magically to calm him when he was upset.
  10. Churchyard Snowfall: During my second year of medical school, I found a classroom with an upright piano and composed this piece little by little before the start of morning lectures.
  11. The Summertime VA Blues: I performed this composition in the 1989 medical school show, “Meccalot.”
  12. Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano, No. 1: Welcoming Claire: This was a new arrangement of a piece originally written for solo piano to celebrate the birth of Claire Hertzfeld.
  1. Cedar Point: Like the roller coaster rides at Cedar Point, this piece has twists and turns and unexpected changes in direction and speed. I dedicated it to my mother-in-law, Barbara Berg, who lives a few miles away from Cedar Point.
  2. Raindrop Reflection: This piece was inspired by the sound of gentle rainfall in autumn.
  3. GNN Anthem: This song was composed several years ago for my wonderful siblings: Mark, Anita, and David. We all communicate frequently by e-mail and refer to ourselves as “The Grandma News Network.”
  4. Twins and Triplets: This piece, replete with triplets, was composed to celebrate the arrival of our family’s only pair of twins, Kenyon and Keaton Fine.
  5. Golden Hamentashen: I was in the process of writing this piece when my daughter, Ellie, called to tell me excitedly that she had won “The Golden Hamentashen Award” for the first batch she baked!
  6. Letters from an Antique Land: This is an improvised pair of very short pieces, each one deliberately simple and unstructured, languid and peaceful.
  7. Asa’s Waltz: This was composed in 2004 to commemorate the birth of my nephew, Asa Yoshioka.
  8. Amicus Curiae: This Latin legal phrase means “friend of the court.” The piece is dedicated to my younger brother, David, an excellent attorney and a wonderful friend.
  9. Enduring Grace: This piece was written in 2012 as a gift for newborn Elijah McFadden and his mother, Jennifer.
  10. Emancipated Minor: This is a bouncy piece with a bit of a Klezmer flavor.
  11. What you Deserve: This song was written in 2013 as a surprise gift for my dear wife, Karen, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the day that we met.
  12. The Hippocratic Ode: This is an intentionally idealistic tribute to the medical profession, perhaps just a bit daring in this era of skepticism.

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