This was my first big compositional project for the fall of my first full year sabbatical at Brandeis. Accordingly, I wrote all ten consecutively, and only came up for air once (or at least I'm told I did). I started the Book in late August of 2002 and finished it in late October.
This is the only commissioned book. It was commissioned by the Fromm Foundation, which helped offset some of the salary I was foregoing in order to take the whole year off. It's published and © by CF Peters, Edition 67928e.
#41 Bop It (piano bop) for Geoffrey Burleson. Once Geoff found out I'd written a stride 'tude, he wanted a bop one.
#42 Madam I'm Adam (palindromes) A compositional challenge I'd wanted to try for years.
#43 Wiggle Room (fast notes moving in parallel) for Amy Briggs. Amy suggested writing one taking off on the texture of the C minor prelude of the first book of the Well-Tempered Clavier.
#44 Triaddled (triads and polytriads)
#45 Pink Tab (accelerando-ritenuto) I had dreamed the title Pink Tab for a piece, and here's where I used it. The title seems to be a drug reference, and who says it's not?
#46 Durchrauscht die luft (sevenths) The title is a phrase from one of the Liebeslieder Waltzes, meaning darting through the air.
#47 Fra diabolis (tritones) With this one I had composed études on all possible intervals. At least the ones that customarily fit under the hand.
#48 What Half-Diminishes One (Half-Diminishes All) (half-diminished seventh chords) To Eric Chafe.
#49 Saltimmano (finger pedaling) at Amy Briggs's suggestion. The title is a variation on the saltimbocca dish in Italy, meaning "jumps in mouth". This means jumps in hand.
#50 No Stranger to Our Planet (register shifts)
