Etudes Noires (Complete Collection, PDF, 6 Pieces)

This book of Etudes Noires (Black Studies) is a collection of six technical pieces for the piano, whose color-specific denomination was given to delineate the type of emotional ‘qualia’ that they are aimed at evoking.

By following the well-established tradition of the Etude-form, each composition has been designed to serve both as a stand-alone concert piece, and as a musi- cal challenge to a performer’s technical ability. More specifically, each composi- tion focuses on a particular technical problem for the player: broken arpeggios in Etude I and VI, octaves in Etude III, swift harmonic changes in different inver- sions in Etude II, broken chords in Etude V, and a study for the right hand’s speed in Etude IV.

The language that has emerged in the writing process has revealed to be the natu- ral outgrowth of the interest I developed through the years in writing for multiple pianos, where rhythm, as opposed to harmonic or melodic considerations, takes the main seat as the principal driver of the overall musical discourse.

Although each piece is a self-contained exploration, and can thus be performed individually in a concert program of a varied kind, the collection was designed to be best enjoyed when played in its entirety following the specified order.