Fantasy on a Bb Blues (theme and
eight choruses)
[Very difficult; c.8:15]
This piano piece was revised in 1996 and performed by a very talented colleague,
Laurel Brettell, at my retirement concert. It is based on a shortened blues
chord progression (for those familiar: I-IV-I-V-IV-I, all ninth chords).
These five-note chords appear throughout at different levels of clarity and
are pitted against the remaining seven notes of the chromatic scale. A static,
almost impressionistic quality is contrasted with driving, energetic passages
in a series of conjoined sections. In short, a blues piece or jazz tune is
not to be expected, only the occasional appearance of blues chords.