Six songs without words – Set Twelve

Set 12, finished in the middle of June 2019 contains the following songs:

Song no.2 in E♭ major – Allegretto leggiero (listen using the link below)

Song no.3 in E minor – Gavotte. Moderato

Song no. 4 in G♯ minor – Andante con moto

Song no. 5 in B major – Lento tranquillo (listen using the link below)

This piece, written in June 2019 and recorded in May 2020, begins in simple and tranquil mood, with music suggestive of hymnody. It is therefore something of a surprise when the middle section introduces a more plaintive minor key mood and all the more so when this soon becomes a tango-flavoured passage. The final section revisits the opening tranquility, though not without echoes of the tango section in a couple of melodic shapes, and the ending is hushed.

Song no. 6 in C minor – Alla Marcia

The opening piece of this set is fast-flowing and has a somewhat brooding quality. It is followed by a rather playful waltz with the melody first appearing in the left hand. Piece Three is largely in the manner of a pastiche-gavotte, though not without some fun cross-rhythms and piquant harmony. For Piece Four I indulged in some metrical fun and games. It is in sonata form – the first subject has five triplet beats per bar, whilst the second subject has three quintuplet beats per bar. The pianist may be pleased that the following piece begins in simple and tranquil mood. It is then something of a surprise when the music turns more tangoid. It does however, end peacefully. The final piece of the set follows the template of the Baroque French Overture.