Description

Études for solo piano by John Beckwith    Dur: 16′

Premiered by Jane Coop

“What had always fascinated me about the étude genre was the concept of deriving musical expression from the physical actions involved in playing.” (the composer).

Perceptive listeners will be intuitively aware of both great complexity and an underlying powerful sense of coherence in Beckwith’s Études…it is one of the twentieth-century masterpieces of the genre. (Gail Dixon from her analytical article Taking a Stand: Essays in Honour of John Beckwith.)

Piano Score

View score excerpts

Listen – Mov’t 1 Opposed Sonorities

Listen – Mov’t 2 – Repeated Notes and Octaves

Listen – Mov’t 3 – Glides

Listen – Mov’t 4 – Opposed Sonorities II

Listen – Mov’t 5 – Harp

Listen – Mov’t 6 – Clusters and Chords