Piano Solo -
Easy-Intermediate
SKU:
FP.FBS03
Composed by
Sarah Baker. Sheet Music
and Books. Nine pieces
on a day time theme
for solo piano, by Sarah
Baker. Suggested grade
4-5. Classical.
Collection. Forsyths
Publications #FBS03.
Published by Forsyths
Publications (FP.FBS03).
ISBN
9790570500192.
Sara
h Baker is Vocal Composer
in Residence at Education
Music Services, an ABRSM
examiner and a well known
composer of songs and
musicals for primary
schools and massed-choral
events.
All this
experience has come
together in the creation
of this album of piano
pieces, inspired by
growing up in the
Chiltern Hills. Suitable
for players of around
grade 4-5 standard, her
evocative sound pieces
describe a crash-landing
hot air balloon, garden
invading cows and a even
a snake in a
pond!
Air
Balloon!: One vivid
memory I have as a child
is of the day that a hot
air balloon passed over
our house and made an
emergency landing on the
road in front! The sound
of the gas being blown
into the balloon to try
to keep it high enough to
pass the house sounded so
loud and intimidating,
and then there was the
bustle of the neighbours
as we all went out into
the street to watch. It
was both terrifying and
exhilarating to watch the
balloon float past and
then land so near
by.
Buzzards
Circling: There is
something so calming and
restful about watching
birds of prey circling in
the thermal currents of a
summer sky. Growing up in
the Chilterns gave me
plenty of opportunity to
watch buzzards and red
kites. This piano solo
captures the beauty of
their flight as they
glide so effortlessly
through the
air.
There’
s A Cow In The Garden
Eating The Flowers:
Inspired by the memory of
seeing an unexpected cow
in the garden! This
surreal image is captured
in a quirky waltz, as I
portray both the
absurdity of the moment
and the sense of wonder I
felt as a child, looking
out of the window and
seeing the cow walking
round and eating the
flowers. The final phrase
articulates my longing:
‘I wish it would
come
again’.
Wat
ching The World Go By: A
short, reflective piece,
remembering what it was
like to have time to just
sit and watch the world
go by from my bedroom
window.
Autumn
Skies: A miniature about
the beauty of Autumn
skies and the poignant
sense of loss for a
summer gone. Friends I
was fortunate to have
several children of my
own age living close by.
We seemed to be forever
making dens, playing out
in the street and
generally enjoying each
other’s company.
This piece reflects that
sense of
well-being.
Snake
In The Pond: One hot
summer I was astonished
and scared to see a grass
snake cooling off in our
garden pond! I watched,
both horrified and
fascinated, as it rose up
from the depths and then
disappeared again. Here I
portray the sense of the
hazy summer afternoon as
I peacefully watched the
tiny movements of fish in
the pond, contrasted with
the fear and excitement
of seeing the snake
appear.
Morning
Commute: I recollect many
mornings stuck in traffic
as my Dad took me to
school on his way to
work. There is one main
road out of the village
where I grew up, and that
got more and more
congested the closer we
got to the town. We may
not have chatted a lot,
but it was always good to
be together with my Dad,
lost in our own
thoughts.
The
Witch’s Cottage:
My siblings and I had a
fascination with a small
cottage nearby. It was
set back from the road in
a dark part of the woods
and we called it 'the
witch's cottage’.
Every time we passed, I
imagined I heard the
distant cackle of the
witch and wished I could
catch a glimpse of
her.
These pieces
are written to complement
my other collection,
Night Time Impressions,
which also draw on
childhood recollections,
particularly of the woods
behind the house where I
grew up. - Sarah Baker
2023.
