Fragment (solo piano)

This work was originally composed as a piano duet to commemorate the occasion of the retirement of my  first piano teacher, Peter Williams, and appropriately is one of the few of my earlier works suitable for performance by young players.

It is a simple and tranquil meditation in which gently pulsing chords provide hushed support to a delicate melody.

At the time of its composition, I was writing my double concerto for percussion, piano and orchestra, View from Olympus (PE073), and in mood and musical material, Fragment is related to the second movement of that work.

I subsequently added an optional 4th movement (in essence, a specific encore) to View from Olympus. This is the adaptation of Fragment for vibes and piano. Slightly shorter (I removed the 'recapitulation'), it works very well as a way to conclude the epic concerto in a softer, more resolved manner.

It has since also been arranged for Vibraphone and Marimba by percussionist Jeremy Fitzsimons, and Solo Piano by New Zealand pianist Dan Poynton.

In this picture are June Clifford, and Peter Williams. The two music teachers who shaped me more than anyone during my time as a young musician in Napier, Hawkes Bay. My parents tried me on piano lessons when I was younger, living in Taumarunui, but the teacher there (Mrs. Basset) quickly informed them they were wasting her time and their money.

When we arrived in Napier (I was 9 at the time), my sister Tania was working very hard at the piano progressing her ways through the grades to eventual diplomas. I would noodle at the instrument, no idea of what I was doing, and (I'm certain) creating a very tedious ambiénce in the house. But I was responding to sound in a very strong way, and definitely 'looking' for something. I eventually asked for lessons and my mother signed me up with my sister's teacher Peter Williams.

I learned something very important straight away, that I was supposed to practice. My response was to keep the noodling up, and when it came time to bike over to Peter's for a lesson, I would go and stand around the corner of our hosue until the time had passed, and then go home for breakfast. Peter quickly demonstrated his saint-like patience, and persevered with me.

I started to progress very quickly and by the time I was in 6th form/year 12 had already passed Grade 8 and was preparing for the first diploma. I was addicted to playing the piano. So much so that our parents eventually bought a house with a layout that put three walls between my room and theirs, and put the piano in my room. This, because I would play through the entire night and then go to school wrecked and fall asleep during classes there. The piano, really saved me during those challenging, immigrant-shaped and coming-of-age years.

Peter also taught music theory and I developed a huge fixation on this, wanting to know how it all worked. I eventually started going to the local polytechnic for advanced theory classes (also taught by Peter), after school. In my 5th and 6th forms it looked as though specialist music courses were not going to be offered at Napier Boys High School, so I was planned to move to another school where I could continue growing into the subject I loved so much. At the end of 4th form some friends and I organised an evenign concert and invited the public. A lot of people came and we must have done something impressive, because the Principal came to me after the concert (thankfully in front of my parents - who were a bit bemused by my music fixation at that time). The Principal came up to us and said no matter what, he would find a way to make School Certificate music (5th form - year 11) and University Entrance music (6th form - year 12) available to me in the next two years.

I didn't realise at the time what he had in mind (and what happened) was to taxi me and two other boys up to Napier Girls High School every day. I studied there with June Clifford, another icon of the Napier music scene. June has also coached me (well, endured me) in chamber music preparations for competitions. She kept asking me in rehearsals (in the nicest way) if I was sure I wanted to keep going with these chamber groups. I was adamant I wanted to continue. How could I not? I coudln't play the music, but there were girls in these groups.

So I have the rare distinction of being both an Old Boy and and Old Girl from those two schools in Napier.

I left high school a year early, after successfully auditioning for piano performance at Victoria University in Wellington. There I decided to try out composition as well. And now I'm writing this......

I owe a great deal to both Peter and June, and feel incredibly lucky at the timing of coinciding with both of them when they were at the height of their energy and activity as music teachers and presenters.

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