Sleeper (piano solo)

Here's the AI description: Commissioned by Stephen De Pledge for his programme 'Landscape Preludes' and premiered at the 2008

New Zealand International Arts Festival, Sleeper is a short, calm work built on minimalism. The opening measures contain a two-note

ostinato pattern that forms a static harmonic base from which the work unfolds. A sense of momentum and subsequent departure

emerges from the ‘voice-like’ notes, which gracefully evolve into scalic melodies, steering the dynamic and registral development

of the piece, and generating a pulse. Lyrical, child-like melodic gestures evoke a sense of exploration and discovery.

Here's mine: I was just about to start writing this piece, having thought about how to respond to the 'landscape' brief, with some

ideas in mind. Then, in between the teaching of two university lectures, the phone in my office rang. It was one of my dearest friends

telling me the impossible news that his young son had suddenly died, on a train platform in London, while traveling with his mother.

My friend said "I need you brother". I drove over the Rimutakas to Masterton to do whatever little (impossibly little) I could to comfort

and be there for my inconsolable friend. Young Fergus, who died so unexpectedly, was a train enthusiast. This piece wrapped itself

around the memory of his beautiful energy and spirit, and his affinity with trains and train travel. The alternating notes that go through

the whole piece evoke the feeling of gentle rocking one can experience on trains. And the use of the pedal to subtly blur then clear

textures was a way of evoking (for me) the holding one's breath (the blur), and then releasing it (clearing the sustain).

Now that I write this (in 2026) I recall there was a harmonic idea of moving in steps of 3rds through major chords - but missing the

octave so the harmony is constantly stepping up.

The two available symmetrical options with 3rds movement are: 

(1) minor 3rds: E - G - Bb - C# - E or

(2) Major 3rds: E - G# - C - E

I did this (minor 3rd + minor 3rd + major 3rd):

E - G - Bb - D

(D) - F - Ab - C

(C) - Eb - Gb - Bb etc.

So it falls a step everytime it approachs the octave.

Resources

‍RESEARCHERS: EXPLORE SLEEPER SOLO PIANO AT THE ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY