Harry Stafylakis
In Memory
for Solo Piano
PERUSALSCORE
Harry Stafylakis
In Memory
for Solo Piano
PERUSALSCORE
Published by Just a Theory Press, L.L.C. www.justatheorypress.com
In Memory Copyright © 2011 Haralabos Stafylakis & Staves Obsidian, All Rights Reserved. (ASCAP for the USA, SOCAN for the World).
Program note Copyright © 2011 Haralabos Stafylakis. All Rights Reserved. For more information, visit www.hstafylakis.com
First printing of this edition, January 2021
Program Note:
“Time and memory are true artists; they remould reality nearer to the heart’s desire.”
John Dewey
The fragility of memory is an interesting thing. In the process of encoding, storing, and retrieving information, our brains engage in an active process of construction that is vulnerable to distortion and manipulation - especially where emotions are involved.
In Memory is a diptych in which I explore two distinct musical memories: listening as a child to my grandfather practicing his instrument; and myself as a young man playing through Bach’s Goldberg Variations during my first summer in Paris.
In Âge d’or (“Golden Age”), the main melodic motive of this piece is derived from my grandfather’s name using the soggetto cavato dalle vocali technique that was developed by Josquin des Prez (and coined by Zarlino). The resulting theme - A G# E D - also is the inspiration for the title of the piece, an appropriate term for these sepia-toned memories.
A Goldberg Variation, as the title implies, is a variation on the Aria from J. S. Bach’s iconic work, in my own style and syntax. Rather than studying the original closely, I composed the piece intuitively, allowing the naturally-occurring distortions of my memory of the aria to embed themselves in the musical flow.
Duration: ca. 6 minutes
PERUSALSCORE
—Harry Stafylakis 2011
II. A Goldberg Variation
f bright, with clear articulation
Allegro spiritoso ( q = 180 ) dry, no P
p dark, murmuring cresc. poco a poco
PERUSALSCORE
PERUSALSCORE
PERUSALSCORE
