Nancy Litten | Piano Books - nancylitten.com

These Sweet Days

These Sweet Days presents an attractive album of 10 piano pieces in minimalist style, inspired by poetry. The music is approximately grades 6-8 / Advanced Intermediate to Advanced.

Contents
Be my love in the rain from ‘A Line-Storm Song’ by Robert Frost (1874-1963)
Live i’ the sun from ‘As You Like It’ by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Show me a hero from ‘The Crack Up’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)
These sweet days from ‘One of Us Two’ by Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919)
Farewell goes out sighing from ‘Trolius and Cressida’ by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
The long black land from ‘Meeting at Night’ by Robert Browning (1812-1889)
The last ride together from ‘The Last Ride Together’ by Robert Browning (1812-1889)
Home-born happiness from ‘The Winter Evening’ by William Cowper (1731-1800)
Dappled things from ‘Pied Beauty’ by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1899)
Laughter and the love of friends from ‘Celebratory Ode’ by Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953)

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Clifton Edition presents these 10 Grade 6-8 pieces by Nancy Litten that ever-enterprising composer, teacher, adjudicator and educator, inspired by great poems. It is inspiring to see attractive, contrasted and well-crafted piano pieces inspired by Shakespeare, Browning, Hopkins, Scott Fitzgerald and more. I love the poignant simplicity of Be my love in the rain, the melodic memorability of These Sweet Days, and the bucolic exuberance of Laughter and the love of Friends. Litten often has a wonderfully infectious musical twinkle in her eye, and I smiled when trying out her tribute number for Liberace, Show me a hero.
- Murray McLachlan in International Piano Magazine

There are approximate timings, metronome speeds, bar numbers and detailed pedalling in all the pieces. Chords have been carefully fingered. Each piece has a different technical feature ranging from L.H.-pedalled wide-span intervals, crossed hands, a complete piece in polyrhythms, a mixture of two and three staves, to a descending R.H. five- octave white key glissando. These are beautifully composed pieces and would make very suitable repertoire for competitive festival classes, recitals and student concerts or just learning and playing for pleasure for pianists of grades 6–8 Advanced Intermediate to Advanced standard.
- Melvin Cooper in Piano Professional Magazine

Nancy Litten is well-known in EPTA from her many appearances at conferences and her music compositions. This latest volume consists of 10 minimalist and characterful pieces inspired by great poets. This offers a new dimension to pianists who, it is hoped, will want to read the original poems to enhance their musical understanding and interpretation. Intermediate to Advanced pianists will certainly enjoy the wide range of musical character and moods throughout these appealing minimalist pieces.
- Nadia Lasserson in EPTA Piano Journal

As I played through these pieces, I breathed a happy sigh. Well-known pianist, teacher, educator, adjudicator, examiner and, of course, composer, Nancy Litten, has crafted 10 characterful pieces which will transport you to different worlds. Each with its own distinct character, they offer a varied repertoire which will both challenge and inspire. I particularly enjoyed the title piece, These sweet days, with its beautiful, undulating chordal opening. It is a deeply evocative piece and will touch the soul of pianist and listener alike. For its pure exuberance, I thoroughly enjoyed Show me a hero. Also a favourite was Farewell goes out sighing, a gorgeous lilting piece with a touch of jazz.
- David Barton from David Barton Music

Watch Nancy playing

- Dappled Things

- Laughter and the Love of Friends

- Show me a hero

- These Sweet Days

Julian Lambert: Be My Love in the Rain, Farewell goes out Sighing

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Piano Postcards

Twelve new recital piano pieces at intermediate level. The Introduction to modes, drones, and scales from different cultures will be ideal for ‘Music Around the World’ recitals. The contents page is followed by background information about each piece, as well as detailed playing tips.

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'The collection offers a very enjoyable journey, and I anticipate that these highly appealing pieces will be enthusiastically lapped up by children of all ages!'
- Andrew Eales, Pianodao

'The music is evocative of exotic, beautiful and intriguing places. As an international examiner for ABRSM Nancy has certainly had more than her fair share of travel over the years, so it is only natural that she would produce such a contrasted world of global imagination in her compositions.'
- Murray McLachlan (pianist, writer, recording artist and educator).