About this work: (This 2011 version has been superseded by the 2011 version, 2012 update. Please go to the updated version, which is accompanied by additional information.)
This is an improved version of the 1983 "First Love, in May" listed in my Compositions.
It is the third in a set of ten piano pieces first posted in the last quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009. The 2011 version has numerous small improvements to the score, the playback, and a few in the music itself. There are more and better fingering numbers and pedal markings.
This melodically rich piece begins with a catchy four-measure introductory passage, then, successively, a vigorous theme, a lyrical variant of that, a heart-throbbing transitional passage, a variant of the introductory passage leading to a new but complementary “May” theme, and a closing based on the first theme.
The recording here is that of the computer playback of the score, thus the sound quality is not as good as that of a real piano and the play is rather mechanical. All of the pieces in the set sound significantly better when played well on an acoustic piano – the more complex the piece, the more so.
The indicated duration (2 minutes, 39 seconds) is that of the computer playback.
The titles of the ten pieces are:
1. Mazurka March
2. Ballad
3. First Love, in May
4. Hispanic Rhapsody (Excerpt)
5. Hymn of Consolation
6. Nocturne
7. Spanish Sonatina
8. Variations on a Game
9. Venetian Cadence
10. Rondo Refrain (designed for improvisation between the “refrain” sections)
If the pieces are all played on one occasion, I recommend that they be played in the given order.
To help the pianist interpret the pieces, performance recommendations and options are placed in boxes on each of the scores.