Piano

CELESTIAL VISIONS for solo piano by Howard J. Buss. This colorful composition consists of 3 contrasting sections. The first is characterized by vibrant tone clusters and powerful exclamations juxtaposed with gentle harmonics and delicate arpeggiated figurations. The beautiful, lyrical central section gives way to a lilting 12-tone toccata. Learn More

Island of Enchantment “5 Vignettes from Puerto Rico” for Flute, Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon and Piano by Howard J. Buss was written during the summer of 2022 for cCarinetist Kathleen Jones and the 40th Anniversary of Camerata Caribe of San Juan Puerto Rico. An English Horn may be used as a substitute for the Horn. Camerata Caribe premiered the work on February 5 2023 in San Juan Puerto Rico. The five movements with their respective durations are:

I. Sunrise Paints the Land (2’16”)

II. To the Shore “Arecibo” (2’10”)

III. Glowing Water “La Parguera” (2’14”)

IV. The Rain Forest “El Yunque” (2’10”)

V. Mongoosian Intrigues (2’35”)

 

Duration: 11’25” (without pauses)

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La Sonata modello “The Template Sonata” for solo piano by Howard J. Buss is dedicated to pianist James Helton. The music traverses a wide rage of moods and sonic atmospheres. The composer designed a template of meter changes derived from the numerical series in mathematics codified by the medieval Italian mathematician, Leonardo Fibonacci. In this adaptation of the Fibonacci sequence each number represents a quarter note and is expressed in the succession of meters 4/4, 3/4, 5/4, 4/4, 4/4, 5/4, 3/4, 5/4, 4/4, 4/4, 4/4, 4/4, and 5/4. This series of measures is repeated throughout the work. While each 13-bar segment implies that the music fits into a particular metrical scheme, the composer exerts independence in a variety of ways, such as with phrasing that sometimes ignores the underlying structure. Buss states: “This metrical template was at times useful, but often seemed arbitrary and counter to the thrust and development of the musical material. My challenge was to find a way to work with the template while using its rigidity to spark creative solutions. Although the music evolves within the template, my ultimate goal was that the listener be unaware of the structural underpinnings and simply enjoy the beauty of the music.” Learn More

Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, and Piano; Dedicated to Dr. Barry McGinnis.

I. Evening Zephyrs (2’20”)

II. Midnight Musings (2’12”)

III. Venturing Out (3’26”)

IV. Sounds from the Blue Door (2’45”)

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Sonatina of Remembrance for Oboe and Piano is dedicated to oboist, Dr. Henry Grabb. It is tribute to the memory of the victims of Covid-19. This composition was written during 2021 and 2022 at a time when the world was being ravaged by the pandemic. It received its world premier on October 8, 2023 at West Chester University of Pennsylvania by Dr. Grabb and pianist, Lotus Cheng.

1. Remembering You (2’24”)
2. Pensive Interlude (2’)
3. To a Departed Friend  (2’42”)
4. Hope Endures (2’40”)

 

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TOCCATA AND RETRO-INVENTION for solo piano by Howard J. Buss is dedicated to University of Arizona piano professor, Dr. Rex Woods. The titles of the two movements of this composition form a kinship with the toccatas and inventions of the Baroque era, but with a modern twist. They capture the spirit of the earlier forms, rather than the actual compositional procedures. Learn More

Twilight Reverie for solo piano by Howard J. Buss was written for Dr. Sarah Masterson during the early months of 2022. She premiered it on September 21, 2023 in the Wiles Chapel at Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina.

Duration: 7’15”

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