Looking back to childhood

    April, 24 1999 is the date that marked the first piece I have ever composed. I was only ten years old and had been taking piano lessons for almost four years. During my practice time, instead of working on the pieces I had been given to prepare, I would improvise. Upon one such improvisation, I decided it would be a good idea to actually write it down. So I did. As you can see from the photo, my engraving skills were little to be desired (all the stems are on the wrong side of the notehead). Regardless, I was proud of the little piece I wrote. 

    In the years surrounding, both before and after this little tune was written, my brothers and I would record ourselves being radio hosts, singing, etc., on our cassette recorder. Like most children, this was a regular pastime of ours. Fortunately enough, we were able to hang on to this priceless audio footage through these years and multiple moves. So, one day a few months back an idea came to me: what if I reuse that old melody of mine and incorporate some of the recordings of my childhood into the composition. This new piece, Reminiscence is the manifestation of this idea. This music from my childhood has lingered in the back of my mind and heart, and almost fourteen years later, it has resurfaced in the form of a new piece, combining the voice of my past with the voice of my present.