Composer: Christopher Goldston
Series: Original Solos
Instrumentation: Piano Solo
Level: Early Intermediate
Key: D minor
Time Signature: 3/4
Style/Character: Somber, Mysterious
Concepts: Hand crossing, pedal, scales, cantabile
Page Count: Music 3, Total 4
Printing Suggestion: Booklet on tabloid paper, double-sided
Released: 2022
Additional Info: Based on the Dies Irae, this expressive piece would be good for a musical student, or to play on a Halloween recital.  The Dies Irae is a famous chant melody from the requiem mass (mass for the dead).  It has been widely used in music, especially during the Romantic period by composers including Franz Liszt, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Hector Berlioz.  Film composer Danny Elfman used it in his score for The Nightmare before Christmas.  Listen for this melodic figure in TV shows, commercials, and movie soundtracks.

The production of this title is partially funded by a part-time faculty development grant from Columbia College Chicago.