I felt a compulsion to say a little something about this piece. First, I recorded this most likely in July 2005, or possibly August 2005. Back in the day, the implement I used for a keyboard was a 49-key MIDI controller that included an option to transpose the keyboard down an octave, or up an octave. At any given point, my range options were from C2 (two octaves below middle C) to C6 (two octaves above middle C), from C1 to C5, or from C3 to C7. Couple that with the fact that I had chosen B major as my starting and ending key, an astute performer will notice that I often don’t use the lower octave “B” in the bass (B1). It is for the above reason, given that at that particular octave transposition, the lowest note I could do was a mere half-step higher. That said, I choose to give the performer freedom to include B1 in the left hand, particularly in the first measure, and also in measure 297. (Also other measures where appropriate.)
The other note I wish to address is the title. I was 20 years old when I improvised and notated this piece. The word “score” once was used to refer to a period of 20 years. Abraham Lincoln’s famous “Gettysburg Address” comes to mind. This piece, in many ways, is a reflection of how I saw my life to date at that age. Why did I choose that title? Let’s say that one common reason is the adage that “youth is wasted on the young.” We are much more likely to take life and life’s privileges for granted, and it’s only as we get older that wisdom begins to set in. As of this writing, I am now much closer to 40 than to 20, and I can happily say that, even without knowing how the last years before my 40th birthday will shape up, I’ve made much better use of my second 20 years than my first.
This track was created as a music file in Finale which uses Garritan instruments. Piano samples used in this recording are from the Garritan Authorized Steinway Library.
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