Sheet Music by John Pitts

Title

Instr.

Length (mins)

Other Information

Pipa Dreams in Imperial Garden (2018)

Piano Solo

6-7

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£7.99 + P&P

Pipa Dreams in Imperial Garden (2018) for solo piano, is an attempt to capture something of the essence of the Chinese lute. The pipa is a strummed and plucked, pear-shaped instrument, with four strings (typically tuned A D E A), characteristically using frequent fast tremolo with all of the right fingers repeatedly plucking a single string. It also uses much dramatic vibrato and wide portamento – sadly unavailable to us pianists. But, like the piano, the pipa is a very expressive instrument, and this piano piece aims to capture some of its distinctive gestures and idiosyncrasies. 6-7 minutes. Advanced.

Indian Rāgas for Piano Made Easy (2018,2020)

Piano Solo

Order the book https://pianoraag.wordpress.com/indian-raags-for-piano-made-easy or https://www.amazon.co.uk/Indian-R-C4-81gas-Piano-Made-Easy-dp-1659067251/dp/1659067251 or https://www.amazon.com/Indian-R-C4-81gas-Piano-Made-Easy-dp-1659067251/dp/1659067251 or https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/john-pitts/indian-r%C4%81gas-for-piano-made-easy/paperback/product-njgwgn.html or https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/indian-r-gas-for-piano-made-easy-2020-edition-digital-sheet-music/20687925?ac=1 download.

Second Edition Published January 2020 (First edition 9Jan2018), Intensely Pleasant Music

This book is a collection of eight Indian rāgas, re-imagined for piano, and simplified for fledgling pianists (both children and adults). The purpose is to provide an introductory experience of classical Indian music-making in an easy, hands-on way at a piano, offering a very accessible first encounter with improvisation. It is designed for near-beginners (pre-grade 1) through to early intermediate players, and can be used as a stepping stone to the much bigger volume for more advanced pianists: How to Play Indian Sitar Rāgas on a Piano (Intensely Pleasant Music, 2016/2020). Accompanying mp3s at www.pianoraga.com

How to Play Indian Sitar Rāgas on a Piano (2016,2020)

www.pianoraga.com

Piano Solo

(or duet / duo - the book contains instructions on how to play with two pianists on one or two pianos)

hours and hours

Order the book www.pianoraga.com or https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/john-pitts/how-to-play-indian-sitar-r%C4%81gas-on-a-piano-coil-bound/paperback/product-njvv7e.html coil-bound, or https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/how-to-play-indian-sitar-r-gas-on-a-piano-2020-edition-digital-sheet-music/21814230 download, or https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08DBVQZK8 perfect-bound or https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DBVQZK8

Learn to play North Indian classical sitar music on a piano. 2nd edition – fully revised 2020 (first published 2016). Indian rāgas (or raags) have an extraordinary musical heritage dating back several centuries (from the area that is now India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) – a truly unique musical genre of fascinating melodic beauty and rhythmic intricacy – freely combining elaborate composed melodies with carefully rehearsed improvisation. This rich and intriguing music is traditionally performed on sitar – or instruments such as the sarangi, sarod, esraj or voice – and has previously been generally unavailable to pianists. But now the amazing world of Indian rāgas has been opened up in this sympathetic but thorough reinvention for piano solo (or duet or two pianos) by an award-winning British composer (www.johnpitts.co.uk). This collection of 24 rāgas will be enjoyed by good amateur pianists through to virtuosic professionals. It is suitable for any pianist who enjoys discovering new music, or who has an interest in music from other cultures, or who knows the pleasure of jazz noodling and wants to explore a rewarding and fresh (but centuries-old) form of improvisation.

Includes rāgas: Kalyāni “Bliss”, Hēmavati “Golden Mountain Stream”, Latāngi “Little Girl”, Desh “Sweeping Landscape”, Vāchaspati “Wise Old Man”, Gezellish “Gazelle”, Kalavati “Moonlight”, Bāgeśrī “The Waiting Bride”, Neenda “Sleep”, Paraj “Pollen on the Breeze”, Lalit “Elegant Mischief”, Jogiya Kalingra “Aroma of Saffron”, Chakravāk “Ruddy Goose”, Kofi “Intense Coffee”, Suraja “Morning Sun”, Bilaskhani Toḍī “Mourning”, Āsāvarī “Full of Hope”, Toḍī “Lady in the Forest”, Gaud-Sarang “Lunchtime Bell”, Madhuvanti “Flowing with honey”, Patdeep “Stealing my heart”, Chārukēsi “Beautiful Hair”, Pūrvī “From the East”, & Puriya “Satisfaction”. Read more here...

Read extensive reviews of the 1^st edition here: www.pianoraga.com

“a fascinating and unique product!” Christopher Norton, Composer

“bursting with information, ideas, and advice… truly monumental… a lot of fun” Dr Gail Fischler, Piano Bench Mag

“fascinating” Dr Angela Miller-Niles, American Music Teacher Magazine

“endlessly fascinating” Allan Cronin, NewMusicBuff

“…I strongly recommend the book to pianists with an eye and an ear to the East…” Dr Jonathan Katz, International Piano Magazine

“If you have any interest in this esoteric arena… I can’t imagine a better primer than this.” Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb-International

“a very well produced and informative book” Robert Matthew-Walker, Editor, ‘Musical Opinion’

5 stars “This is a great book.” Dr Mark Polishook

7 Piano Duets & Triets (2016)

Piano Duet

and

Piano Triet

40+

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£18.99 + P&P

A collection of seven piano duets and triets, with an international theme. Written between 1995 and 2015 for performers in UK, France and Denmark. They have the connecting thread of each being inspired by music of a different country. Four of the pieces have roots in traditional music – Indonesian gamelan, North Indian sitar raags, African balaphon ensembles, and British folksong – and the other three were inspired by German organ music (J.S.Bach), American minimalism and Spanish waltz (although it doesn’t sound like it!). Between them, they have been performed in festivals, concerts and international piano duo competitions in UK, Spain, France, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Estonia, Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Australia and USA. Most of the pieces are cheerful, vibrantly rhythmic and highly energetic, as well as requiring considerable dexterity.

Changes for 20 nifty fingers (duet)

Passacaglia (duet)

Raag Gezellig (duet)

Joyful Balaphony (duet)

Glittering Gamelan (duet)

Are You Going? (triet)

Experiencing High Volumes (triet)

2016 Edition.

Scene from Gaelic Faram

(Jig in Kiev)

2 pianos

(without percussion)

Order the set of both parts (printed sheet music)

£10.00 + P&P

Scene from Gaelic Faram (Jig in Kiev) is a 6-minute, note-filled, virtuosic piece inspired by British folksong, and includes adaptations of the Dargason jig and the reel Mary Mack, and starts with an attempt to capture some of the ornamented and decorated melody lines typical of Scottish bagpipes. The full 16-minute piece Gaelic Faram (Jig in Kiev) for 2 pianos and 2 percussionists was composed for the Kiev Piano Duo (Oleksandra Zaytseva and Dmytro Tavanets) for the Kiev “Chamber Music Session” Festival 2012. This new arrangement of a 6-minute scene from it, just for 2 pianos, was made in 2016 for the Australian Piano Duo (Vicky Yang & Maggie Chen).

Gaelic Faram

(Jig in Kiev)

2 pianos and 2 percussionists

Order the full set of 4 parts (printed sheet music)

£16.00 + P&P

Composed for the Kiev Piano Duo (Oleksandra Zaytseva & Dmytro Tavanets) for the Kiev “Chamber Music Session” Festival 2012. Designed as a companion piece for Bartok’s famous Sonata for 2 pianos and percussion. It is a virtuosic piece, lasting c.16 minutes, inspired by British folksong, and includes adaptations of the Dargason jig and the reel Mary Mack, and starts with an attempt to capture some of the ornamented and decorated melody lines typical of Scottish bagpipes. Fully revised 2016.

An Autumn Evening

Piano

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£6.95 + P&P

Please note delivery info above.

"An Autumn Evening" is a tranquil, relaxing, minimalistic piece for piano players of an intermediate standard (approximately grades 5-6). Easy listening.

[25 pages]

1. Leaves Blowing Around the Park view mvmt1

2. Light Filtering Through the Trees at Dusk view mvmt2

3. Ripples in the Fountain view mvmt3

video mvmt1

mp3 mvmt1

A Winter Night

Piano

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£5.95 + P&P

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"A Winter Night" is a tranquil, relaxing, minimalistic piece for piano players of an intermediate standard (approximately grades 4-5). Easy listening.

[15 pages]

1. First Hints of Snow in the Meadow

2. Icy Pond

3. Melting Stream

complete video

video mvmt1

video mvmt2

video mvmt3

complete view score

Each of the three movements is also available to download individually:

view mvmt1

view mvmt2

view mvmt3

7 Airs & Fantasias

Piano

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£11.95 + P&P

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A collection of 7 Airs & Fantasias for solo piano, composed between 1992 and 2007. The 7 airs are essentially melody-dominated, and the 7 fantasias are pieces in free form with a minimalistic use of repeated and rotating patterns.

[79 pages]

Released on CD - see www.hyperion-records.co.uk/ol.asp?ol=5 for further info.

View scores of individual pieces by clicking on the separate links below.

Individual scores can be printed online.

Toccata

Piano

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£7.95 + P&P

Please note delivery info above.

TOCCATA for piano is a tour de force of driving energy, based on a few simple cells of musical material explored and developed over a ten minute period: technically demanding, mentally strenuous, the music's energy is regulated until the final release in the last section, where use is made of the entire range of the keyboard, all the thematic fragments converge, and uninterrupted momentum is achieved. Toccata is a concert show-piece for accomplished players (grade 8 and beyond).

[29 pages]