Whimsy & Wonder features ten delightfully macabre solos for intermediates composed by Stacy Fahrion. These quirky, neoclassical twists on favorite nursery rhymes will delight pianists of all ages who are looking for unique performance pieces.
Double Trouble is a book of unique duets by Stacy Fahrion. This book gives pianists opportunities to experiment with blues improvisation and extended techniques. It includes showy pieces in odd meters, several wild boogies, a melancholy lyrical waltz, and, of course, a tarantella that has Itsy Bitsy Spider surreptitiously woven into it. Most of the pieces are based in minor keys, modal, or use the double harmonic major scale.
These Are Odd Times, by Stacy Fahrion, is a whimsically macabre collection of solos composed in odd meters. Rife with less common meters, shifting time signatures, and intricate contrapuntal textures, this collection provides a rewarding challenge for late-intermediate and advanced pianists.
Long-Legged Spinners is a whimsically macabre solo composed by Stacy Fahrion. This solo is ideal for intermediates of all ages and is part of the Lullabies for Arachnophobes songbook.
Boogie-Man Blues is a jazzy jaunt in A minor composed by Stacy Fahrion. This swinging showcase solo is ideal for intermediates.
This ethereal piece by Stacy Fahrion quietly subverts the meaning of the famous poem by Lord Byron. Ideal for intermediates of all ages.
Spirit House is a delightfully spooky solo for intermediates composed by Ron Levy. Great for the Halloween season or anytime a spooky mood strikes!
Mystery and uncertainty are just around the corner with this minor key solo by Ryan Chesser. This piece is great for teaching artistic expression and balance between hands. Your moody teenage students will love this expressive showcase solo!
Fading into Twilight is a mysterious, minor key, contemporary lyrical solo that will be a hit with intermediates of all ages. Part of the Dreamweaver songbook. This piece has been selected for the NFMC Festivals Bulletin, 2020-2024.
J.S. Bach’s iconic Toccata in D minor arranged for intermediate piano solo by Jennifer Eklund. Part of the Piano Pronto: Encore method book.
In the Hall of the Mountain King arranged as a fast and flashy showcase duet for intermediates by Jennifer Eklund.
A Wise Old Owl is inspired by a nursery rhyme of the same title and set here as a whimsically macabre solo for intermediates by Stacy Fahrion. If you’re playing on a grand piano, before beginning the piece you can silently depress the low F octave and sustain it throughout with the sostenuto pedal for an added mysterious effect. This is an optional effect, and the piece still works well without it. The damper pedal is often left down for extended periods of time as well for a swirling effect.
Silent Slumber is an introspective contemporary lyrical solo by Ryan Chesser. This selection, graded for intermediates, will be a lovely performance selection for pianists of all ages.
The Exquisite Melancholy of Everything Left Unuttered is a delicate waltz in E minor composed by Stacy Fahrion. There is an optional cut notated in the score to accommodate students at a lower intermediate level.
Falling Slowly is a whimsically macabre lyrical solo composed by Stacy Fahrion. This solo is ideal for intermediates of all ages and is part of the These Are Odd Times songbook.
This is the first “Whimsically Macabre” composition Stacy Fahrion wrote, back in 2012. It begins with a quote from Chopin’s Winter Wind Etude, then segues into hints of a slightly menacing version of Do You Know the Muffin Man.
A hair-raising, haunting tarantella by Stacy Fahrion with an abundance of crunchy minor 2nds and a slower, nostalgic middle section.
Wistful Waltz, composed by Stacy Fahrion, is a mysterious, Chopin-esque waltz with a very un-Chopin-like modal middle section and an abundance of tritones. Ideal for early advanced level pianists of all ages.
This is a twinkly little whimsical piece in which composer Stacy Fahrion combines Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with Row Row Row Your Boat. This whimsically macabre showcase solo will delight intermediates of all ages!
Composer Stacy Fahrion transforms A Tisket, A Tasket and part of My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean into a whimsically melancholy statement about the pain and inevitability of loss. On the Way I Lost It is ideal for intermediates of all ages.
Waltz for a Six-Legged Octopus by Stacy Fahrion begins whirling gently in 6/8 time, but the real hexapus waltzing starts when the piece shifts to 9/8. This waltz, ideal for intermediates, is for anyone who has ever felt like they’re missing something that everyone else has.
Nice Little Monster is a bluesy piece by Stacy Fahrion about a creature that is tired of being called a little monster. Ideal for intermediates of all ages.
Tarantella is a virtuosic, spellbinding piece for advanced pianists composed by Stacy Fahrion. The time signature is 6/8, although one of the recurring left hand patterns is in 7/8. In the recording, the piano is deliberately detuned, intensifying the dissonances of the double harmonic major scale by lowering the minor 2nd and minor 6th slightly, and raising the major 3rd and major 7th slightly. The percussion sounds are created by placing a tambourine on the bass strings of the piano. Detuning your piano and tossing a tambourine in it is entirely optional, although the composer encourages it.