solo piano
(2010)
4' 45"

commissioned for pianist Camille Chitwood by Cameron Mozee-Baum

About the piece:
For Camille was commissioned by Cameron Mozee-Baum for pianist Camille Chitwood. Ms. Chitwood has three fingers on each hand, instead of five. While she is able to play much of the standard piano repertoire, Cameron wanted me to write a piece for her that was specifically written with her hands in mind. At first a little unsure of how to proceed, I ended up working mostly at the piano, with my fourth and fifth fingers tucked under, to roughly approximate the span of Ms. Chitwood's hands. Though this felt awkward at first, it gradually became more comfortable, and the unusual physical sensation of playing in this way felt surprisingly liberating. I felt creative, unencumbered by many of the pianistic stereotypes that had been engrained in my hands through many years of playing classical repertory. Armed with this new sense of physicality, my hands worked along with my ears to guide me as I was writing. The resulting pointillistic texture, is carried through alternating sections of bold vigor and meditation. For Camille is about four and a half minutes long.