Poem, by Jonathan Howard Katz

POEM (2023) by Jonathan Howard Katz

for solo piano

11 pages (score)

9 in. x 12 in. bound score

Program note:

Poem was written at the invitation of a colleague who was looking for music that evoked Scriabin. Given the vast changes in Scriabin’s musical language over his lifetime, I aimed not so much to imitate a style (except perhaps in a very general and imperfect sense) but rather to find some sense of the mystery, excitability, and emotional excess that characterize some of my favorite works of his. The title is a nod to Scriabin’s many piano works titled Poem, but not a reference to any one in particular. The time constraints on this creative process were unusual. I wrote the piece over about three days, practiced it for another two days, and gave a moderately accurate premiere on May 5, 2023, in New York City. Subsequent edits to prepare a serviceable score proved to require very few revisions, so the work largely remains the product of that three-day composition process.

This work is available for retail purchase from Theodore Front Musical Literature.
This work is available for institutional purchase from Harrassowitz (OttoEditions) and Theodore Front Musical Literature.
PDF score available here.

ISMN 979-0-800356-02-5