Concerto for Piano Duet
Abstract
My Concerto for Piano Duet (ca. 23 minute duration) was born out of my passion for the concerto medium and my love of piano performance. It is composed in eleven miniature movements, joined thematically by use of the 0-3-4 motive. In addition to the solo piano duettists, a number of movements include obligato soloists from various sections of the orchestra. My musical aesthetic in this composition features expressive melodies and horizontal/linear writing with a predilection for harmonic outcomes resulting from independent lines in counterpoint with each other. I chose the piano duet instead of piano solo due to lack of substantial piano duet concerto literature composed to date. In the written portion of my dissertation, I briefly explore the history of the piano duet medium and highlight some reasons why there has been a lack of interest in composing piano duet concerti. I include a list of all known piano duet concerti in my appendices.