Ancient Voices

It is interesting to note the different ethnic flavors present in piano compositions. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to call these inspirations musical history. Ancient Voices is just such a piece. One does not think of the piano itself as having a particular ethnicity except that it's ancestors are the pianoforte of European origin and much earlier the harp and then the hammer dulcimer. The piano itself is an ancient voice. I know that all instruments have a range of personality that can be evoked by the way they are played and I may be partial because the piano is my instrument of choice. But I tend to think the piano has the widest range of expression in portraying cultural energy. When I started playing the piano at about age five technical skills were important but maturity brings other things to music and your life seeps into your music as much as music seeps into your life. I can't say exactly when my background of growing up in the Denver Colorado area, which is a large part of my personal history, started coming through in my music. Even my ancestral heritage comes through in some of my compositions. Much of music is voices from the past.