The Music Box (extract Lifecycle) op.489n (1996)

Published by: Highbridge Music Ltd
Commissioned by: Peter Medak
Instrumentation: Piano
[Key to Abbreviations]
Duration: 4:48
Instrumental / piano score for sale

'The Music Box' is available singly as a 4-page booklet from Highbridge Music Ltd or by enquiry to anna@annamenzies.com

'The Music Box' is also one of the pieces in 'Lifeycle' a collection of 24 piano pieces by Howard Blake available as a book, by enquiry to anna@annamenzies.com

Recorded by William Chen as one of the items on 'Lifecycle' ABC Classics. Available from Amazon

Notes

Note by the composer: The cinema feature film 'The Changeling' was made in 1979 in Vancouver, Canada, produced by Joel Michaels and  directed by Peter Medak. The plot of the film was that a bereaved concert pianist (played by George C.Scott) moves into a haunted house and finds an old music box in the attic. He becomes obsessed with the tune it plays and feels compelled to play it himself on the piano and develop it into a concert work. I was asked by Peter Medak if I could compose such a theme and subsequently wrote and recorded it at Advision, London, first simply on a celeste (like a music box) and then as a complete concert piano work. It was Peter's intention for me to write the background score as well, but, due to employment regulations this assignment was given to Canadians Kenn Wannberg and Rick Wilkins. In 1996 I decided to include the piece in my piano collection 'Lifecycle' (op.489) which was recorded by pianist William Chen on ABC Classics in 2003. It is in F Major and is a popular piano piece for Grade 7 - 8 piano players.

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