Chromatography

Composer's note

When I started writing this piano etude, my initial idea was to look at the sound of the instrument through a perspective of colour. Broadly speaking, the title Chromatography translates as colour writing, or colour drawing (χρώμα + γραφικά). On the assumption that colour is a frequency, we can equally regard musical parameters, such as harmony, timbre, register, pulse, etc. as frequency – a variation of a pulse. Throughout the piece, there are indirect references to the great tradition of piano repertoire, spanning over two hundred centuries: Liszt, Chopin, Debussy, Ligeti, Nancarrow... From the free-flowing lines to shimmering Ravel-Esque textures, this Etude invites on a journey across the whole colouristic landscape of the piano, despite its uniquely unified timbre. This etude is dedicated to American pianist George Fu as part of his piano etudes project.