Nocturnal Sketches =
first nights in a new place
for solo piano
Steven Naylor, piano. Performed in Indiana University’s Ford Hall as part of the Landscapes, Nocturnes, & Ritual Songs concert on February 13th.
Nocturnal Sketches (2025) Program Notes
This suite of short pieces explores the excitement of arriving in a new place. Sketched over my first month in Indiana, they stem from late-night improvisations at my dorm-room keyboard.
Movements
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That feeling when you have a thousand fresh memories that, for no reason in particular, must be processed before tomorrow.
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My dorm-mate was feeling stressed and I played a version of this to help him relax.
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Counting sheep and falling asleep means at some point you are counting sheep in your dreams. Dreams warp space, reminding me of non-euclydian geometry. The space of these chords also warps as specific notes take hold and others recede into the background.
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Mornings bring light and bustle, but sometimes also a little dread or butterflies in the stomach. The anxious night hasn’t receded from memory just yet.