It’s my birthday today — and instead of having a wild party or a celebrating a massive achievement what I did today was make a commitment.  A commitment to release old works, secret works, parts of myself I know, but don’t share. To release at least one a week in a project called ‘Re-DHC’ – release, reveal, re-open.

I tried to start with what would be easiest to share, though it turned out to be a little trickier than I thought.

This piece is called the 7AM Sonata.  I wrote it – probably around 1981 –  to play with my friend, Bob Stanley, at that time a clarinetist and now, I think Bob may be teaching Chemistry at Temple University. Bob was my boyfriend in college.  We met in the orchestra but we connected because I loved hearing Bob talk about physics.

I fell in love with Bob one night sitting on a bench on the Berkeley campus at twilight just after he told me something about the universe made my head explode. I can’t remember what it was. A year or so later, we were out of love and each romancing the other’s roommate  – and by the time we played this piece we were just good friends who loved playing music together.

I think I knew, even then, that music remains even when romance fades.   

This is called the 7AM Sonata because that was my favorite time of day.

(I’m adding the movements one day at a time so refresh your screen to see if the next movement has been added)

Movement 1

Interlude #1

Movement 2 

This movement starts slowly and then at 1:39 it turns into a waltz – one of the most romantic and playful  of musical feels

Interlude #2

Movement 3 

I think this might be my favorite movement – just because it’s fun, and fast.  

I was thinking I like the 3rd movement the best, because it’s fast and fun. But then I thought … ‘well, then there’s the waltz’ and then I realized, really … honestly … I love them all.

And that’s just the truth.  I really love this little piece, and I’m so happy to be sharing it.

Thanks to Lisa Coursey Szwec for this video of her cat, Steve, engaging with the 7AM Sonata.

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