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a piece of heaven

october 10, 2024

Ever since I was in high school writing my earliest compositions, I've always been asked to write music with lyrics. I believe it's so that people can see what a classical composer like me would do when presented with the task of writing a normal song. I believe it's very fitting that my very first piece with lyrics is a love song, since writing about things that I love and appreciate seems to be a running theme with my music.

This is also my first successful attempt in a collaborative experience, as I wrote it with Vanessa Aagaard. Originally, I was going to use the opening piano part for a mixed ensemble composition, featuring piano, flute, and two vocalists. One day, however, I felt a strong sense of passion and urgency that led me to writing all the lyrics for this song in minutes. I remember showing Vanessa those lyrics and she immediately fell in love with them, so much so that she quickly started to create a melody for them. I further developed both the vocal melody and the piano part, and it led me to creating "A Piece of Heaven"

In writing this, not only did I decide to make it romantic, I also wanted to fully encapsulate the feeling of preciousness through music. Just the opening piano melody alone is enough to drive a sense of fondness and nostalgia, creating a warm feeling whenever I go to play it. To make it so that the lyrics could be sung by either partner, I made them gender neutral. This makes it so that either partner can show fondness for the other when they sing this song.

This would become my song of preciousness!

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