Edited by Edwin McLean

John Field preceded Chopin by a generation; in fact, he was a big influence on both Chopin and Liszt.

This new publication contains three of the more accessible nocturnes: No. 13 in D Minor, No. 5 in Bb Major, and No. 10 in E Minor. I edited them using early sources (editions by Franz Liszt and Louis Köhler).

I’ve recorded all three and posted a YouTube recording on my channel (edwinwmclean). The direct link is:

These Nocturnes are a great introduction for students who may not be quite ready for the Chopin Nocturnes, and they are masterpieces in their own right.

Robyn Koh presented Sonata No. 2 in Amsterdam on June 1, 2017, as the last piece in a chronological program of works spanning 400 years of music history..

Thank you, Robyn, for introducing this piece to the Amsterdam audience!

Here’s a reworking of an image from 2005. Originally on paper, it got damaged (probably by a deranged cat). So I enlarged it on canvas with acrylic. My 5-year-old student Xuanyu Guo (aka “Judy”) is helping me hold it up.

Here are a couple of recent programs, in North Carolina and California. (Click to enlarge.)

Two new works built from simple geometric shapes. They radiate outward from the center, creating more complex designs. The patterns could continue indefinitely, I suppose. Notice the pinwheels in Image no. 2; they may not be apparent at first glance.

Self-propagating image No. 1

Self-propagating image No. 2

There is an African basis for the choice of colors: black, white, orange, and brown. The images are approximately 20 x 20 square.