Etude in E Minor by Pius Cheung

Etude in e minor (for solo marimba) is dedicated to Edward Aldwell, my theory/Bach teacher while I was at the Curtis Institute of Music. He was a man of few words, but all of them were important. His teachings were always witty, but extremely intelligent. During one of our discussions about music, and knowing that I have always had self-doubt about my own compositions, he told me, “Don’t be afraid of how other people judge your music. Just write whatever comes to your heart.” That, coming from one of my most respected musicians in the world, all of a sudden sparked something in my mind, and I just sat down and wrote this etude. Compositionally, this piece is very simple, but it is one of my most honest works.

Edward Aldwell passed away in 2006.

Composer – Pius Cheung