Program Note

When Nicola Melville asked me to compose a piece for solo piano, musically recognizable as an American-style work, the result was my LOVE TWITTERS, which uses Irving Berlin’s “They Say it’s Wonderful” as it’s basis, and was premiered by Nicola Melville at Carleton College on September 28, 2007.

LOVE TWITTERS is a jittery, twittering, energized, fun spirited work. The pianist is asked to accentuate the jittery rhythms throughout making a clear difference between different rhythmic blocks (2s,3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, etc.). The fermatas are meant to add to the “stop/start” changeable moods; likewise, the grace notes are meant to throw the beat off, making the pulse less stable. LOVE TWITTERS should be played as fast as possible.

It is a happy 50th birthday gift for Alan Fletcher.

On concert programs, composer name should be listed as:
LOVE TWITTERS (2006), Irving Berlin/Augusta Read Thomas

ERRATA
On the G. Schirmer, Inc./Wise Music publication: end of bar 6, in the right hand grace notes that lead to beat 4, it should be a Bb not a B natural. Please add a flat to the grace note B. Thanks!

CD Available

This work is available on Augusta Read Thomas - Of Being Is A Bird

This work is available on Melville's Dozen

Selected Reviews

Jay Batzner, sequenza21 "[Love Twitters is] a surprising Augusta Read Thomas piano work, which comes across as a hyper-caffeinated Irving Berlin."

To obtain examination or performance material for any of
Augusta Read Thomas's works, please contact G. Schirmer Inc..