Ice Crystals

This piece was commissioned by Nicola Cantan of Vibrant Music Teaching for her Concept Collection 2: The Other Pedals.

And what about the other pedal - Una Corda? This one is also largely ignored until students reach a more advanced level, but the tone and colors it can create are magical! Let’s tell a story together...

When you play Ice Crystals, imagine you are in a Winter wonderland, stepping on crunchy snow, feeling the the ice cold wind blowing on your face, as you watch the ice crystals hang on the trees. What happens in measure 10? Take a moment to stop and notice a cracking sound- did an icicle just fall off the tree?

The Una Corda pedal plays an important role in this piece- creating the mood in the the A section- the scale like eighth note passage should be subtle, like the Winter wind gently stinging your face.