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Gratitude
This song was generated on a particularly grateful day. I sat down at the piano in a mood. You can tell. Heavenly Father is so kind and forgiving of my imperfections. He blessed me with children who are forgiving as well.
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Reflection II
This started out so simple. By the time I finished it, I was quite pleased. I almost chose to change the name because when I reflect, there isn’t as much action. But I stuck with the name. If it gets a little busy for your hands to keep up, drop some notes. It’s easily done. If the octaves are an issue, I apologize. It sounds best using full octaves.
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God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
This song was generated during the Christmas Season 2021. It would be a great piece for a Christmas recital.
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Dancing On the Water
A week of quarantine because of a positive Covid test turned out to be a lot of fun for me. I had recorded this little piece to “return to later”, a few months ago. It was nothing more than a theme, but I labeled it “fun to play”. I don’t think I would change that opinion now that it is finished. It’s really fun to play! I can see the drops of water bouncing off a smooth body of water at the beginning. It’s not a ferocious rain; just gentle. Then it picks up the pace only to run down at the end of the piece. I had a little…
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I Know That My Redeemer Lives
This has always been one of my favorite hymns. One of my favorite things to do in the evening is turn out the lights and let my hands do what they want. This song is a result of one of those sessions. I turned on the recorder and enjoyed writing it. I’ve played it at several funerals lately. It is very comforting.
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Quarantine Haunt 2020
I’m not going to lie. Being in somewhat of a lockdown for Covid-19 in 2020 was a weird experience for all of us. I wasn’t fearful or sad other than my tiny mother was so isolated from me, her caregiver, and being able to freely leave her room. I was having the “time out” I have dreamed of all my adult life. I had plenty to keep me busy. This song is another melody that would not quit rattling in my head until I committed it to paper. It’s fun to play and almost has a jazzy feel to it. I play it that way, anyway.
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Restoration Medley
I know this is long and probably of interest to nobody but myself. I was given the opportunity to help with a video. The request was for restoration hymns to be the background. I said it would come quickly or not at all. For about two weeks I felt like I was being hit with a fire hose of ideas. I LOVED this project! We don’t know where it will lead, but I had a great time creating it. Each hymn can be extracted to be played alone, or any three in succession with little adaptation.
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Isolation
Is there anyone who was not somehow changed from Covid? It did not come knocking at our door, but I was definitely behind that door doing things I’d struggled to find time to do before Covid. This melody haunted me for a few days and I finally got it to paper. What else could it be called? “Isolation” seemed to be very fitting.
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As I Search the Holy Scriptures
When I was at UVU, I was on fire with the things I was being taught. This started out as a practice piece. The more I played it, the more I liked it. I would play it each morning before reading my scriptures. It finally needed to be put to paper.
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One Moment in Time
It was 2010 and there were still exciting times in our lives, i.e. grandbabies and marriages. When you have a “moment” it is etched indelibly on your mind and you know you’ll never forget it. This song was a result of a “moment” in my time. I took that moment to my piano. It came quite easily.
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Waltz
This song evolved as our grandchildren started coming. They somehow seemed to love dancing while I played the piano. In order to actually play, I had to keep their little hands off the piano keyboard. This song usually would accomplish that task. They could be entertained dancing to this melody for a very long time. Fun times; fun memories!
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Happy Song in 6/8 Time
If I was still teaching piano, this would be a fun one to give to an intermediate piano student. There isn’t much to say about it other than it was another melody that begged to be written. The year 2009 was a very good year for me, and the joy I experienced was manifest in my musical creations.
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Better Part of Me
For years I have wanted to write a love song that expressed how I feel about my eternal companion who has always been like a knight in shining armor to me. He rescues me on a daily basis and is the most patient, compassionate and friendly person I’ve ever known. Yet, this masterpiece of a song I dream of writing eludes me. I found this “gem” sitting in my files. Apparently, I tried my hand at a love song in 2009. It’s been sitting on my computer all this time. I still hear the words repeated “Better Part of Me” throughout the song. Clyde really is the better part of…
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Beautiful Summer Day
This had the beginnings of being named “Bless Me with Faith Not to Fear”. Because lyrics just wouldn’t come, it became a Beautiful Summer Day. I’ve mentioned it before, but the hills where I walk bring me inspiration nearly every time I’m alone in them. Not all ideas are good, but this one stuck. Fast forward to 2021 and I received an amazing email from someone I didn’t know. He found this in my Website before it disappeared, so it’s been around a while. He played it in his congregation last week, complete with a video presentation of beautiful summer day images. He definitely made my summer day that day!
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Forest Walk
Time marches on and all I can say about this is that it was written in the days I was discovering all the wonderful trails in Alpine. I would frequently come home from those walks with a melody in my head. Apparently, on this particular I took the time to capture it on paper.
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Morning Walk
When we moved to Alpine, I instantly fell in love with the trails and roads available for walks and hikes. One morning I was feeling particularly touched by it all and this melody came into focus with my pace. I had to commit it to paper.
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Joseph Smith Medley
I arranged this piano solo in 1991 amidst the chaotic atmosphere of moving from Orem to Alpine. I’m not so certain what made me drawn to this at the time, but I found myself frequently at the piano playing parts of this arrangement (in between packing boxes) until it came together as a whole.
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Quiet Nights
My husband did a lot of traveling at the time this song was written, and our children were young. Nights were always the hardest to get through and my piano was my companion on those nights. This would be a fun piano peace to use as a piano teacher for students. It’s not all that difficult but would be a great recital piece.
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Prayer Medley
A medley of hymns from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Hymnal: Did You Think to Pray? I Need Thee Every Hour Prayer is the Soul’s Sincere Desire
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Prelude
Look at the date inside the Copyright! This was the very beginning of my music writing experience. I know beyond any doubt that I was highly involved in music before coming to this earth. I had no experience writing music, and certainly no schooling. This was during the time I was divorced and had time to enjoy my piano. Once I realized writing music was a “one-note-at-a-time” effort, it became easier and easier. In those days, I had few tools. Actually, a pencil and manuscript paper were my tools. If I made a mistake, I used White-Out. Those were the days! (Obviously, I have rewritten it with a computer since…
Music by Connie Stauffer