Dear colleagues:

My name is Jonathan Howard Katz, and I am a candidate for the Doctor of Music in Piano Performance degree at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. For my research document, I am creating a reference guide to solo piano music written by American composers (or composers of other nationalities living in the United States at the time of the research) born since 1970. The goals of such a project are as follows: to gain an understanding of what is being written now by young composers, to provide a tool for pianists looking for new repertoire, and to aid in networking among composers and pianists. If this project is successful, it could be a valuable source of information for many thousands of musicians, and so I ask for your help in making it be as complete as possible.

The document itself will consist of two parts. The first part will be a scholarly summary of my investigation and findings. The second, much larger part will be an annotated list of the body of repertoire. I will include a brief biographical sketch for each composer, as well as contact information (for obtaining scores); for each title, a very short description of the work. These annotations will be neither analyses nor reviews and will serve exclusively to provide the reader with some basic information, such as pianistic demands, about each piece. For example, an annotation might read, “A six-minute, perpetual-motion study featuring clusters and quick dynamic changes.” An annotation would not read, “A fantastic showpiece that gradually builds to an effective climax, despite some unnecessary meandering towards the beginning.”

I am issuing this call for scores in the hope that I can create the bulk of the entries through direct contact with composers. This is not a competition—far be it from me to decide what is of sufficient quality or import to merit inclusion in such a guide, and to set up a situation in which I was an adjudicator would be contrary to the purpose of the project. In order to create an accurate survey, I will strive to include all composers and pieces submitted in good faith that meet the criteria for this document. Those criteria are:

To participate in this project, please visit www.pianorepertoireproject.org and create a login. You will be prompted to fill out a composer information form so that I can learn more about you and your work. Once the required fields in the composer form are filled, you will be able to fill out forms for each title you would like to include.

A full score of each work must be submitted. This is to ensure that there actually is a finished score, to preserve the scholarly integrity of the document, and to give me the opportunity to examine each work firsthand. A score may be sent as a PDF document through the form itself, or it may be mailed to: Piano Repertoire Project, Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music, 711 Elgin Road, Evanston, IL 60208-1200.

Recordings, when available, are encouraged but not required. You may send a CD or DVD to the above address or submit an mp3 through the online title form. Please note that a recording may not be used as a substitute for a score.

You are encouraged to fill out the composer and title forms online. However, the forms are also available as PDFs, which may be downloaded, printed, and sent by mail.

Thank you very much for making this project possible. I’m looking forward to its completion, and I feel strongly that it will be a very positive experience for all involved. Please refer to the FAQ for clarifications and questions, but if you have any further questions, feel free to contact me at pianorepertoireproject@u.northwestern.edu.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Howard Katz