September 12

For most of the posts during this series, the performers have agreed to contribute some commentary on their experiences of the music they played. Whether it be on the process of learning the piece, the music’s personal significance to them, or anything else, I thought it would be a meaningful and educational experience for you as the reader to see more than just my perspective on the music I wrote. I want you to also have the perspective of people who in some cases became even more involved with the music than I ever did. It’s also been very meaningful to me to see how my friends viewed going through this process with me. I said in the introduction to this series that I was writing these posts because to add one form of art (namely, words) to another (music, whether in lyrics, programs notes, etc.) can almost always make it more meaningful. In a similar way, adding someone else’s mind, abilities, and artistic vision to mine can bring out the truth and beauty of that art in a much deeper way than I could ever achieve on my own.

This is especially true of September 12. Morgan’s vision behind the piece, her dedication to its completion and meaning, and the perspective she brought (both at the time it was written and today) all come together to create a narrative with a significant message that I am incapable of declaring by myself. In our collaborative efforts together, I believe we were able to proclaim a meaningful truth, tragic as its circumstances may be, that can speak to anyone suffering from their own forms of loss and show them the hope through it.

If you’re reading this, you may be aware of the recent death of Dr. Jovanni de Pedro. Jovanni had recently completed his first year on Samford University’s piano faculty. In that one year, he made a profound impact on the School of the Arts. In the words of Dean Joseph Hopkins, “over the last few months (Jovanni) helped guide our first monster piano concert, launched a major campaign for new pianos in the Division of Music, established a piano lab at the Good News Children’s Education Mission in Kolkata (India), and raised funding for scholarships and operational costs to sustain music mission projects he had inspired in countries around the world. He was a supreme virtuoso who was in demand across our nation and beyond. He was a devoted teacher whose students will carry on his passion for using music to change society.”

Jovanni was intricately involved with the process of conceptualizing and creating September 12. He worked with Morgan to shape the ideas that eventually formed this project, and he worked with me in creating the music to which you’re now listening.

The impact of Jovanni’s death is both deep and wide. While this piece and Morgan’s performance of it were both originally dedicated to the terror attacks of 9/11, I’d like to rededicate it in part to Jovanni and the memory of his beauty, joy, and dedication. This piece is for anyone struggling to find hope in a dark place. Whether it be from death, heartbreak, loss, or a combination of all three, I hope you can listen to this music and find a glimmer of something that gives you reason to carry on.

From Morgan Kline:

I asked Smith during the fall semester of 2018 if he would be willing to compose a set of pedagogical piano pieces for me. In researching for my lecture recital on Scenes of Childhood piano compositions around the world, I realized that no set of pieces had yet been composed for piano to describe the last two decades of modern American history since the terror attacks on 9/11. As a pianist and teacher, I hope to give my students not only the skills to perform with excellence and artistry, but also give them music that broadens their perspective and understanding of the world around them. My research on other Scenes of Childhood sets from diverse cultures and eras made me realize that my own young piano students should also have a musical outlet to help them appreciate this part of the American story, and what it was like to grow up in a rapidly changing, post-9/11 world.

With these ideas in mind, I approached Smith to see if he was open to composing this set of pieces. I knew him as a pianist and composer in his senior year at Samford, and also knew he did not have experience writing pedagogical piano music. I was excited to begin a conversation with Smith about this opportunity for both of us to try something new. In many ways, my inspiration for this project was spurred on by my professor, Dr. Jovanni de Pedro, who had collaborated with countless composers throughout his own college days and professional career. My dream for this project was not only to develop a set of pieces that told a particular story, but also to work with another composer and be a part of the process. To collaborate and brainstorm and make edits and sit down at the piano and ask, “what if we tried this here?” Dr. J, as we knew him, was a master at this. I had watched him work with student and professional composers previously, and had seen this special collaborative camaraderie between composer and pianist play out in realtime. I was thrilled, not only to have this opportunity to collaborate with Smith, but also have Dr. J as part of the process, making suggestions and trying things out along with me.

September 12 is the second piece from this set, Scenes of a Post-9/11 Childhood. I remember the day that 9/11 happened. I heard it on the radio first, and there was a level of shock I had never known before. I remember wondering at first why all the adults in my life were crying; it didn’t sink in immediately. It was the first time that everything around me seemed like it was falling apart. Watching the videos of the crashes into the Twin Towers several years later, it still felt like the world was, in many ways, unraveling.

This piece takes place in the aftermath: September 12, 2001. A world waking up to devastation and ruin. This movement starts with a musical description of that day, there at Ground Zero. But eventually, the music points to the hope of the future and rebuilding. The coming together of not only the American people, but the global community. In my premiere of this piece during Smith’s spring 2019 senior recital, I dedicated the performance to the victims of 9/11 and their families.

Today, I would like to add a second dedication to my teacher, mentor, and friend, Dr. Jovanni de Pedro, who is no longer with us on this earth. He shaped me into the artist and teacher I am today, and constantly advocated for projects like this one, not only for me, but for many others along his brilliantly creative path through life. He unceasingly looked for the potential in people, and pushed for their absolute best. In this time where, again, the world seems to be unraveling, I am grateful for this piece and what it represents. Shock, and heartbreak, and loss…but also a ray of hope in the darkness.

- Morgan Kline

The score and audio for September 12 are not available for purchase due to the legal nature of the commission. Sorry for the inconvenience! Morgan will be premiering Scenes of a Post-9/11 Childhood in its entirety at her recital in the Fall of 2019.