Four Easy Pieces

These four easy piano pieces were written in 1956 and were dedicated ‘To Doreen’ – a girl-friend of the composer’s in Brighton who played the piano and had knitted the composer a bright yellow sweater for his birthday. Thinking he would respond with his own form of handiwork, he composed these pieces for her and bound them into a cardboard folder. In 1961 Chappell’s offered to publish the pieces if he would add a fifth piece and  they were published as ‘Party Pieces’ in 1961 and categorised as ‘Grade B’ for educational purposes. They were available for some years and at one time used by the Associated Board as test pieces. They eventually went out of circulation and Howard has removed the requested fifth piece, partly because the publisher had named it ‘Fun and games’ and partly because he had never liked it or indeed the title, ‘Party Pieces.’ Apart from the lively third movement they are somewhat reflective with a definite tinge of melancholy.