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C Major Demonstrations

The Impossible Dream

I was inspired to arrange the song “The Impossible Dream” for piano from a recent interview I had with the women athletes of the ’68 Olympics. Several expressed their dream at a young age of being in the Olympics.

 

The song is from the Broadway musical “Man of La Mancha” of 1965 with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion. 

 

This arrangement reflects the floor exercise music I created and/or performed for the U.S Olympic Women’s Gymnastic Teams in Mexico City and Munich, as well as other national and local gymnastic competitions. Each phrase of the music expresses the words of the song as shown with the music notation.

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A summary of the duration, acoustic, contrast and coordination factors for this type of music can be found in my article “In Search of Good Gymnastic Music,” published by the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Division for Girls and Women’s Sports, Gymnastics Guide, 1973. 

UNCHAINED MELODY (Ghost)

For rhythm coordination with both hands in C position, this melody includes quarter, half and dotted half notes accompanied with block and broken C and G7 chords.

French Lullaby (16 measures)

For rhythm coordination with both hands in C position, this melody includes quarter, half and dotted half notes accompanied with block and broken C and G7 chords.

French Shop I (12 measures)

This melody in C position serves as an exercise in mostly eighth and quarter notes for the right hand. The simple open fifth in the left hand provides clarity and contrast for the two rhythm patterns of the melody.

French Shop II (12 measures)

For rhythm coordination, this melody in C position serves as an exercise for mostly right hand eighth and quarter note rhythm patterns with a single left hand position for half notes C and G (the chord root notes).

New World

(20 measures)

This melody serves as an exercise for a dotted quarter and eighth note rhythm pattern that occurs in almost every measure. Although both hands are primarily in C position, hand changes occur in the middle and end of the piece.

Scarborough Fair (84 measures)

This melody is in Mode II of the major scale (called the Dorian scale), and is accompanied with chords Dm I, F III, G IV and C VII. Next follows a harmonic variation with a right hand eighth note pattern combined with a left hand melodic pattern. It is finally heard with added right hand partial harmony and left hand arpeggios. Several moderate changes are required in both hands.

The Rose I

(16 measures)

For rhythm coordination with both hands in C position, this melody has a repeated four-measure rhythm pattern using sixteenth, eighth, quarter, half and dotted half notes accompanied with a chord or chord note on each beat.

The Rose II (16 measures)

For rhythm coordination with both hands in C position and a left hand extension, this melody has a repeated four-measure rhythm pattern using sixteenth, eighth, quarter, half and dotted half notes accompanied with a chord or chord note on each beat.

Go Down Moses (16 measures)

**NEW** This melody is in Mode VI of the major scale (called the Aeolian or minor scale), and is accompanied with chords Am I, Dm IV, and E7 V7. The melody alternates with and without accompanying chords, as in the call-and-response style of singing. Some hand changes and minimum coordination allow a player to focus on using different keyboard positions.

Morning Has Broken (24 measures)

**NEW** This melody serves as an exercise for a repeated 3 measure rhythm pattern with contrasting block and broken chords. The right hand has several changes with the left hand in C position.

The Third Bach Chorale (14 measures)

**NEW** For a coordination challenge with two simultaneous melodic lines requiring several changes in both hands in Mode VI of the major scale (called the Aeolian or minor scale).

Chariots of Fire (24 measures)

**NEW** This theme serves as a C position exercise of a repeated melodic phrase with slight variants accompanied by block and broken C and F chords as well as block chords Em and G7. Both hands are in this position except for the right hand in the F position middle section. Lower and higher octave C positions are used for the introduction, alternating C root and chord, chord ending and added right hand variant in the last section.

Hallelujah Variations (32 measures)

**NEW** This melodic variation serves as an exercise for right-hand quarter note broken chords C Dm E F G Am coordinated with mostly sustained root notes in the left hand. Several moderate changes are required in both hands.

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