5 Nocturnes: Opus 2 (Dersom: Original Compositions)

I got this on a word of advice from a friend who said if I was planning on learning music to take a look at this so I would know what I am in for. And boy was he right. Not only did this open my eyes more to the world of music, but it made me MORE excited to do so.I like that this is also available on Spotify, and there is ancollaboration and advice in the work too. It is not for beginners though I would say, primarily because it is a bit more heavy. Its more for intermediate and expert level, but if you practice long enough and study each of the pages correctly, you would do anfine job. Dont forget to take your time!I am passing this along to others in my music class, as this work has very good pieces as well as the notes are there to help guide you along the way. I absolutley loves this and am looking at other works by the author.Its nice if you read the notes, studying it if you will, while the Spotify playlist is in the background while you have a cup of tea. Totally relaxing. 5 out of 5 stars! Great cover too!

Grant Dersom's 5 Noctures Opus 2 is a very beautiful and eloquent set of original classical compositions. I certainly find them to be very moving and emotional. There is a lot of variety throughout the pieces in terms of the dynamics and the harmony. I am not the music buff in my family as you will see below, but I feel that I'm listening to music that is very inspired and I recommend this for high-intermediate piano players.If you want to listen, Dersom's work can easily be found on Spotify. I purchased the kindle version of this work for my adolescent son who has studied piano in a French conservatory for eight years. He is enjoying this and we, his parents, are enjoying listening! Some parts are a struggle for him - a good challenge. But in terms of the product, he can easily read the sheets using a tablet (of course it is not so great on an actual kindle, so you must download the kindle app for this to be a good experience.) Even better, next time we go for the paperback version!

This is a fantastic little book for those who know how to play classical music on a serious level. Coolest of all is that you can find Grant Dersom on Spotify and listen to the exact music in this book. The five nocturnes are beautiful.Dersom is a serious artist on all levels, a guy who seems humble and is for sure spiritual (I base that on his short dedication in the book). He chose a gorgeous book cover to match the sublimeness of the music he produces.Prior to the dedication is a foreword in which the musician thanks readers for their interest and talks a little about his new music. There are also “performance notes” and “special expressions” that I’m sure will be helpful to piano players who attempt to play the notes in Dersom’s book.Speaking of Dersom’s musical notes, they are much more complicated than the ones I was learning in grade school in songs such as “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater” and “The Caissons Go Rolling Along.” I greatly admire anyone who attempts to learn and play these pieces, and I’m so glad I got to discover Dersom’s soothing songs.

I think it's fantastic that contemporary musical composers are still creating what one can term conventional classical music but with a nod to modern sensibilities and what the modern temperament may enjoy. I very much enjoyed these five nocturnes, first initially just reading through the pages, imagining the combinations of notes and rhythms and how they would be to play and then actually playing them. In particular, I loved the repeating rhythms, both slow and fast, that changed in their melodic or harmonic structures as suited the pieces as they progressed. I also like the creative use of dynamics that drove the rhythms. Not only did they make the pieces interesting to listen to but also very fun to play! I like, too, that this composer is offering his works through the very contemporary medium of Amazon, not just through traditional music booksellers. I think will make his works more available to more people. If you're an intermediate to early advanced piano player, you will probably enjoy these delightful nocturnes by a contemporary composer. I look forward to more of your work, Mr. Dersum!I received a free copy of this music book, but that did not affect my review.