Excursions, Op. 20, is the first published solo piano piece by Samuel Barber. Barber himself explains: "These are ‘Excursions’ in small classical forms into regional American idioms. Their rhythmic characteristics, as well as their source in folk material and their scoring, reminiscent of local instruments are easily recognized." Ernst Levy (born Basel, Switzerland 18 November 1895, died Morges, Switzerland 19 April 1981) was a Swiss musicologist, composer, pianist and conductor. Sonata For Piano Based Upon A Sephardic Theme by Herbert Fromm is based upon a Sephardic hymn set to the text of "Eyn Keyloheynu (There Is None Like Our God)." It is found in the now rare collection of Jewish liturgical music (as heard in the Synagogue of Livorno, Northern Italy, where Spanish Jews had settled after the expulsion from Spain in 1492) published in 1891 by Frederico Consolo. Fromm writes about the use of the hymn, "The hymn I chose is distinguished by the fact that it can be interpreted in two keys, either A-flat or E-flat. I decided on the A-flat." Fantasy For Piano by Herbert Fromm is written entirely in free form where sections are joined in slow or fast motion. The work is held together by the recurrence of a three-note motif and a certain type of grace notes. The constant change of meter and tempo is characteristic of this Fantasy which follows the inspiration of the moment and allows clear-cut themes to alternate with playful, less thematic material. Drei Klavierstücke, Op. 11 (or Three Piano Pieces) is a set of pieces for solo piano written by the Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg in 1909. They represent an early example of ‘atonality’ in the composer’s work. The tempo markings of the three pieces are: Mässig (at a moderate speed) Mässig (at a moderate speed) Bewegt (with motion) The Three Piano Pieces form an important milestone in the evolution of Schoenberg’s compositional style. The first two, dating from February 1909, are often cited as marking the point at which Schoenberg abandoned the last vestiges of traditional ‘tonality’, implying the language of common practice harmony that had been inherent in western music in one way or another for centuries. The functionality of this language, to Schoenberg at least, had by this time become stretched to bursting point in some of the more chromatically saturated works of Wagner, Mahler, Richard Strauss and indeed some of Schoenberg's own earlier tonal works such as the string sextet Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 of 1899.