Without disclosing the identity of the composer I played the second piece in this set, which I had written in college, for a group of colleagues whom I particularly respect for their honesty and high artistic standards. Their reaction convinced me to make these pieces available to the public and inspired me to start composing again after a long hiatus. Three Pieces for Piano (1976) 1. "Andante con moto -- Agitato". After a slow introduction the main body of this piece features a quickly-moving lyrical melody in a frequently-changing meter that has a contemporary feel. This melody later recurs in augmentation and then reaches a climax before a return to the opening of the fast section of the piece. 2. "Andante cantabile". The beginning of this piece, my own favorite of the set, features a melody which seems to try to defy the confines of meter by means of beat subdivisions that conflict with those of the accompaniment, over which the melody floats. After a somewhat faster middle section which builds to a climax, the opening section returns, now in variation. 3. "Scherzando". This piece pokes fun at schlock. It features syrupy melodies interrupted by musical laughter, and begs to be hammed up in performance. When I first looked at this piece after its dormancy in my file for some 30 years, I almost threw it out because I thought people might consider it in bad taste. A number of friends have told me, though, that this piece is their favorite of the set. -- Deborah Yardley Beers BIOGRAPHY Deborah Yardley Beers has developed a multifaceted musical career which has brought her awards and taken her across the United States and to Europe. Her original compositions, which include works for both student and artist-level performers, are published by Evolodias Music, Load.cd, and Music Sales Corporation. One composition was reprinted in Keys magazine. Since performing Liszt’s Totentanz as soloist with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra at age 16, Beers has performed as solo pianist and chamber music recitalist across the United States and in several European countries. She has also performed live on radio WGBH and as soloist with the Atlanta Symphony, Denver Symphony, Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra, Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory Orchestra. As a pianist she was a semifinalist in the Ima Hogg National Young Artists Auditions in Houston, Texas; winner of the William S. Cooper Young Performers Award (from the Boulder Philharmonic Society); winner of a Spencer Penrose Scholarship Award from the Central City (Colorado) Opera House Association, and winner of a grant from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (awarded through the Fulbright Commission) to study piano for a year in Germany.   Beers studied composition with Harold Schiffman at Florida State University, from which she holds Bachelor of Music degrees in both piano performance and music theory. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance from the University of Colorado. Her piano teachers have included Edward Kilenyi, Karl Engel, and Leonard Shure. She also took improvisation classes with Eloise Ristad. Beers is a member of the piano faculty at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Recorded on a Steinway grand by Deborah Yardley Beers in Edward M. Pickman Concert Hall, Longy School of Music, Cambridge Massachusetts Recording engineer: Micha Schattner Cover design and photo: www.susanwilsonphoto.com