Luis Zett Across Europe 12 Witty Folk Tune Arrangements for Piano Duet

A musical duet heard throughout Europe: With the music book "Across Europe" the well-known piano author Luis Zett invites players to a musical discovery tour through Germany's neighboring countries.

A great diversity of national and regional cultures evolved on the European continent during the course of two-and-a-half thousand years. In the field of music, this diversity can be traced back above all to folksongs. Luis Zett’s 12 imaginative arrangements for four hands let the European motto "united in diversity" literally pulse with life. Somewhat more advanced piano pupils of all age groups have the colorful choice between a Scottish "reel" or an East-European lullaby, melancholy tunes from the North or dynamic dances of the south. For additional variety and enjoyment, players can count on extensive free interludes as well as melodies that wander through the upper part and bass.

Europe is a continent with many different national and regional cultures. In this respect, it has its own multicultural spectrum, in which also the traditional “folksy” musical styles are of particular importance. Quite a few of their distinct characteristics are presented in this edition: In Slavic music, melodies and their harmonies are often characterized by the so-called “Gypsy scale” (with two augmented seconds), but there are also some odd time signatures (e.g. 7/8 or frequent changes of time signature), while the Central European countries are more strongly influenced by the classical music tradition. Then again in Nordic regions we find many solemn, often melancholic songs, while the south comes up with lively rhythms. But of course these are only a few focus areas – in each region the whole array can be found, from sad to merry, from serious to funny.

Folk songs primarily have fixed melodies, while they can be harmonized in a variety of ways. Hence it was important to me to bring the melodies to the fore, especially where they appear in the bass, which is quite often the case; they have been marked with the indication marcato. Passages in which the arrangement plays freely with melodic or rhythmic elements have been marked Intermezzo.

Aimed at players with intermediate skill level, the present pieces are set in a way that they are, above all, fun to play – no matter if played in a performing situation or privately.

With the hope to foster mutual appreciation among European nationalities, I wish you lots of fun with this multicultural musical experience.

Luis Zett