But I Want the Harmonica

Suitable for pianists of medium ability, But I Want the Harmonica is one of Greenbaum’s most recorded works for piano. As a child, the composer was asked which item he would choose if stranded alone in a boat: a fishing rod, a cake, a harmonica or a book – the work’s title is taken from the composer’s response. Constructed on minimalist procedures, at its core is a falling motive of gradually expanding intervals, all extracted from the D major scale which is the piece’s harmonic centre.