About the creation

This work was first published in 1945 (Naidat Pub.).

The composer wrote these pieces for his piano students through the years of 1940-1944. Shortly thereafter he devoted all his time to writing music and teaching composition.

The six movements of the suite are dance-like in character. Their varied moods and distinctive style exude liveliness and joie de vivre. The present edition contains additional performance indications, fingering and pedal marks. The slight changes of slurs and articulation clarify the phrasing. The introduction as well as the commentaries will hopefully familiarize the young piano student with the musical language and the interpretation of these dances.

The musical components which lend this suite an oriental sonority and character derive from the following:

- Multimodality-an interaction of different modes often sharing a common tonal center.

- The main intervals - second, fourth, fifth and seventh.

- The elaboration of organum and organ points (drones) as well as rhythmic and melodic ostinati (Debka [2], the accompaniment of the Pastoral [4]).

- Unison, heterophony, short melodic patterns recurring in variations, embellishments and chromatic tones.

- A palette of diverse kinds of staccato touches – from pizzicato to marcato – is a reminiscent of the energetic rhythmical plucking or strucking of Middle Eastern string instruments like the oud, kanun, and the santur accompanied by the darbuka-drum.