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Unity Eleven

by Scott Hershberger

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    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Sheet Music

    Unity Eleven by Scott Hershberger - full sheet music book for solo piano. Advanced level. 105 pages. PDF download - after purchasing, email me at scotthersh42 [at] gmail [dot] com to receive the file.
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1.
Opener 02:23
2.
What the Heart Knows 04:37
3.
Splendor of the Wilderness 05:31
4.
From the Heart (interlude) 00:35
5.
Whirlwind in the Night 04:34
6.
Dark Wilderness (interlude) 00:41
7.
Song of Serenity 03:54
8.
A Glimmer of Hope (interlude) 00:54
9.
Tale of the Forgotten: I. Betrayal and Wanderings 03:42
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10.
Tale of the Forgotten: II. Safe Haven 02:41
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11.
Tale of the Forgotten: III. The Storm 04:17
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12.
Forest Evening 03:50
13.
Sunlit Jewels 04:17
14.
The Storm Returns (interlude) 00:45
15.
Event Horizon 03:07
16.
Heart of the Wilderness (interlude) 00:59
17.
In the Dancing Meadow 04:23
18.
Forest Nightfall (interlude) 01:21
19.
Beyond the Sorrow 04:54
20.
Hope Reawakened 04:23
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21.
Finale 01:51
22.
Unity Eleven—Part 1 33:54
23.
Unity Eleven—Part 2 29:45
24.
What the Heart Knows (single version) 04:46
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25.
Splendor of the Wilderness (single version) 05:30
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26.
Whirlwind in the Night (single version) 04:40
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27.
Song of Serenity (single version) 03:58
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28.
Forest Evening (single version) 03:57
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29.
Sunlit Jewels (single version) 04:11
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30.
Event Horizon (single version) 03:25
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31.
In the Dancing Meadow (single version) 04:26
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32.
Beyond the Sorrow (single version) 05:00
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about

I began composing at age 10, but my breakthrough came the fall of my sophomore year, when I composed “What the Heart Knows,” which I consider my first true piano solo. The next piece I wrote, “Tale of the Forgotten,” won the Kansas Music Educators’ Association Composition Competition. Although I had previously written some jazz, these successes prompted me to focus my composing entirely on piano solos for a while.

In fall 2014, as I finished composing “Song of Serenity,” I began to consider stitching my piano solos into one continuous work; that’s also when I first quoted one of my older pieces in a new composition. Out of the creative process of composing “Sunlit Jewels,” the first interlude—“The Storm Returns”—emerged, solidifying the concept of one extended work. I decided that this work would consist of all the piano solos I composed in high school, plus any supplemental materials (such as more interludes) needed to weave them together.

From then on, I approached every new composition with this greater plan in mind. I found a way to quote old pieces in each new piece, and as the overall structure of the whole work slowly materialized, I purposefully wrote the harmonies to transition smoothly from piece to piece. Along the way, I decided that I needed an Opener and Finale as well, and those were composed slowly but concurrently with the rest of the work.

All in all, the process of writing the full work took more than three years: I composed the first portion of “Song of Serenity” in May 2013, as I finished my freshman year, and I completed the Opener on July 1, 2016, a month and a half after I graduated high school.

Rather than merely a collection of 11 piano solos, Unity Eleven is a single continuous musical saga lasting over an hour. The Opener, Finale, and 6 interludes bind the work together and feature melodies from all 11 main pieces. Other than the titles of the pieces, I can offer no concrete details on the “plot” of the story, since throughout the compositional process, I thought of my music in purely abstract terms. This is truly music for music’s sake.

credits

released January 15, 2022

Watch the debut performance of Unity Eleven at www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8NSkGrUohU.

Composed by Scott Hershberger
Recorded by Brandon Morse

Tracks 9-11 were recorded on April 19, 2014.
Tracks 7/27, 12/28, and 13/29 were recorded on May 2, 2015.
Tracks 5/26, 17/31, 19/32, and 20 were recorded on March 20, 2016.
Tracks 2/24, 4, 6, 8, 14, 16, 18, and 21 were recorded on July 5, 2016.
Tracks 1, 3/25, and 15/30 were recorded on July 19, 2016.

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all rights reserved

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about

Scott Hershberger image

Scott Hershberger Madison, Wisconsin

I am a science communicator, pianist, vibraphonist, and composer. Most of my compositions are for solo piano or small jazz ensemble, but I have occasionally written for other instrumentations.

Watch performances of my music at
www.youtube.com/@scotthershberger ... more

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