Performed by David Oei
Instrumentation: Piano
Duration: 2:30
Premiere: May 18, 1971
Judith Shatin
Douglass College, New Brunswick, NJ
Premiere, Revised Version:
David Oei
Online performance 9/8/2020
Nah, Nah is a revised and retitled version of Giocare, originally composed for my senior recital in 1971 at Douglass College, where I gave the first composition recital in the school’s history. I first titled it Giocare, the Italian verb to play, but when I came back to the piece and revised it in 2020, I wanted the title to reflect the nature of the type of play, the child’s mocking chant found in so many different cultures. I was fascinated by the cultural stretch of this chant as well as its links with tunes such as “Ring Around the Rosie.” The chant pops up in various guises throughout this short piece. –JS