Matt Johnson
Pianist ~ Composer
Teacher
Listen ~ Download Audio Files
Download ~ Print Sheet Music
All of the music from this recording has been transcribed for solo piano and is available below.
Click a title to download the sheet music:
~ Dance of Joy
~ Dee Dee's Song
~ E Major Jam
~ Aloneness
~ A Quiet Moment
~ Changing Images
~ The Beckoning
Download all the pieces
in one Collection:
~ A Quiet Moment Collection
Matt offers his original music with no expectation of payment. The above audio files and musical scores are absolutely FREE for your personal use and enjoyment.
However, donations are always appreciated.
Recording Information and Credits
Matt Johnson, 1985
International Standard Name Identifier
ISNI 0000 0004 6875 3420
Title: A Quiet Moment
Artist: Matt Johnson
Release Date: March, 1986
Producer: Matt Johnson
Engineer: Joe Hostetter
Assistant Engineer: Timothy Metzinger
Record Label: Dolce & Nuit Productions
Recording Studio:
~Berklee College of Music—Boston, MA
Mixing Studio:
~Berklee College of Music—Boston, MA
Mastered by: Dr. Toby Mountain at
~Northeastern Digital Recording
CD Number: DNP2385-2
Cassette Number: DNP2385-4
Library of Congress
Catalog Card Number: 85-743262
UPC: 045011238523
Total Disc Time: 38 minutes, 04 seconds
Musicians:
~Matt Johnson: piano
Graphics created for this recording
REVIEWS
Album Review: A Quiet Moment
Matt Johnson
1985 / Dolce & Nuit Productions
38 minutes
Review by Kathy Parsons/www.MainlyPiano.com
A Quiet Moment was the debut album by pianist/composer Matt Johnson. Released in 1985, the seven original piano solos eloquently express a range of emotions with an honesty that belies the artist’s young age at the time (23). Even at that age, it was already apparent that Johnson had a background in both classical music and jazz, and he was well on his way to developing a distinctive style of his own.
Johnson started piano lessons at the age of six, earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Oklahoma Baptist University, and completed a Master of Music degree in Composition and Jazz Studies with a Distinction in Performance from New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 1987. Johnson has released a large body of recorded music and sheet music, all of which is offered as free downloads from his website. He is also a busy piano teacher in his own teaching studio in Florida.
A Quiet Moment begins with “Dance of Joy,” which is far from being a giddy happy dance. This dance expresses a deeper joy that moves the spirit and can last a lifetime. Some of the passages are slow and soulful while others are livelier and more upbeat - a wonderful beginning! “Dee Dee’s Song” is a slow, expressive waltz with a touch of melancholy and, perhaps, longing - lovely! The title “E Major Jam” sounds like it might be a bigger jazz piece, but it’s actually quite calm and has just a touch of country flavor. “Aloneness” is a beautiful ballad that overflows with emotion - something of a soliloquy that could have been created late at night by the light of a candle - a favorite. The title track, "A Quiet Moment" is another favorite. A bit lighter than “Aloneness,” it has a flowing left hand and a graceful, lilting melody on the right - very expressive! At nearly eleven minutes, “Changing Images” is a major work (it’s 26 pages in the songbook!) and is basically in a theme and variations format. From very open and spare to bold, flashy and dramatic, it’s an extraordinary piece and clearly demonstrates Johnson’s command of his instrument and his ability to play in a wide spectrum of tonal colors. Both reflective and evocative, “The Beckoning” brings the album to a close with a heartfelt and passionate story without words.
What a great debut album! Fellow pianists will be happy to know that there is a companion sheet music book and single sheets for this and most of Matt Johnson’s recordings available for free download on his website. The album is also available from Amazon, iTunes and CD Baby. It’s truly a “golden oldie”!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Songbook Review: A Quiet Moment Collection
Matt Johnson
2005 / Dolce & Nuit Productions
7 pages / 85 songs
Review by Kathy Parsons/www.MainlyPiano.com
A Quiet Moment Collection is the companion songbook to Matt Johnson’s 1985 debut album, A Quiet Moment. All seven piano solos from the album are included, transcribed by the composer himself. I have reviewed all of Johnson’s songbooks to date (5) and think this is the easiest to play overall. Don’t get me wrong, though - this music is by no means simple. There are very complex rhythms in some of the music, but in the introductory comments at the beginning of the book, Johnson allows the player plenty of room to adjust the music to his or her own playing style and level “as long as the performer remains true to the identity of each piece.” I found the book to be very enjoyable to play from cover to cover and will definitely be going back and actually learning some of these pieces - especially “Aloneness” and “A Quiet Moment.”
Since this songbook is available as a digital download only (individual pieces are also available), I can’t comment on the binding, paper or artwork, but the scores are well-spaced and easy to read. Expression and dynamics are very clear, as is pedaling. Where appropriate (not too rubato), metronome settings are noted. Fingering is marked in trickier passages. The timing is probably the most complicated part of this music, and there are also lots of passages with fast runs, but I would think it would be fine for most pianists at an early-advanced level and above. Matt Johnson generously offers his music as free downloads from his website, so feel free(!) to try it! If you’d rather pay for it, the music can be purchased from SheetMusicPlus.com.
The song titles, the keys they are in and the number of pages are:
~ Dance of Joy - Key of G (1 sharp) - 7 pages
~ Dee Dee’s Song - Key of E minor (1 sharp) - 7 pages
~ E Major Jam - Key of E (4 sharps) - 13 pages
~ Aloneness - Key of E minor (1 sharp)/ A minor (0 sharps or flats) - 17 pages
~ A Quiet Moment - Key of C (0 sharps or flats)/ A (3 sharps) - 6 pages
~ Changing Images - Key of D minor (1 flat) - 26 pages
~ The Beckoning - Key of A minor/ Ab minor (7 flats)/ A (3 sharps) / 7 pages
Songbook Links: Sheet Music Plus