Serenity is the companion solo piano sheet music book to David Hicken’s 2013 album by the same name and features the best of Hicken’s first three solo piano releases: Goddess (2007), Angels (2007), and Faeries (2008). David himself transcribed all of the songs and I proofed/edited. There are sheet music books for each of the three previous albums, but the scores were redone and formatted in a little bigger size (9” x 12”) for this collection. Six pieces come from Goddess, seven from Angels, and three from Faeries. Some of the music will present challenges to less-advanced pianists, but I would call only a couple of the sixteen pieces difficult. The notation is clear, roomy, and easy to read and printed on bright white paper. The binding is stapled, so there isn’t much break-in time for the book to stay open on the piano.

The overall feel of the music is definitely serene, but there is a nice variety in playing styles and speeds. There are only a few reaches of more than an octave and most pieces have flowing broken chords in the left hand and simple melody lines on the right. A few songs have solid chords, but not many. There is enough rhythmic complexity to keep the pieces interesting for more advanced players without scaring off intermediate pianists. Pianists of all ages will love how the music flows and how easy it is to play with full expression. The music is classical in structure but contemporary in styling. Very melodic and smooth, David Hicken’s scores are a joy to play. Serenity is available from www.DavidHicken.com. Very highly recommended!

The song titles, the keys they are in, and the number of pages are:

Celeste - Key of D (2 sharps) - 4 pages
Sekhmet - Key of C (0 sharps or flats)/ Ab (4 flats)/ F (1 flat) - 5 pages
Uriel - Key of F# (6 sharps) - 4 pages
Sarasvati - Key of F minor (4 flats) - 4 pages
Ellette - Key of F minor (4 flats) - 5 pages
Aphrodite - Key of F (1 flat)/ Bb minor (5 flats)/ D (2 sharps) - 5 pages
Seraphina - Key of F (1 flat) - 5 pages
Rusalka - Key of Bb (2 flats) - B minor (2 sharps) - 6 pages
Francesca - Key of G minor (2 flats) - 4 pages
Ishtar - Key of Eb (3 flats) - 4 pages
Aurora - Key of C (0)/ Db (5 flats) - 4 pages
Lakshmi - Key of D (2 sharps) / E (4 sharps) 4 pages
Desiree - Key of Bb (2 flats)/ Eb (3 flats)/ B (5 sharps) - 5 pages
Shaylee - Am (0)/ Bb minor (5 flats) - 6 pages
Indriel - Key of Ab (4 flats)/ A (3 sharps) - 5 pages
Sedna - Key of D (2 sharps)/ B (5 sharps) - 4 pages