I composed this prelude in June 2013, towards the end of my time as accompanist at Clovis North High School. The work is inspired by a silly name / conversation game we played throughout the school year. I would say “MAAAAAAAARIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAH” super long and drawn out, and she would reply “JARED” very fast and quiet. I created a motive based on her name, a descending step combined with a descending 3rd, and it is used the entire duration of the piece. A friend of mine counted each time the “Mariah” motive is used, and it ended up being somewhere around 235 times. The performer should always bring out the “Mariah” motive.

The work is in simple Ternary (ABA) form. The “Mariah” motive is introduced three times in a majestic fashion: the first being in major, the second in minor, and the third once more in major. The introduction foreshadows the harmonic structure of the piece and represents each one of the three sections. The first A section is in A Flat Major and uses a lot of syncopated rhythms. Two new is melodies are layered over and under the “Mariah” motive. This segment builds to a climax in measure 40 and shortly after that a subito mezzo piano section transitions us into the slower B section. This section is in A Flat Minor and the melody switches to the left hand once again using the “Mariah” motive. The time signature switches to 12/8 and rhythms are no longer syncopated. After the last cadence ends in major, the introduction material returns but this time all three statements are in major. This sets up the return of the A section but this time there is an additional counter melody under. The melody builds once more to a climax but this time it is prolonged and uses drastically different rhythms in a new time signature. The piece then fades out to the end with hints of Lydian mode, before the “Mariah” motive is combined with the counter melody one last time.