Peace, Be Still

for Piano Solo

by Jenny Laine

Score · PDF

  • From the album, Serenity by Jenny Laine
  • Instrumentation: piano solo
  • Duration: 5 minutes
  • Pages: 6
  • Style: Minamalism, Neo-Classical.
  • Recommended for: Student Repertoire, Recitals, Church Services.

Written in 2023. Suitable for late intermediate piano solo. Includes piano score.

Notes from the composer:

This may be one of my favorites on the Serenity album. My brother plays handpan and listens to a lot of Philip Glass for inspiration. I was thinking about minimalism and improvised this piece. Then I continued to work on it afterwards to solidify it in my memory. The slower themes were improvised in this recording.

As I have been transcribing this, the playback on MuseScore makes seasick, I kid you not.

Because of the sound reminding me of waves, I decided to name this piece after Jesus’ words in Mark 4:39.

Here is the text from Mark 4:35-41:

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him. A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled. He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and asked him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are dying?” He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” They were greatly afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

(World English Bible. Public Domain.)

This piece spends a lot of time in D mixolydian (lowered 7th note), but also substitutes the minor v to a major V at the end of the second theme and reprise.

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