In Hebrew, “Boker Tov” means “Good morning,” and “Laila Tov” means “Good night.” This piece, named by a student who had recently celebrated her Bat Mitzvah, explores the first and last experiences of our daily life: awakening and drifting off to sleep. The first movement’s patterns were specifically modeled after the third movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, so as to prepare the player to take on this work in the future. However, unlike the original Presto agitato, this work is slow, expressive, and calm, and even hints at some inspiration from Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D. Think about awakening and gently stretching your fingers! Laila Tov was inspired by Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1, and a tribute to the student’s recent trip to Paris.

Score Length: 5 pages