(Sunset is also available in an arrangement for solo guitar)
A message from Frederik Magle:
I warmly welcome all recordings of “Sunset”—whether they are professional studio recordings or quick mobile phone captures. Feel free to publish your own recording, and please let me know if you do; I will be delighted to share it on my social media platforms.
Kind regards,
Frederik
Notes:
Sunset for piano is, at its core, a simple piece, but one with a long and somewhat storied development. Its first iteration came in 1998 as a work for piano or guitar, accompanied by strings; the theme, however, had been completed some three years earlier. In 2008, Magle reworked the piece for its current instrumentation of solo piano, with some final revisions coming in early 2023.
A simple piece it may be, but each component included within it is tuned to its respective finest. A song without words of sorts, Sunset is clearly driven by its melody, a wistful, tender theme that progresses in long, sweeping arcs over the rest of the texture. A sense of melancholy clearly pervades it; its phrases are played out in dogged half notes that seems to fall in perpetuity, landing on expressive suspensions before inevitably being rent from them. And yet, it steers clear of ever drifting into the territory of kitsch and melodrama, and the full scale of emotion at play is kept tightly under wraps at the head of the piece.
A good song is not made by its melody alone, however, and the accompaniment is as carefully constructed as the theme it underpins. The most auditorily distinct motif of the work is the string of second-voice undulating couplets that supply a near-constant quarter-note pulse throughout the work. These couplets provide a gentle rhythmic lilt that keeps Sunset moving forward without ever pushing it into becoming frenetic. The harmonies similarly strike a balance between fraught and peaceful – they are decidedly rooted in Romantic tonality, but as such often rely on extensions and inversions. The resultant mood leaves Sunset emotionally tense, torn between senses of comfort and apprehension.
Once the structure of the work is then taken into account, the above tensions and conflicts allowed to play out in real time, some sort of narrative, or at least emotional progression, begins to play out in the mind of the listener. Sunset begins unassumingly enough, a wistful air permeating the sound, with the principal theme. However, the mood cannot remain so placid, and from there, it begins to stir – the bassline drops down, extending the registral inventory of the piece, and the texture thickens out further to match. A tenor countermelody engages the principal theme in mournful counterpoint over an increasingly low-reaching bassline, while the undulating couplets extend their intervals; the widening stretches in the hands lend a sense of developing physicality that intensifies the emotional strain the music seems to bear.
From there the material develops further, but the harmonies start to jar – the sun may be going down, but there seems to be, to paraphrase Dylan Thomas, a certain sense of rage against the dying of the light. We come to the work’s climax, a reiteration of the first theme in pedal octaves and full-handed walls of cascading chords that fully capitalise on the physicalities of before – but it is in vain. The struggle conceded, we lose our grounding at the foot of the piano, and a final haunting rendition of the theme at the highest reaches of the composition leads us away. The sun has set, and we are left staring into the stars.
notes: Acorus Calamus, editor
Claude B. (verified owner) –
Belle pièce
Fabio Nogare B. (verified owner) –
God dag Frederik,
Your composition “Sunset” touch me deeply and I love to play it. People around me also feel touched by the melancholy melody.
Tak!
Anna P. (verified owner) –
deborha t. (verified owner) –
Kjell Krogsrud (verified owner) –
Cosimo Ciquera (verified owner) –
Herman (verified owner) –
Mesmerizing melody 🙏
Fillion Marco (verified owner) –
Jesus Castro (verified owner) –
Very special work. It touches the heart.
Jean H. (verified owner) –
Dominique ROBIN (verified owner) –
Alessandro RAMPAZZO (verified owner) –
Semplice ma emozionante
Filippo Airaudo (verified owner) –
Nicolaas Sontag (verified owner) –
Well done
Nadèje Bat (verified owner) –
Laurent LLERENA (verified owner) –
I really enjoyed playing your composition, looks simple but not easy if you play without the good mood. need to practice a lot ! thank you very much for sharing it
João Vitor Silva van de Groes (verified owner) –
Diana Daneva (verified owner) –
Evan Simpfendorfer (verified owner) –
Very nice emotional song. 👏🎶🎹
Jeffrey Wiley (verified owner) –
Do you have sheet music to Skyerne grane, og lovet falder- Improvisation Thora Borch’s melody (1867)? Loved the Sunset for piano!
frederikmagle (store manager) –
Hello Jeffrey,
Thank you, I’m very happy you like Sunset! “Skyerne gråne” is not yet available, but I expect it will be within the next few months (before June). Kind regards, Frederik
Giancarlo M. (verified owner) –
Veramente Bello
Damien Unger (verified owner) –
Federico C. (verified owner) –
sharon smith (verified owner) –
I love playing this piece of music It has a wonderful melody that is in my head all day. I look forward to your next piece. Thank you.
Peace Denenu (verified owner) –
Roderick E Sanborn (verified owner) –
Wonderfully written. The first time I played it through on piano, my wife told me it was beautiful. Very well written.
Gwen Seidel (verified owner) –
Easy to play, pleasant to listen to, for yourself or easy listening
Dennis Benson (verified owner) –
Julie st-onge (verified owner) –
Ronald C. (verified owner) –
an elegant very well written piece; nice buildup then back to a calm serenity. Thank you for sharing it.
Arrigo G. (verified owner) –
it’s very beautiful, and not too difficult for me who is taking piano lessons
José Luis Digon (verified owner) –
Awasome and fit to my piano level. Very diferent and funny way to learn playing piano. Thank you.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Pièce entendue jouée par le compositeur j’ai aimé. Partition achetée…le descriptif a aidé pour le déchiffrage….les images envoyées par le morceau de juxtaposent avec mes ressentis..
Top …thanks pour cette composition
Arwed Fränken (verified owner) –
JOAN C. (verified owner) –
Gary Schmidt (verified owner) –
Just a lovely enjoyable piece! Gary
Dominiek (verified owner) –
Michael Prather (verified owner) –
Warrick Dawson (verified owner) –
Really easy to order.
David Disbrow (verified owner) –
This is a beautiful piece of music. I’m excited to learn and play it.
Elisabeth (verified owner) –
Good delivery, obviously since i downloaded it .. Nice piece of music, not difficult to play
Claudia S. (verified owner) –
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Lili Azuara (verified owner) –
Hermosa obra, me hizo imaginar un lugar maravilloso!
Christine F. (verified owner) –
my piano teacher found your music, and we both like it very much.
It is challenging for me, but very exciting when I succeed!
the sunset is very soothing.
Janet Johnson (verified owner) –
Thank you
Richard Van wabeeke (verified owner) –
Very beautiful piece of music ! I really like the harmonic choices in this one ! 👌
Fred C. (verified owner) –
I am very happy about te song and the service, thank you very much.
Sergio Ronca (verified owner) –
Perfetto! Grazie mille! 👍👍
Dragica Šalamon (verified owner) –
Michèle Lecras (verified owner) –
Very beautiful music which can be played by a non too much advanced pianist .
Juraj (verified owner) –
Elīna (verified owner) –
ROSEMARI JUNG (verified owner) –
Nice music.
Don (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
The music is good, and the score helps me play. Although I have had a long break from keyboards, your music and the sheet encouraged me to re-try playing the piano. I sincerely appreciate your work.
I also appreciate your introducing your music play with the score. It was very helpful. Thank you!
Elisabeth Galmiche (verified owner) –
Très belle mélodie simple à jouer mais qui fait son effet. Bravo
Jean-Paul Savary (verified owner) –
partition non reçue
frederikmagle (store manager) –
Bonjour Jean-Paul,
Je suis désolé d’apprendre que vous n’avez pas reçu la partition. J’ai vérifié et elle a été envoyée par e-mail le jour de votre achat, le 26 août, mais il est possible que quelque chose se soit mal passé.
Si vous vous connectez à votre compte, elle devrait être disponible : https://www.magle.dk/shop/my-account/ mais je vais également essayer de la renvoyer (et veuillez vérifier si elle ne se trouve pas dans le dossier des spams).
Cordialement,
Frederik
Luzier Tavares (verified owner) –
Nuno Saraiva (verified owner) –
Easy enough for me to be able to play. 😉
Cem Karapekmez (verified owner) –
So beautiful I love it. Thank you. Having an indication on the sheet about the fingers that could be used to play the notes would have been very helpful in my learning process.
Kilian (verified owner) –
Floating and Breathing Miniature of an accurate composed work which captures Small Motives of an Beautiful Theme.
Lynn (verified owner) –
I love this piece! So simple but evocative. I feel very emotional when I listen to it! I have loved playing it too! Thank you!
FLOYD O DEWITT (verified owner) –
Beautiful music.
Gilles RABINOVITCH (verified owner) –
Thank you for your beautiful piece.
Ian P. (verified owner) –
A lovely piece, I’m enjoying learning it!
Laura Belviso (verified owner) –
Molto ben scritto, semplice ma molto efficace sia nel comunicare emozione sia nel descrivere visivamente e in modo molto suggestivo il tramonto. Una colonna sonora al finire di un giorno. Chapeau!
David K. (verified owner) –
Purchasing was easy! I was able to download the music immediately. It is a lovely piece of music that is very accessible. The notation/layout also looks great.
Tom Davison (verified owner) –
Simple, process. Great manuscript.
Susan Van Slyke (verified owner) –
A very simple yet beautiful piece of music! I thoroughly enjoy playing this piece!
Flavia La Rocca (verified owner) –
Dearest, I’m still waiting for your “Sunset” …. Sheet pdf. However I will love to play it….
frederikmagle (store manager) –
Dear Flavia, first of all thank you for purchasing Sunset. I’m sorry you have not received the PDF with the sheet music. I have checked and it was sent to your email on September 9th. Perhaps it has ended up in your spam filter, but nonetheless I have re-sent it by email just now.
Best regards,
Frederik
Ralph Cheney (verified owner) –
Very nice. Music is very similar to my compositions. What else do you have to offer?
France Laberge (verified owner) –
I didn t get that it was to download, something I can t get, so no music for me
frederikmagle (store manager) –
I am sorry to hear that and have refunded you for the purchase. Kind regards, Frederik
Roland Göttel (verified owner) –
Marco P. (verified owner) –
It is simple to play and it is impressive.
Michel De Jesus (verified owner) –
Très belle musique j’adore
TM B. (verified owner) –
Beautiful melody, excited to start practising and hopefully play it myself some day.
Yves Titeux (verified owner) –
Clair et très agréable. Merci
Rita M. (verified owner) –
Am thoroughly enjoying this piece. Thank you
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Simple, beautiful, affordable
Cindy Clapperton (verified owner) –
Lovely piece, enjoying learning it. Easy to purchase too.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Great service
Guy De Greef (verified owner) –
Très belle partition , avec un seul bémol, il n’y’a pas les doigtés. Ca m’aurait facilité les choses. Un autre point, c’est que je m’aperçois que mon compte a été débité deux fois ! Pouvez-vous donc me rembourser . Merci à vous ! Cordialement, Guy.
frederikmagle (store manager) –
Bonjour Guy, je suis content que “Sunset” te plaise. J’ai remboursé la deuxième commande. L’argent devrait être sur ton compte d’ici quelques jours. Cordialement, Frederik
Peter Southam (verified owner) –
This beautiful piano music is played with great sensitivity! The sheet music looks easily played, by almost anybody but me, since I’m a rank beginner, but the structure does not look complex, so I hope to learn it soon. I sent for the music, and it arrived in just a few days.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Christina Weidmann (verified owner) –
It’s a beautiful touching piece which made me improvising on the theme a lot. It’s also great for not advanced students to play.
alexis de baets (verified owner) –
Alexander Bori (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
I had this music tripping off my printer without 2 minutes of ordering it! Great service! As for the piece itself, if you’re into grading, I’d estimate it to be around grade IV. It’s a gentle, relaxing piece which is satisfying to play.
Cath (verified owner) –
It’s a beautiful piece. With a bit more practice it will flow nicely and more accurately. Love playing the piano just need more time on my hands to keep going.
Berry ORourke (verified owner) –
Relaxing to play
Penelope B. (verified owner) –
A delightful piece to play, which I could sight read and enjoy from day 1. The You Tube film of the composer playing this was helpful in slowing my pace and fully hearing the harmonies.
Šejla Usenik (verified owner) –
Rino H. (verified owner) –
Hello Frederik too,
I was listen this music on internet and I was happy to hear this song! Normally I play Classical music, Mozart, Bach, Haydn, Schubert, that period! So, I want to play an another piece of music and this is wonderfull.
Kind regards,
Rino
Annette Stevenson (verified owner) –
Lovely piece in an easy key that flows like the evening breeze~~~
ARTURO P. (verified owner) –
Gentilissimo, ti scrivo in italiano e faccio i miei complimenti per il pezzo.
Robert Kurowski (verified owner) –
Michiko Jones (verified owner) –
Never received a sheet music
frederikmagle (store manager) –
Hello Michiko Jones, I’m sorry that you have not received the email with the music. I see that it was sent to you on 22 September, but I have just re-sent the email (with link to the download). If you don’t receive that one as well, could I ask you to check if it has ended up in a spam filter, please, and if not, then send me an email at [email protected] or a message at my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/frederikmagle and I will try to send you the sheet music that way.
Mary (verified owner) –
This composition is delightful and I’m glad I bought it.
Michael M. (verified owner) –
Great piece–easy to play, wonderful harmonies and thematic movement makes each phrase seems an inevitable progression to the next. Looking forward to more.
Olwyn Smith (verified owner) –
A beautiful piece and even seems easy enough for me who hasn’t played much in a long time. I am really looking forward to studying it. Thank you
Florian J. (verified owner) –
Thanks a lot for sharing your music!
David Knox (verified owner) –
A lovely piece of music I found by chance on a Youtube clip on Facebook. Downloaded and printed within minutes and a few minutes later, I was playing it on my piano.
Vic L. (verified owner) –
Good clear pdf and playable by very amateur me. Thanks
Patti (verified owner) –
So easy to order, pay and receive music online. Love it
Dale Emerman (verified owner) –
I love this piece I bought it for one of my more advanced students . Can’t wait to see more of your music
Ann P. (verified owner) –
very beautiful
Dominic Furphy (verified owner) –
I love Sunset. From the second I heard it I knew I had to buy the sheet music. Love love love this piece. Brilliant use of octaves and emotion. I want more!
Anonymous (verified owner) –
It would be nice to include the position of the fingers because I’m a beginner.
Robina Harper (verified owner) –
Hi Frederik….I am enjoying getting back into playing the piano, and this piece seemed a lovely way to touch base with an instrument I’ve used mostly over the years to help me practise the pieces that I am singing with a local choir.
I am now almost 79 and apart from a year or two of classical piano tuition at an early age and my own experimenting, I’ve not really done anything further about it till now. My passion from my mid thirties till a few years ago has been classical guitar and some classical training in voice. These of course only require the treble clef, and I’ve been finding it quite difficult to get back into reading the bass clef let alone using the left hand!!
However, I’m finding that this piece is leading me slowly through this relearning phase and I look forward to accomplishing the whole piece at some stage.
So thank you from me for giving me a chance to make that happen. Regards Robina Harper.
Julie (verified owner) –
Beautiful piece of music!
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Bought the music to try it for my students – gave it to two of them and they are trying it out at home – they really liked it.
EVAGGELOS AKYLAS (verified owner) –
Simple but truly inspired and emotional peace creating images and colours like a real sunset. Thank you.
Radek Morcinek (verified owner) –
Beautifull piece for my students!! Thx
Wilma P. (verified owner) –
Beautiful piece of music. Have been looking for something a little DIFFERENT and have found it. Looking forward to reviewing more
Hugo (verified owner) –
Great piece for beginners, however fingers would be a great plus.
Sebastián Garrido Acevedo (verified owner) –
Jaf (verified owner) –
John Schneider (verified owner) –
Beautiful Piece
Deborah Middlebrooks (verified owner) –
Pretty piece.
Ann Harris (verified owner) –
Such a beautiful piece of music – my music teacher also thought it was lovely, so now I must practise. I love the bottom note (almost the end of the piano and I’ve never played it before) my music teacher who is an organist said organists use the bottom notes usually more than piano players do.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Alan Krystek (verified owner) –
Beautiful composition! I will be back for more when I learn this one. Thank you!
Joseph Serrenti (verified owner) –
As I commented in the comments under Sunset , I really enjoyed the framework of the piece… Sounds great as is, but it’s simple enough to improvise and expand on it, or edit as you please …( Oh common, don’t be offended, lots of musicians do it …lol..)
I find it hard to come up with an initial concept for a song that isn’t something I’ve heard before so these are enjoyable….
I have to get Origin and the pipe organ revved up !
Van Tan Pham (verified owner) –
Erwin (verified owner) –
Pierre H. (verified owner) –
Ian E. (verified owner) –
Straight forward and easy to purchase
Panagiotis Dedes (verified owner) –
Dieter C. (verified owner) –
Truly Inspiring!
Martin McEvoy (verified owner) –
Kate (verified owner) –
I am always looking for different music as I play for 2 hours each week at a soup kitchen and need a variety. ABBA to Debussy with film scores in between. This will be perfect to play. Gentle music with an interest – a sort of Hanz Zimmer/ Andreo Vanzo vibe. I heard this music on Instagram and bought it immediately – beautiful. Thank you for composing it.
The process of buying and downloading was simple and no difficulties.
Valentina Yomtov (verified owner) –
Thank you. Lovly music.
Jacqui (verified owner) –
Love the music 🎶 looking forward to being able to playing it well.
Claudia (verified owner) –
…just beautiful
Foruzan (verified owner) –
Very beautiful and easy to play
Shelly E. (verified owner) –
I love playing this song and the price and service were great — I had this sheet music in my hands in no time! My only complaint is that, for a seemingly beginner song, we are required to stretch beyond an octave (measure 23, for intance). Many people, including myself, cannot do this. I also wish the video had been taken from overhead rather than from the side. That would have helped me with fingering.
Paula Skelton (verified owner) –
Easy to order and download. Delightful piece of music. I will be coming back for more compositions.
Yves Everaert (verified owner) –
very nice piece of music.