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VOL 18 • OCTOBER 2021 • FEATURED COMPOSER

MargaretGoldston

YOUR MONTHLY SHEET MUSIC RESOURCE FROM TOPMUSICPRO

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TopMusicSheets Volume 18FEATURED COMPOSER MARGARET GOLDSTON

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Tap or click on the hyperlinks to jump to those pages.

Return to this page using the “TMS” hyperlinks next to the page numbers.

Level Guide ....................................................................................................................... 5

About This Collection (By Christopher Goldston) ...................................................... 6

About the Composer ....................................................................................................... 7

Fireworks .......................................................................................................................... 8

Circa late 1970s / early 1980s. Imagine the ballet of lights as fireworks dance across the sky.

An simplified option has been provided as an alternative to the passage with glissandos.

Levels: US, LE • AMEB, 1 • ABRSM, 1 • RCM, 1/2

Olympiad .........................................................................................................................10

Circa late 1970s / early 1980s. This piece also had an alternative title, “Little Parade.” A

unique triadic accompaniment is used throughout the piece, and the melody switches between

the hands. You can hear hints of the influence of Kabalevsky miniatures in Margaret’s early

writing in this piece. The pedal at the end of the piece is editorial.

Levels: US, LE/EI • AMEB, 1/2 • ABRSM, 1/2 • RCM, 2/3

Merry-Go-Round ............................................................................................................12

Circa late 1970s / early 1980s. This delightful waltz uses long melodic phrases with a waltz

accompaniment. In an early draft of the piece, Margaret noted that the accompaniment

could be limited to mostly I and V chords, but she opted for the more interesting and varied

harmonies. The original pedal marks are included, but an editorially suggested pedaling is also

provided as an alternative for a fuller sound.

Levels: US, EI • AMEB, 2 • ABRSM, 2 • RCM, 3

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Ferris Wheel ...................................................................................................................15

Circa late 1970s / early 1980s. This fun piece features sweeping hand crossings with a quasi

Alberti bass pattern. Imagine the heights you will reach as you ride on the Ferris wheel. The

8va sign below the final note is an editorial addition.

Levels: US, EI • AMEB, 2 • ABRSM, 2 • RCM, 3

Rocking Chair .................................................................................................................18

Circa late 1970s / early 1980s. Original pedal marks are included, but an editorial suggestion

of legato pedaling is preferred for a lusher sound. The staccato marks should be interpreted

as gentle phrase lifts, instead of short, crisp, or accented tones. You can really hear the

influence of Bartók miniatures in Margaret’s writing in this early work.

Levels: US, EI/I • AMEB, 2/3 • ABRSM, 2/3 • RCM, 3/4

Rainy Night in a Small Beach Town ............................................................................20

Circa 1980s. This is a lovely, short, and melancholy tune. The fingering in measures 3–6 help

with the feel and coordination of the right hand. While this piece is quite old, Margaret had

pulled it out as a possible addition for an unfinished collection called The Lyric Performer, as a

sequel to her popular series The Virtuosic Performer. A short sketch for a new middle section

was included in the Lyric Performer folder; however, this piece is presented in this collection

in its original form. The Lyric Performer was never completed; some pieces only had one

phrase sketched out.


Prelude Ostinato ............................................................................................................22

Circa 1990s. An interesting study in harmonies, this piece keeps building intensity throughout.

The repeated passage is an editorial suggestion. The manuscript suggested a slower tempo

for the piece; however, a slightly faster tempo makes it easier to shape the phrases and pace

the dynamics.


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Seagulls over Myrtle Beach .........................................................................................24

Circa early 2000s. One of Margaret’s last compositions, this beautiful piece was included as

part of an unfinished suite based on the Carolinas, where Margaret lived with her family for

most of her adult life. Comparing the manuscripts from previous compositions, one can tell

from her notation and handwriting that she was in the decline of her life. She passed before

this collection was completed or published. This piece is reminiscent of a composition from

the same period, “Song of the Bird,” an Alfred Music sheet solo (currently out of print).

Levels: US, I • AMEB, 4 • ABRSM, 4 • RCM, 5/6

level guideUS AMEB1 ABRSM2 RCM3

Early Elementary (EE) Junior/Preparatory – Preparatory A

Elementary (E) Preliminary Initial Preparatory B

Late Elementary (LE) Grade 1 Grade 1 Levels 1/2

Early Intermediate (EI) Grade 2 Grade 2 Level 3

Intermediate (I) Grade 3 Grade 3 Level 4

Intermediate (I) Grade 4 Grade 4 Levels 5/6

Intermediate / Late Intermediate (I/LI)

Grade 5 Grade 5 Levels 6/7

Late Intermediate (LI) Grade 6 Grade 6 Levels 7/8

Late Intermediate / Early Advanced (LI/EA)

Grade 7 Grade 7 Levels 8/9

Early Advanced (EA) Grade 8 Grade 8 Levels 9/10

1 Australian Music Examinations Board2 Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music3 The Royal Conservatory of Music

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about this collectionBy Christopher Goldston

While Margaret Goldston was a piano teacher and church musician for many years, she

did not start composing until she was fifty years old. She produced numerous wonderful

compositions, sheets, collections, and arrangements in the twenty short years before her

death at age seventy, in 2003. Shortly after she died, I painstakingly went through boxes

of her manuscripts, identifying pieces that were already published, ones that were never

published, and compositions where only sketches remain. A few years later, in 2008, the

apartment building where I lived in Chicago experienced a huge fire. While most of my

belongings were lost, these manuscripts survived, albeit damaged.

My mother would be very excited about these pieces finally being released and the renewed

interest in her compositions. Usually, she would work carefully with an editor to revise and

improve her pieces. Since she does not have the luxury of that process, I am helping in

this capacity and revising pieces in her style as needed. Any editorial revisions are marked.

Eventually, I also hope to complete some of her sketches, where only a measure or phrase

is provided.

You will see a variety of styles in this collection. Her early compositions have a different and

unique harmonic language, reminiscent of Bartók and Kabalevsky, resembling some of her early

published works with Galaxy Music. Her Alfred Music compositions used a more accessible

language. Some of her more advanced, unpublished works (not included here) also resemble

some of her earlier work. I still have dozens of complete, unpublished pieces by Mom and

numerous sketches, many of which I still have not examined carefully. I look forward to sharing

more from this musical treasure trove in the months and years ahead. Enjoy!

—Christopher Goldston

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about the composerMargaret Goldston (1932–2003) was a composer, teacher, and

clinician. Born in Havana, Cuba, her family returned to New Orleans,

Louisiana, when she was seven years old, where her grandfather once

owned a piano store on Bourbon Street and directed the Shriners Band.

She studied piano and music theory privately for five years in New

Orleans universities. She earned her bachelor of music degree in piano

performance from Louisiana State University (LSU). In 1991, she was

honored as LSU’s School of Music Alumnus of the Year. She continued

postgraduate studies in education at Emory University in Atlanta.

Margaret studied composition privately for several years with Pulitzer

Prize–winning composer Robert Ward. She was commissioned to write

a piece for Clavier magazine in October 1990. Named the Composer of the Year for 1983 and 1994

by the North Carolina Federation of Music Clubs, she also was a National Federation of Music

Clubs (NFMC) convention speaker. Margaret served as composition/theory chair for the North

Carolina Music Teachers Association and was posthumously honored as a Foundation Fellow by

the Music Teachers National Association in 2020.

A dedicated teacher and composer, Margaret taught beginner through college-prep piano in her

North Carolina studio. Her students won numerous music scholarships and state competitions.

Margaret’s compositional style was unique and accessible, with the pieces often sounding

difficult while actually easy to play. Composer William Gillock said of her music, “Her pieces

are pianistic and carefully crafted to stay within the technical demands of their intended levels,

and she chooses subject matter that appeals to young students. Although Goldston’s style is

rooted in mainstream tradition, there is no mistaking the originality in her work; unexpected

harmonic sequences and rhythmic treatments, frequent departures from symmetrical form,

and unpredictable melodic variations make each piece distinctively her own” (Clavier, October

1990). In addition to her original piano solos, she was well known for her arrangements (of

simplified classics, hymns, and Christmas music) and equal-part duets. Margaret conducted

masterclasses, clinics, and teacher workshops throughout the United States and Canada. Her

compositions are well represented in contest lists, including the NFMC’s Federation Festivals

Bulletin. Her compositions, published by Alfred Music and Galaxy Music, are still widely used

today. Additional compositions are now being released posthumously as digital downloads at

www.chrisgoldston.com.

http://www.chrisgoldston.com

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Fireworks

Margaret Goldston

Copyright © 2021 by Christopher GoldstonAll rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction is illegal.

Level: LE

TMS | 9* The optional version has been editorially added as a simplified alternative.

*

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Olympiad

Margaret Goldston


Level: LE/EI

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Merry-Go-Round

Margaret Goldston

*


Level: EI

* The original pedaling is shown in parentheses. The suggested overlapping pedal helps to avoid a dry sound.

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Ferris Wheel

Margaret Goldston


Level: EI

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Rocking Chair

Margaret Goldston


Level: EI/I

*

* The original pedaling is shown in parentheses. The suggested overlapping pedal helps to avoid a dry sound.

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Rainy Night in a Small Beach Town

Margaret Goldston


Level: EI/I

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Prelude Ostinato

Margaret Goldston


Level: EI/I

*

* The slower tempo was marked in the original manuscript. The slightly faster tempo helps move the phrase along and makes the pacing of the dynamics easier.

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*

* The repeat and the RH 8va in measures 1–6 have been editorially suggested.

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Seagulls over Myrtle Beach

Margaret Goldston


Level: I

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