Selected and reviewed by ANDREW EALES
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Eugénie Rocherolle (1936-2025) was born and raised in New Orleans. The music of the city would inspire her compositions throughout her life. She also spent formative time in France, studying with the legendary Nadia Boulanger in Paris, and later returning to explore the country with her growing family.
Although her career as a published composer began with choral and band music, Rocherolle’s teaching expertise and pianistic instincts soon propelled her to be one of the top educational piano composers of her generation.
In her later decades, Hal Leonard’s Eugénie Rocherolle Series brought well-deserved international fame, and grew to include more than 30 collections of original piano solos, duets, and superbly crafted arrangements of pop and jazz favourites.
Eugénie Rocherolle’s Reflective Piano Solos
Eugénie Rocherolle’s ‘Reflective Piano Solos” is the latest addition to the many superb publications in her Hal Leonard series. But is it what it seems?
Eugénie Rocherolle’s Romantic Stylings
“Romantic Stylings” is as easy to recommend as it is to review: eight superb and varied intermediate pieces, which are bound to bring joy to players at around UK Grade 4-5 level.
Eugénie Rocherolle’s Fantasia del Tango
For those who enjoy the tango genre, this collection is an easy winner, offering engaging material delivered with excellent attention to the needs of the intermediate player, and with genuine stylistic affection.
In Summer 2024, while preparing a compilation of her favourite works, Rocherolle was diagnosed with stomach cancer. The heart-breaking news focused attention on completing this long-planned anthology of pieces for Late Intermediate players (around UK Grades 5-6).
The Eugénie Rocherolle Collection includes two new, final compositions, and was ultimately completed by Hal Leonard editor Charmaine Siagian following the composer’s passing away on 4th March 2025.
Testament and Remembrance
From first impressions, it is clear that this collection is not only a significant tribute to Rocherolle’s remarkable contribution to the piano education repertoire, but also serves as a joyful celebration of a cherished colleague and friend.
The bright covers of The Eugénie Rocherolle Series are replaced with a tasteful, high-quality cover with a matte finish, featuring a gorgeous floral tribute..
Within, the book begins with a personal introduction by Siagian, intimately recalling the development of the publication during the composer’s last months. She explains that Rocherolle chose 12 pieces and composed two brand new ones (Memories and October Swing), before asking her editor to complete the task.
Siagian chose a trio of the composer’s French-inspired pieces, and two poignant pieces which seemed particularly fitting: Adagio (which Rocherolle composed for a friend’s funeral) and the Wedding Procession, written for her own marriage ceremony in 1960.
Siagian notes that for this publication she lighted edited some pieces, giving them new layouts, and including less fingering and pedalling than the originals. I personally think that the editorial suggestions throughout are ample, and technically well considered.
Siagian’s introduction is followed by a series of short homages, which are written by five colleagues whose work was impacted by Rocherolle’s. These further underline the respect and warmth shared by those who knew the composer, and whose musical lives were touched by hers.
Reminiscence | Delight
Both a eulogy and a celebration, The Eugénie Rocherolle Collection is a book of two halves; as Siagian puts it in her introduction,
“It is divided into two sections: REMINISCENCE and DELIGHT. Both are presented in a suggested order of study while cognisant of page turns. Many of the pieces in Reminiscence showcase her trademark beautiful bittersweet melodies, but the more extensive part of the book is, as she often was, upbeat and full of life.”
These are the pieces which the composer and editor selected for the first half of the anthology:
réminiscence | reminiscence:
• Adagio
• Le Long Du Boulevard (Along The Boulevard)
• Danza De Amor
• Memories
• Last Dance
• Nuit Sans Etoiles (Night Without Stars)
• Les Avenues De Paris
• Small Town Blues
• October Swing
• Rapsodie
These pieces certainly highlight the variety of Rocherolle’s music, and in particular her gifts for memorable melody and vivid character.
Adagio is an immediate favourite, with an expressivity that is sincere without being sentimental. Noting Siagian’s point that the pieces appear in suggested order of study, I should however advise that the key here is D-flat (placing it in Grade 5 territory, although otherwise too easy for that grade).
The French-inspired pieces remind me of William Gillock’s similar fascination with all things Parisienne, and would make an engaging three-movement concert item. A matching parallel exists in the two composers’ enthusiasm for New Orleans culture, which here imbues the easygoing jazz vibe of Small Town Blues.
Both of Rocherolle’s new pieces appear in this section. I especially enjoyed the nostalgia of Memories, while October Swing recalls the glamour of an earlier chapter in America’s musical story with its echoes of the Great American Songbook, and notably Hoagy Carmichael.
The second half of the book unfolds with these pieces:
plaisir | delight:
• Bourbon Street Beat
• Ojos De Coqueta
• Tango Caprichoso
• Prime Time
• Fiesta!
• Carnival Capers
• Jambalaya – A Portrait Of Old New Orleans
• Festival Sonatina
• Wedding Processional
Here, Rocherolle’s affinity with traditional jazz, Latin, show-tunes, and her gift for writing apt and accessible piano solos in a variety of styles, is still more apparent.
Bourbon Street Beat, Prime Time, and Carnival Capers will no doubt remain popular, their infectious sense of fun motivating another generation of learners, while Ojos de Coqueta (Teasing Eyes) and Tango Caprichoso are great choices from Rocherolle’s Fantasia del Tango, reviewed here.
The Eugénie Rocherolle Collection reaches a climax with two of her longer works. The most substantial by far is Jambalaya (A Portrait of Old New Orleans), which the composer offers with this epithet:
”Remembering New Orleans the way she used to be, and the victims of the storm who have had to say goodbye.”
Across eleven pages, this extended vignette channels the rich and vibrant musical heritage of the great city, from Ragtime to Stride, Jazz Ballad to Boogie Woogie; learners might balk at the challenging length, but the piece will certainly reward their efforts and make for an enjoyable concert item.
The three-movement Festival Sonatina would have been an excellent addition to Hal Leonard’s superb Sonatina Collection, which I reviewed here and consider another of this year’s publishing highlights.
As with all the pieces in this collection, Rocherolle’s good natured sense of fun and her irrepressible knack for spinning a good tune shine throughout, ensuring continuing motivation in the practice room.
Closing Thoughts
Eugénie Rocherolle was surely one of America’s most substantial piano education composers after William Gillock; The Eugénie Rocherolle Collection offers a superbly rewarding introduction to her work, and a glowing memorial to one of the true greats of the piano pedagogy literature.
The genuine affection with which the collection has been put together is palpable, making this both an impressive testament to Rocherolle’s enduring musical legacy, and a touching affirmation of her inspiring personality and impact on colleagues.
Whether you are a latecomer to Rocherolle’s music, or an existing fan who is considering acquiring this valedictory monument to her lasting achievement, I think that you are highly unlikely to be disappointed by the treasures within.
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