Piano Solo

Level: Late Intermediate

One of the popular Arthurian Legends states that Merlin the magician took Arthur Pendragon at birth to save his life – not just from his own father, Uther, but also from enemies who would not want him to be king. His name changed to Emrys, Arthur was raised in secrecy. It was not until he was in his early teens that Uther – who had no other sons – sent for the young Arthur, so that he could be declared Uther’s legitimate heir to the throne. As we know from history, life does not always turn out the way we imagine it would for a person of royal birth, but at this point in his life, nothing could dampen the excitement that young Emrys experienced when he first learned that he was a prince! That is the spirit of this piece – from the innocence of one small child raised in obscurity, to the wisdom of one of the greatest kings that history has ever revealed.

As for our grandson, Paxton, he is not of royal birth. But if he were – would he be raised differently from a “normal” child?  An intriguing question!