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Wild Flowers, by Ida M. Larkins.

Wild flowers cover

“Wild Flowers” is a late intermediate piano piece by composer Ida M. Larkins, and was first published in 1905 by the Pioneer Music Publishing Company in Chicago. It is a waltz with quite a bit of repeated material throughout, written in the typical style of parlor sheet music. The melody introduced on the first page is developed throughout the piece with changes in registration and ornamentation, as well as changing dynamics, making it musically engaging even while the basic figures repeat. The character markings written throughout the piece can help students connect to the changing moods of the music. This could be a great piece for working on phrase shaping and larger leaps in the left hand. It also contains several passages with larger chords and octaves in both hands, so this piece would work best for a student who could reach octaves and would be able to play them without introducing too much tension. 

Ida M. Larkins (fl. 1905) was a Black American composer of solo piano music and vaudeville songs at the turn of the twentieth century. She collaborated with her husband John Larkins to write popular songs for vaudeville teams including Bert Williams and George Walker.

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Wild Flowers, by Ida M. Larkins. Performed by Lizzie French.