Black and White, Op. 40, is a three-movement solo piano composition completed in 1982. Its title refers to a distinctive performance constraint: the left hand plays exclusively on the black keys, while the right hand is limited to the white keys. This strict division of the keyboard creates a simultaneous layering of two contrasting pitch collections, resulting in a bitonal or dual-modal texture. The resulting sonority has been described as both original and evocative.
Despite its unconventional pitch organization, the work is carefully structured, with clearly defined formal outlines and motivic development. At the same time, its surface conveys a sense of improvisational freedom. The piece unfolds in three movements. A short Prélude opens the cycle, immersing the listener in a sonic landscape shaped by the juxtaposition of two distinct tonal systems. A brief pedal tone at the close of the Prélude introduces a subtle shift in atmosphere and leads seamlessly into the central Intermezzo.
The Intermezzo has a more insistent, narrative character. Its nostalgic lyricism has drawn comparisons to the spirit of Brahms’s finest intermezzi, combining romantic expressiveness with modern harmonic language. The concluding Postlude returns to a more introspective tone. Its bell-like textures and darker sonorities, resonating with memory and echo, bring the piece to a reflective and poetic close.
Harmonically, the division between black and white keys results in frequent contrasts between pentatonic or modal figures and diatonic ones. This produces mild dissonances and rich colorations without sacrificing accessibility. The rhythmic language shifts across movements: while the Intermezzo is more rhythmically driven, the outer movements are more rhapsodic and rubato in nature. Overall, the rhythmic texture remains approachable, emphasizing lyrical phrasing, waltz-like motion, and bell-like tolling at key structural moments.
Van Rossum’s compositional voice in Black and White exemplifies what has been termed his “Romantic expressionist tradition,” moderated by contemporary techniques. The piece strikes a delicate balance between expressive depth, modern harmonic explorations, and formal clarity.
Black and White is part of van Rossum’s mature output for piano. Frederik van Rossum (1939–2025) was a Belgian composer, virtuoso pianist, and influential teacher. A student of Marcel Quinet and André Souris, his music is rooted in a post-Romantic idiom enriched by modern harmonic and formal innovations.
Van Rossum wrote extensively for piano throughout his career, producing large-scale collections of miniatures, preludes, and other works. Black and White was composed just two years after his First Violin Concerto (Op. 37) was selected as the test piece for the 1980 Queen Elisabeth Competition—a high-profile recognition that signaled his place among the leading figures of Belgium’s contemporary music scene.
The work also follows a series of experimental pieces for keyboard. Notably, a decade earlier van Rossum had written Three Short Pieces for the White Keys (Op. 31), a collection of tributes restricted to the piano’s white keys. In Black and White, he expanded on this approach by dividing the keyboard between the hands rather than focusing exclusively on one pitch set. This reflects a broader late 20th-century trend toward exploring new sonic possibilities and technical limitations, comparable to modal or aleatoric experiments by other composers of the time.
Yet van Rossum’s music consistently retained a lyrical quality and a structural rigor. His piano writing has been praised for its formal control, rhythmic variety, sensitive touch, and poetic expressiveness—qualities already present in earlier works and fully realized in Black and White. The composition thus demonstrates his ability to integrate modern harmonic ideas, such as layered modal systems, with a classical sense of form and narrative expression.
Composed in 1982, Black and White is believed to have premiered shortly thereafter, likely performed by the composer himself. Van Rossum, a skilled pianist, frequently introduced his own works in concert. In 1983, he recorded Black and White along with other compositions for a dedicated LP titled Piano Works – Vol. 1, suggesting that the piece had entered his active repertoire by the early 1980s.
Although exact details of the public premiere remain uncertain, the 1983 recording—made in Brussels—offered broad exposure for the piece. Given van Rossum’s prominence in Belgian musical circles, it is probable that the work was performed in recitals in Brussels and at contemporary music festivals during the mid-1980s. The score was later published, ensuring its availability to other performers. Since then, Black and White has been programmed occasionally by pianists with an interest in 20th-century Belgian repertoire.
The critical response to Black and White has been favorable. Reviewers have praised the originality and expressiveness of its black-key/white-key conception, noting its fresh and evocative sonic palette. Within the context of van Rossum’s discography, the work has been cited as a particularly striking example of his artistry. One commentator remarked that Black and White and similar works confirm van Rossum as one of the most distinctive Belgian composers of his generation—combining technical sophistication with emotional sincerity.
The Intermezzo’s Brahmsian overtones have been especially appreciated, lending the piece a romantic warmth that resonates within its modernist framework. Likewise, the Postlude’s shimmering, bell-like sonorities have been described as haunting and imbued with memory, adding to the work’s emotional impact.
Overall, Black and White is regarded as both accessible and artistically refined. It has often been recommended as an ideal introduction to van Rossum’s musical world. As one critic observed, the composer’s piano cycles—including this work—offer perhaps the most compelling gateway into his singular blend of tradition and innovation.
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