A deeply expressive piece by Jeff Manookian that utilizes rich, lush harmonies. Its shifting tonal center creates a sense of lingering, unresolved sadness.
Mastering the wide-span chords while maintaining a singing tone in the upper voice is essential.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Before the Fall of Night is rated Henle level 6 of 9 — advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 7–8. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 8.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 6 — meaning you can already play level 5–6 pieces cleanly. Learning it one level early is possible as a stretch piece, but more than that usually leads to months of frustration.
A typical performance of Before the Fall of Night lasts about 5 minutes.
Before the Fall of Night is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.
Pieces at a comparable difficulty and character include All'Antica by Jeff Manookian, Cadenzas to Mozart's Piano Concerto No.17 by Jeff Manookian, Cadenzas to Mozart's Piano Concerto No.13 by Jeff Manookian — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.