A contemporary minimalist-leaning canon by David Joseph Stith, characterized by a slow, evolving harmonic progression. The piece relies on simple linear development that prioritizes atmosphere over virtuosic display.
Focus on creating a seamless, singing tone that connects the phrases smoothly.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Canon is rated Henle level 3 of 9 — late beginner repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 4–5. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 5.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 3 — meaning you can already play level 2–3 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 Canon lasts about 3 minutes.
Canon 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 Bridal March by David Joseph Stith, Albumblatt by Johannes Brahms, Arrorró 'Los Niños Duermen' by Carmen Barradas — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.