Premiered by Charles Abramovic at the Old Library at Bryn Mawr College. 

The Periodic Table is a piece and a project dedicated to Nicholas Patruno and Primo Levi, two people, one who I knew personally as a teacher and one who I only knew through their writing.

This is a solo piano work inspired by Primo Levi’s book by the same name with its 21 chapters being recreated in 21 movements.  The format and structure of each movement is guided by Nicolas Patruno’s book, Understanding Primo Levi.  Throughout the piece there are references to books Levi read, ancestral migrations, modern collaborators, regional specifics, and more. There are themes running throughout the book of Levi as establishing his identity, the love of his work in the field of chemistry, the women he loved, and the Fascism he endured and fought against his entire life. Most importantly, there is the theme of memory; bearing witness for those lost and the continuation to speak the truth when people wish it suppressed.

Album Art by Becky Joy Art

The Periodic Table

Premiered by Charles Abramovic at the Old Library at Bryn Mawr College.

Cerium is a story from Levi’s time in Auschwitz. His struggle for survival is given to the performer as the hands, both in extreme registers, are switched, essentially binding the performance. The lower register oppressively hammers away while the upper whispers the themes of Levi’s identity.

Chapter 11 - Cerium

Premiered by Charles Abramovic at the Old Library at Bryn Mawr College.

Potassium begins the evolution of Levi’s relationship with Chemistry and ends, like Hydrogen, in an explosion. In the rise of Fascism, Levi begins to find fault with Chemistry and turns to Physics.

Chapter 5 - Potassium

Premiered by Charles Abramovic at the Old Library at Bryn Mawr College.

Iron is for Sandro and for the bearing witness. Sandro is a figure whose influence and sharing of different areas of knowledge, stayed with Levi throughout his life. Using a fragment of a folk song from the region Sandro alongside Levi’s own theme, creates this sharing, and emerges in various other movements.

Chapter 4 - Iron

Premiered by Charles Abramovic at the Old Library at Bryn Mawr College.

We continue to introduce motives in Zinc with the arrival of fascism and the lifelong influences it had on Levi. Here, he is starting to become isolated, and he comes to accept and embrace his role of the “impurity”, bringing the flavor and activity in life. He emerges with a victory with the hand holding of Rita, joining together so-called impurity and purity in a tender moment.

Chapter 3 - Zinc

Premiered by Charles Abramovic at the Old Library at Bryn Mawr College. 

Hydrogen sets the stage for Levi’s relationship with chemistry and work. Using the idea of Prometheus in a setting of a slightly off-kilter Bach prelude, here we have the youthful passion for chemistry, learning to understand the makeup of the world, and the sometime unfortunate results when experiments go wrong.

Chapter 2 - Hydrogen

Premiered by Charles Abramovic at the Old Library at Bryn Mawr College. 

Argon is where we start our tale, with the stories of Levi’s ancestors and their very particular quirks and stories. They emerge from the misty past, with their tales passed down through generations, becoming clearer as we move forward through history. Here is the musical family tree with each family member listed, ending with the introduction of Primo Levi within a background that has motion but is still inert.

Chapter 1 - Argon

Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, and Neal Kosály-Meyer, July 21, 2003

Banned Rehearsal 653 030721

Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, and Neal Kosály-Meyer, August 8, 1998

Banned Rehearsal 503 980808

arrangement of the titular tune as found in an 1846  shape note song book

107 Milburn 250720 [250720]

Contemporary classical and jazz-fusion experimental song to represent and condemn the harrowing conditions of the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip.

Playground in Gaza

This piece celebrates the inner satisfaction of accomplishment and recognition.
Thank you so much for giving it a listen!  That means more to me than you may know.


Pride And Honor

Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, and Aaron Keyt, May 27, 1988

Banned Rehearsal 138 880527

Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, and Neal Kosály-Meyer, July 21, 2008

Banned Rehearsal 742 080721

Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Aaron Keyt, and Neal Kosály-Meyer, October 28, 2013

Banned Rehearsal 846 131028

arrangement of the titular tune as found in an 1846 shape note song book

108 Ashley 250727 [250727]

Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Steve Kennedy, Aaron Keyt, and Neal Kosály-Meyer, July 28, 2025

Banned Rehearsl 1130 250728

Also known as George. A Montana-born freelance composer and teacher; gardener and reader; thinker and walker. 

Photo Credit: Sonya Harris

Chapter 11 - Cerium

Jessi Harvey

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