English.

Carl Orff devoted much of his life to the development of a philosophy of Music for Children, based on his belief that music is the natural outcome of speech, rhythm and movement. His ideas and pioneering work have had a major influence on music and dance education throughout the world and today that work continues under the guidance of leading teachers and educators in many countries. The five basic German volumes of Music for Children by Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman were published between 1950 and 1954. Editions have since been published in Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Ghana, Great Britain (including a special Welsh edition), Greece, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latin-America, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan and the USA. In 1952 the first edition in translation appeared an English language adaptation by Doreen Hall and Arnold Walter for their Canadian and American students. A few years later, Margaret Murray independently developed a version (1957-1966), essentially to fulfil the needs of United Kingdom teachers. Inevitably the considerable growth of Orff-Schulwerk in the United States led to the publication of the American Edition (1977) to satisfy the requirements of a different educational system and national heritage. Orff-Schulwerk: Music for Children has proved itself to be a stimulating source of material for music teaching. Carl Orff's fundamental educational ideas have revitalized music education in nursery schools, at all levels of primary and secondary education and in special music schools, based on the concepts that: - music, dance and language are inter-related and animated through rhythm. - when children discover, invent, improvise and compose, their experience of music is intensified. These creative activities are complementary to those of interpreting and listening to music. - all who take part are encouraged to contribute, not only vocally but also instrumentally. - the Orff approach to music education is many sided. it is concerned with practical music-making, it provides fundamental experiences and it lays the foundation for a comprehensive musical training. - movement games and activities for body awareness in space, time and flow, lead to movement improvisation and dance forms. - music and dance have been notated in many different ways in history. Various ways of writing down sounds and music, as well as playing from and interpreting different kinds of sources are being explored. Today, countless teachers and institutions are using these ideas. More and more teachers look for ways of involving their students in active music making. In particular, they seek to challenge their pupils' creativity by the use of music, dance and speech - as media of human expression - as a foundation of all education. A prerequisite for work in Orff-Schulwerk is the artistic and pedagogical training of teachers. The Orff Institute was founded in 1961 as a Department of the 'Mozarteum', in Salzburg, Austria. Training offered includes a four-year diploma course, a two-year post-graduate course, and a one-year-course in English. At the opening of the Orff Institute in Salzburg in 1963, Carl Orff ended his speech with a quotation from Schiller: 'I have done my part, now do yours.' That challenge has been taken up by teachers worldwide. Murray Edition English adaption, with additional material, by Margaret Murray. Besed on, and containing all the rhythmic and instrumental material from the main five volumes of the original German edition. Contents of this fifth volume: Songs and pieces making further use of the modes introduced in Vol. 4, with the addition of the more usual forms of the minor scale with the sharpened seventh. The settings of short dramatic scenes concludes the book.

ISBN 9781429139526. Orchestrated by Mark T Barnard.

Especially effective with combined choirs, this piece celebrates music in a unique way, starting with the silence of the earth before music. The optional orchestration is designed with versatility in mind, as the full instrumentation is not required to be effective.

German.

An important addition to our newly produced orchestral materials is the first publication of vocal scores of Wagner's ten great operas, in every important version, based on the Complete Edition.

The score corresponds to the performance materials from the Complete Edition.
For practical use in rehearsal cues and bar numbers throughout.
The publisher has secured the services of renewed musicologists associated with the Richard Wagner Complete Edition who convey detailed information in critical forewords.
The forewords are given in three languages(German, English, French).
Uniform and attractive front cover designs with reproductions of paintings from the Wagner era underline the series design of the edition.

DIE WALKURE

In the tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen [The Ring of the Nibelung] which was subtitled by Wagner as A stage festival play for three days and a preliminary evening, Die Walkure [The Valkyrie] forms the first day following Das Rheingold as the preliminary evening. The beginning of the history of the origins of the tetralogy is frequently placed in 1848 when Wagner compiled a prose sketch entitled Die Nibelungensage (Erstschrift) [The Nibelung Saga (first draft)] or Die Sage von den Nibelungen (Reinschrift) [The Saga of the Niblelungs (fair copy)] which would suggest that this was already the text for the Ring des Nibelungen, but the actual concept for the tetralogy did not actually evolve until the autumn of 1851. When Wagner first compiled the libretto for the heroic opera Siegfried's Tod [Siegfried's Death] in November 1848 - during his period of employment as Hofkapellmeister[court music director] in Dresden - he was in fact only planning a single opera and continued to adhere to this concept even after his involvement in the failed Dresden uprising in 1849 and subsequent escape to Switzerland. He began with the composition of Siegfried's Tod in the summer of 1850 in Zurich, but soon laid it aside. He returned to the project almost a year later in May 1851 with the idea of a two-part drama: to lend the plot greater conclusiveness, Siegfried's Tod would be preceded by a second opera entitled Der junge Siegfried [The Young Siegfried], subsequently shortened to Siegfried, but this extension was still insufficient to satisfy Wagner's dramatic-dramaturgic aspirations. In November 1851, he began the first text drafts for Das Rheingold and Die Walkure which were followed by the libretti in 1852: Die Walkure was completed in June 1852.

The premiere of Die Walkure was held in Munich on 26 June 1870, but without Wagner's specific permission as he did not wish the operas to be performed separately. He held the opinion that Die Walkure was only logical and comprehendible within the context of the complete tetralogy. Wagner had however not only made a present of the autograph score to King Ludwig II of Bavaria who had been his generous benefactor since 1864, but had also sold him the rights to the tetralogy. The king was eager to experience performances of the already finished parts and Wagner was therefore powerless to prevent him from commanding performances of the individual operas. The premiere of Die Walkure within the context of the tetralogy took place in 1876 at the first Bayreuth Festival.

(Egon Voss, quoted from the foreword of the new Die Walkure vocal score. translated by Lindsay Chalmers-Gerbracht)

The ever popular Christmas poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas", has been arranged as a musical dialogue between a Narrator and an SAB choir with Piano accompaniment. Interspersed within the poem are three Christmas carols to help propel the story ("Jolly Old St. Nicholas with "Upon On The Housetop", "Jolly Santa Claus Is Here", and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"). Accessible and appropriate for any school or concert setting.

The best way to learn any instrument is to have lessons from a good, experienced teacher. Although, happily, the number of such teachers is constantly growing, the recorder is still frequently taught by enthusiastic but inexperienced teachers and many players start by teaching themselves. This series of books sets out to help learners of all ages in all three situations. Experienced teachers, who may choose to disregard much of the text as personal demonstration is always clearer than the written word, will find exercises and fine tunes a-plenty to support their own method at each stage. The less experienced will benefit from many valuable teaching hints culled from long experience and may rely on the books to lead to a sound playing technique and a mastery of simple notation. Those learning by themselves - and I started in this way - are urged to work carefully and systematically through the books, taking plenty of time to assimilate each point before moving on. For them, without the personal model provided by a live teacher, it is vitally important to listen as often as possible to fine players, in person or on record, so that they have in their mind's ear a clear notion of the kind of sound they would like to produce. But however they start, I can only wish that all who use these books will derive as much pleasure and musical satisfaction and gain as many lasting and valued friendships as I have through this most subtle, delightful and sociable of instruments. (Brian Bonsor) "...this work is likely to become a standard work very quickly and is to be recommended to all schools where recorder studies are undertaken" (Oliver James, Contact Magazine) Descant Tutors provide a sound-playing technique, a mastery of simple notation and contain 570 tunes including concert pieces by Bonsor, carols, attractive rounds, and melodies by 'early music' composers. Clear line drawings greatly assist the pupil, making them especially suitable for self-instruction.