Duration: 4:55, Score: 6 pages, Solo part: 1 page, piano part: 2 pages. A very famous aria (Ombra mai fu) from "Xerxes"
Suitable for any venue requiring meditative music. Excellent choice for a recital encore.

Xerxes
Xerxes is, in fact, an opera seria in three acts by Handel. Moreover, Handel conducted the premiere performance in London in 1738. Handel casts the opera in Persia in 470 BC. The part of Xerxes was indeed originally sung by a soprano castrato. Nowadays, the part is generally sung by a mezzo-soprano or conversely a counter-tenor. In the first place, Xerxes sings an opening aria, Ombra mai fu to a plane tree. Handel sets this aria to one of his most truly famous melodies. Although many refer to it traditionally as Handel?s ?Largo,? Handel has, on the contrary, clearly marked "Larghetto" in the score.

Handel Background
George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759) was born in Germany, but eventually became a British citizen. Nonetheless, he was a famous Baroque composer. In fact, he became famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems, and organ concertos. Handel studied music and, by and large, worked as a composer in Germany and Italy before moving to London. On the whole, Handel was very familiar with the contemporary music of Italy and Germany.

Career in England
It is important to realize that Italian opera was all the rage in England at the time. Moreover, Handel was really good at writing them. Therefore, he started not one but three opera companies in England. Alexander's Feast was a huge success in 1736, but Handel nevertheless began composing English choral works. After success with the Messiah in 1742) he certainly never again wrote an Italian opera. Consequently, he died in 1759, a treasured genius. Accordingly, the English government gave him full state honors at his funeral. Hence, he is buried in Westminster Abbey in London.

Legacy
Music historians agree that Handel was in general one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era. To demonstrate, his works such as the Messiah, Water Music, and Music for the Royal Fireworks remain consistently popular up to the present time. He especially composed the coronation anthem, Zadok the Priest for the coronation of George II. Nevertheless, it has specifically been performed at every succeeding British coronation since. His oratorio Solomon has by all means also continued to be prevalent. As a matter of fact, the Sinfonia from act 3 was featured the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. Handel was particularly prolific. To enumerate, he wrote over forty operas. Since the late 1960s, we have expressly experienced a revival of baroque music. Similarly, we have especially seen a pique of interest in historically informed musical performance. Since his death in 1779, interest in Handel's music has, all in all, expanded.



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This album contains 5 of Johann Sebastian Bach\'s most famous and versatile pieces for saxophone quintet, all very well suited for the beginners who want to get to know the baroque repertoire. They are also suitable for performances at events such as: weddings, Christian and church ceremonies, Easter, and academic recitals or concerts. They can be used in music institutions and by teachers as repertoire material and study methods, either for performance or instrumental technique. This collection includes a totally free bonus for you to enjoy: Martin Luther\'s A Mighty Fortress is Our God, a Renaissance sacred song for choir, which has been adapted for this set. You can also buy each one individually by checking right at the end of each description of each work.

1: Air on the G String - The original piece is part of Johann Sebastian Bach\'s Suite No. 3 for orchestra, in D Major, BWV 1068, written for Prince Leopold of Anhalt. The so-called \"Air on the G String\" dates from one of these latter employments. In the service of the Prince of Cöthen, Bach composed not only the famous Brandenburg Concertos, but also several orchestral suites, from the third of which comes the \"Air on the G String\". This curious title derives from a later arrangement of this piece for violin solo, in which the melody is played entirely on the lower, higher string of the instrument. ID: S0.1189781

2: Arioso - The Cantata 156 (BWV 156) was written for the third Sunday after Epiphany in 1729, and was first performed on January 23 of that year. The text is by Picander, one of Bach\'s favorite librettists. Of the four cantatas written by Bach for the feast, it was the last and only one scored for solo voice. This is a choral cantata, employing a choral melody in several movements. Cantata 156, in fact, employs two different choral melodies and texts in the second and sixth movements. A cantata is a sung symphony consisting of several parts, one of which is the Arioso, which is the initial instrumental part. ID: S0.1189985

3: Jesu, joy of man\'s desiring - This is one of Bach\'s most beautiful cantatas, made famous by the Jesus the Joy of Men chorus. It was originally composed for Advent 1716 in Weimar. Years later, already in Leipzig, Advent was tempus clausum, there was no music in the churches. Bach then reworked it for the Feast of Mary\'s Visitation. It is the final chorale of the cantata \"Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben\". Although it is the 32nd cantata composed by Bach, of those that have survived, it was given BWV 147 in the complete catalog of his works. ID: S0.1190041

4: O Jesulein süss, o Jesulein mild - The Jesulein süß, the Jesulein mild is an original traditional German choral melody for voice and continuous bass arranged by Johann Sebastian Bach around 1735. With lyrics by Valentin Thilo, O Jesulein süss is a sacred melody adapted and catalogued as BWV 493. The first translation is by Dirk van Hogendorp, who made it more of a song for the time of suffering. ID: S0.1190181

5: Minuet in G major - This famous piece has traditionally been attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach, as it appears in the Notebook for Anna Magdalena , a notebook that Bach gave to his wife Anna Magdalena in 1725 and which was to be filled with the favorite selections of Bach family members. However, recent research has concluded that this minuet, sometimes referred to as BWV Anhang 114. was probably composed by Christian Petzold, a German composer and organist contemporary with Bach. ID: S0.1190377

Bonuses: A Mighty Fortress is Our God, by Martin Luther - Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott is a hymn written by Martin Luther probably before 1529. The melody was also considered his work for a long time, but it was created at least with the collaboration of Johann Walter. The song is of great symbolic power for Protestantism.

This is a book of popular pieces arranged for duet; it comprises both volumes from the '15 Duets for Fun' series, making a total of 30 duets in this set. The difficulty levels range from early-intermediate to advanced, and should provide something for everyone to enjoy. The pieces have been arranged so that both parts are interesting throughout - they often interweave and take on many roles within the music. A duet score is provided for each piece, and the repertoire covers wedding music, slow melodies, traditional Welsh melodies, baroque classics, famous symphonic melodies, piano works and other popular pieces. Music is provided in B flat treble and concert pitch bass clefs. This is the full list:

1. All Through The Night (Welsh trad.)
2. Amazing Grace (Newton)
3. American Patrol (Meacham)
4. David of the White Rock (Welsh trad.)
5. Fanfare from ?Water Music? (Handel)
6. Happy Birthday
7. Largo from ?Xerxes? (Handel)
8. Myfanwy (Welsh trad.)
9. Pizzicati from ?Sylvia? (Delibes)
10. Prelude in C (Bach)
11. La Réjouissance from ?Music for the Royal Fireworks? (Handel)
12. Rondo from ?Abdelazer? (Purcell)
13. Scherzo from Symphony No. 2 (Beethoven)
14. Suo Gan (Welsh trad.)
15. Concerto for Mandolin and Strings (Ugolino)
16. The Entertainer (Scott Joplin)
17. Highlights from Rhapsody In Blue (Gershwin)
18. The Blue Danube Waltz (Johann Strauss II)
19. Six Christmas Pieces, No.5 (Mendelssohn)
20. Für Elise (Beethoven)
21. In The Hall Of The Mountain King (Grieg)
22. Trumpet Voluntary (Jeremiah Clarke)
23. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik No.1 (Mozart)
24. The Londonderry Air / Danny Boy (trad.)
25. Symphony No.5, Mvt.1 (Beethoven)
26. Rondo Alla Turca (Mozart)
27. ?Autumn? from ?The Four Seasons? (Vivaldi)
28. ?Ode to Joy? from Symphony No.9 (Beethoven)
29. March of the Toy Soldiers from ?The Nutcracker? (Tchaikovsky)
30. Prelude from ?Te Deum? (Charpentier)