https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SYROYYYOc8


?At Last? was composed by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical ?Sun Valley Serenade? in 1941. It was recorded by Glenn Miller and his orchestra, becoming a chart hit in 1942, and in 1960 by Etta James, who was subsequently inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The song is a frequent wedding favourite for quartets.

Why chose my arrangement?

This is a song from my gig repertoire, and as such I have spent a long time on the piano part to make sure that it lies under the fingers. I have assigned the opening to the piano as it is tricky, even for very experienced violin players, and I shortened the introduction to make it more appropriate for concerts, wedding venues and pub gigs. I have also made the piano notation slightly smaller so that it falls onto two pages. It?s very important for a live performance to be able to see it easily. And unlike some sheet music that you can buy, I make sure the treble and bass clefs are easy to read?.very few horrible ledger lines!

The violin part has difficult rhythms but I enclose a midi version to help you. (Watch the video) Having said that, although the pianist needs to hold a steady pulse, the violin part can be extremely varied and you can play around with the tune as much as you like. I have included a cadenza that my daughter sings in live performances, but feel free to change it, or miss it out altogether.

I have also included an Easy Violin version for your pupils, or as a way in to working on the more difficult version.

My tips for the performance.

The first piano chord is tricky, but works if you do a glissando in the left hand, and land on the A on the first beat of the bar. I tried many different spacings of the chord but this is the one that sounded best. I have largely written a quaver accompaniment throughout the song, but sometimes I hint at it rather than playing it literally. There are some fingerings that I have found helpful, but feel free to change them, of course! The same goes for my bowing. Take as many bows as you need to feel comfortable.

This book contains 16 original songs for solo violin and piano all written between Dec 2017-July 2018 in lyrical, romantic and sacred styles and perfect for weddings, recitals and sacred settings. There is a separate violin part for each song in the score and many of the piano parts can also function as independent solos. Every song in the book is available separately making this a good resource for teachers and students. While the YT video is of "Flee as a Bird" the MP3 is of the 2nd piece, "Prelude in D minor." This book is soon to be followed by Vol. II "Visions of Romance" and Vol. III "Visions of Reflection." James Michael Stevens is a prolific composer residing in Nashville, TN and serves as the Music Department Chairman of Welch College. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66fdddd5YbE