Les Bor�ades is a trag�die lyrique mise en musique, or a lyric tragedy put into music, a type of opera, in five acts by Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764). It is the last of his five such works. The libretto, attributed to Louis de Cahusac (1706?1759), is loosely based on the Greek legend of Abaris the Hyperborean and includes Masonic elements; the Bor�ades are the descendants of Bor�as.


'The Arts and The Hours' interlude from Rameau?s final opera, ?Les Bor�ades?, written in 1763 when Rameau was 80. �lafsson transcribed it for the modern piano because its colourful resonance allows for new and interesting textural possibilities in a piece that seems so ahead of its time: its rich harmonies of suspended 9ths and 11ths one could almost imagine Mahler writing in the late 19th century. In the original opera, based on a Greek legend, the interlude bears a somewhat lengthy title: ?The Arrival of the Muses, Zephyrs, Seasons, Hours and the Arts.? As all these mythical beings summoned to the stage have something to do with the arts and with time?s passing, �lafsson allowed himself to call my transcription simply ?The Arts and the Hours?, with a nod to the Greek aphorism best known in its Latin version as ?Ars longa, vita brevis?. Almost three centuries after his death, the legacy of his art is still growing, with works still being discovered, premiered and brought back from obscurity.

Les Bor�ades is a trag�die lyrique mise en musique, or a lyric tragedy put into music, a type of opera, in five acts by Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764). It is the last of his five such works. The libretto, attributed to Louis de Cahusac (1706?1759), is loosely based on the Greek legend of Abaris the Hyperborean and includes Masonic elements; the Bor�ades are the descendants of Bor�as.


'The Arts and The Hours' interlude from Rameau?s final opera, ?Les Bor�ades?, written in 1763 when Rameau was 80. �lafsson transcribed it for the modern piano because its colourful resonance allows for new and interesting textural possibilities in a piece that seems so ahead of its time: its rich harmonies of suspended 9ths and 11ths one could almost imagine Mahler writing in the late 19th century. In the original opera, based on a Greek legend, the interlude bears a somewhat lengthy title: ?The Arrival of the Muses, Zephyrs, Seasons, Hours and the Arts.? As all these mythical beings summoned to the stage have something to do with the arts and with time?s passing, �lafsson allowed himself to call my transcription simply ?The Arts and the Hours?, with a nod to the Greek aphorism best known in its Latin version as ?Ars longa, vita brevis?. Almost three centuries after his death, the legacy of his art is still growing, with works still being discovered, premiered and brought back from obscurity.



https://youtu.be/qTwqBVt2Clw

Les Bor�ades is a trag�die lyrique mise en musique, or a lyric tragedy put into music, a type of opera, in five acts by Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764). It is the last of his five such works. The libretto, attributed to Louis de Cahusac (1706?1759), is loosely based on the Greek legend of Abaris the Hyperborean and includes Masonic elements; the Bor�ades are the descendants of Bor�as.


'The Arts and The Hours' interlude from Rameau?s final opera, ?Les Bor�ades?, written in 1763 when Rameau was 80. �lafsson transcribed it for the modern piano because its colourful resonance allows for new and interesting textural possibilities in a piece that seems so ahead of its time: its rich harmonies of suspended 9ths and 11ths one could almost imagine Mahler writing in the late 19th century. In the original opera, based on a Greek legend, the interlude bears a somewhat lengthy title: ?The Arrival of the Muses, Zephyrs, Seasons, Hours and the Arts.? As all these mythical beings summoned to the stage have something to do with the arts and with time?s passing, �lafsson allowed himself to call my transcription simply ?The Arts and the Hours?, with a nod to the Greek aphorism best known in its Latin version as ?Ars longa, vita brevis?. Almost three centuries after his death, the legacy of his art is still growing, with works still being discovered, premiered and brought back from obscurity.

Les Bor�ades is a trag�die lyrique mise en musique, or a lyric tragedy put into music, a type of opera, in five acts by Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764). It is the last of his five such works. The libretto, attributed to Louis de Cahusac (1706?1759), is loosely based on the Greek legend of Abaris the Hyperborean and includes Masonic elements; the Bor�ades are the descendants of Bor�as.


'The Arts and The Hours' interlude from Rameau?s final opera, ?Les Bor�ades?, written in 1763 when Rameau was 80. �lafsson transcribed it for the modern piano because its colourful resonance allows for new and interesting textural possibilities in a piece that seems so ahead of its time: its rich harmonies of suspended 9ths and 11ths one could almost imagine Mahler writing in the late 19th century. In the original opera, based on a Greek legend, the interlude bears a somewhat lengthy title: ?The Arrival of the Muses, Zephyrs, Seasons, Hours and the Arts.? As all these mythical beings summoned to the stage have something to do with the arts and with time?s passing, �lafsson allowed himself to call my transcription simply ?The Arts and the Hours?, with a nod to the Greek aphorism best known in its Latin version as ?Ars longa, vita brevis?. Almost three centuries after his death, the legacy of his art is still growing, with works still being discovered, premiered and brought back from obscurity.

2nd edition - fully revised 2020 (first published 2016). Available as a pdf from www.pianoraga.com either for individual use or with a studio licence for teachers (this includes a hard copy). Also perfect-bound or coil-bound from www.pianoraga.com (also https://www.amazon.com/Play-Indian-Sitar-R%C4%81gas-Piano/dp/B08DBVQZK8 and https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/john-pitts/how-to-play-indian-sitar-r%C4%81gas-on-a-piano-coil-bound... ).

Indian rāgas (or raags) have an extraordinary musical heritage dating back several centuries (from the area that is now India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) - a truly unique musical genre of fascinating melodic beauty and rhythmic intricacy ? freely combining elaborate composed melodies with carefully rehearsed improvisation.This rich and intriguing music is traditionally performed on sitar ? or instruments such as the sarangi, sarod, esraj or voice ? and has previously been generally unavailable to pianists. But now the amazing world of Indian rāgas has been opened up in this sympathetic but thorough reinvention for piano solo (or duet or two pianos) by an award-winning British composer. This collection of 24 rāgas will be enjoyed by good amateur pianists through to virtuosic professionals. It is suitable for any pianist who enjoys discovering new music, or who has an interest in music from other cultures, or who knows the pleasure of jazz noodling and wants to explore a rewarding and fresh (but centuries-old) form of improvisation.

This book contains:
?Sheet music for piano solo: a set of 24 rāgas, newly composed within a traditional rāga genre, one for each hour of night and day, sunset to sunset, encompassing a wide array of moods, and based on over twenty fascinating scales.
?Step by step instructions to play each of the pre-composed and improvised sections of Indian rāgas, written for pianists who are used to playing European classical music and jazz. This includes how to develop the melodic material in the improvised ālāp (with optional joṛ and jhālā sections), and the part composed part improvised slow, medium and fast gat sections, with optional jhālā to finish.
?Instructions to play any of these rāgas in a duet or at two pianos.
?Hundreds of musical examples.
?Accompanying audio & video examples can be accessed for free at pianoraga.com

The book has been fully revised in 2020, with improved explanations and definitions, spellings conformed to academic usage, corrected inclusion of the improvised joṛ section, inclusion of mohrā phrases in the ālāp, and a transcription of the intricate free-pulse rhythms in the first example ālāp video. .