The pdf file contains the original score (in letter format) followed by the somewhat larger copy with dedication by the composer and fingerings by Valentin Bogolubov who premiered the 3 Chromicons.

The sound sample is the live performance.

The Three Chromicons were premiered by pianist Valentin Bogolubov at the Soci�t� de concerts de St-Bruno, Saint-Bruno, Quebec, Canada, on 27 January 2007. Bogolubov's adventurous, technically demanding program, which also featured the works of Alexander Scriabin and Jean Chatillon, was accompanied by video animation of numerous works of art, four of which were created by the composer (among them, the Chromicon No. 3).

Ford explains the significance of these unique scores:

"In both my earliest chromicons, which I had begun to create by the 1980s, and in those I continue to make today, color is the element that links what is seen to what is heard. Unlike composer Alexander Scriabin, who may have been a true synaesthete as the result of a rare neurological condition enabling him actually to hear colors, my approach to color music has been by way of analogy. Although the tones in a musical scale and the colors of a prism both result from specific vibratory frequencies, scales can be replicated in various octaves while there is no comparable transposition observable in the case of the spectrum. However, the analogy between pitch and hue is implicit in the term "chromatic scale" (the Greek chr�ma signifies "color"), and on that basis it is possible to equate the twelve tones of Western music with the hues on a twelvefold color wheel: red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, yellow, yellow-green, green, blue-green, blue, blue-violet, violet, and red-violet."

"By placing the pitch names of the chromatic scale in a separate band around the periphery of a such color wheel, much like the numbers on the face of a clock, and by rotating the central color wheel, it is possible for any given pitch to be aligned and associated with any hue. Such an easily constructed device, which I have dubbed the "chromonomicon," is the key necessary to decipher the musical meaning of my chromicons. The chromicon can be thought of as a calligraphic text in which each discrete area of color is a separate letter."

"Although there are literally millions of possible colors, all of them can be categorized as one of the twelve hues shown on the chromonomicon. Instead of being written from left to right or from right to left, the color-letters in a chromicon are arranged concentrically. The shapes of the individual letters, usually painted in watercolor and "illuminated" with metallic paints, colored pencils, and other media, are the result of each artist's creative meditation. The personal meaning of the chromiconic text as a whole emerges during and after this meditation, and may be expressed by a conventional title or accompanying commentary."

"Now, anyone wishing to realize a chromicon is at liberty to follow any path?straight or curvilinear?from the centermost letter to the periphery, constructing a cantus (melody) by notating the musical pitches associated with each contiguous color-letter encountered along the way. The cantus thereafter serves as the structural basis of a new, freely composed work. The individual pitches in the cantus may be moved to any octave, and may be repeated any number of times before proceeding to the next pitch in the sequence. Customarily, once the final tone of the cantus is reached, the entire melody is heard in reverse (retrograde), resulting in a palindrome. That palindrome is itself subject to varied repetition, so that in formal terms, each realization of a chromicon amounts to a 'mirror' theme with variations."

"Chromicon No. 3 travels even further back in collective human memory to the eighteenth century. For all its contemporary melodic and harmonic inflections, the style is pervasively contrapuntal, summoning to mind the polyphonic keyboard textures of Bach and Handel. It eschews the worldly strife and diversions mirrored in the first two chromicons, maintaining a dignified, highly stylized manner throughout, but with its unexpected final cadence on D, there seems to be a fleeting intimation of transcendence."

Video of Chromicon III
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHMw-vzZlGE

Volume 1 of our Patriotic collection contains four classic patriotic tunes and three complete Sousa marches. Altogether this has 15 minutes of music that both you and your audience are sure to love.

These arrangements can be played with anywhere from 3 to 7 parts, suitable for a small chamber group, accompaniment for a choir, or a full band or orchestra (school, community, or professional). This is one of the most versatile collections you'll ever use!

To demonstrate the flexibility of this collection, the audio clip has "America the Beautiful" performed as a full concert band, a string orchestra, and a woodwind trio.


The songs included in Volume 1 are:

The Star-Spangled Banner (US National Anthem), by John Stafford Smith.
America the Beautiful, by Samuel Ward.
Battle Hymn of the Republic ("Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory").
My Country, 'Tis of Thee ("America", known as "God Save the King/Queen" in England).
Stars and Stripes Forever, by John Philip Sousa.
Washington Post March, by John Philip Sousa.
Semper Fidelis, by John Philip Sousa.


These songs are also available separately through the publisher link above.

Each song is in its original key, so it is easy to combine these with your own choir or piano/organ parts.

This collection contains a full score, as well as individual parts in all the appropriate clef and transposition to support the following ensembles:

Brass trio, quartet, quintet, and sextet.
Woodwind trio, quartet, quintet, and sextet.
String trio, quartet, quintet, and sextet.
Clarinet trio, quartet, quintet, and sextet.
Saxophone trio, quartet, and quintet.
Mixed trio, quartet, quintet, and sextet, with optional percussion.
Wind ensemble, brass ensemble, string orchestra, full orchestra, and full band.


The parts are described as follows:

Part 1 [D4-Ab5] is the main melody. Flute/Piccolo, Oboe, Bb Clarinet, Alto Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Bb Trumpet, Violin, Viola.
Part 2 [G3-Eb5] has some B-section melody and harmony. Bb Clarinet, Alto/Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, French Horn, Bb Trumpet, Violin, Viola.
Part 3 [G3-Bb4] is additional harmony. Bb Clarinet, Alto/Bass Clarinet, Alto/Tenor Saxophone, French Horn, Bb Trumpet, Baritone, Trombone, C/Bb Euphonium, Violin, Viola, Cello.
Part 4 [F2-C4] is the main bass line. Bass Clarinet, Baritone/Bass Saxophone, Bassoon, French Horn, Trombone, Bass Trombone, C/Bb Euphonium, Tuba, Cello, Bass.
Part 5 [E2-C4] is other harmony. Bass Clarinet, Bass Saxophone, Bassoon, French Horn, Trombone, Bass Trombone, C/Bb Euphonium, Tuba, Cello, Bass.
Part 6 [E2-F4] is the main melody down an octave, with some additional notes. Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, French Horn, Trombone, C/Bb Euphonium, Cello, Bass.
Part 7 is an optional percussion part (snare drum, cymbal, bass drum) that can be added to any of the above combinations, or skipped entirely.

We recommend the following combinations:

Trio: Parts 1, 2, 4 (4 works better than 3 for trio).
Quartet: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4.
Quintet: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Sextet: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Septet: Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

Be sure to also check out our three volumes of Christmas Carols for All!

Here are 10 great pieces arranged for pure solo cello - no piano required! This collection has more than 40 minutes of classical and patriotic songs ideally suited for formal recitals, wedding celebrations, and background music gigs.

These are not just lame copies of the melody line; they are all fully worked out arrangements designed to be as rich as possible and to highlight the cello. As a professional cellist, I originally arranged these pieces for my personal use, and I have performed every one of them in public.

These are fairly challenging pieces; I would compare their difficulty to Bach Cello Suite #2 on the easy side and Bruch Cello Concerto on the harder side. But with some practice you will have some amazing additions to your solo repertoire.

Each of the songs in this collection is also available separately, but buying the full volume saves you over 60%.

Volume 1 contains the following:
1. Strauss Blue Danube Waltz
2. Dvorak Goin' Home (Largo from "New World" Symphony #9)
3. Schubert Ave Maria
4. Faure Apres un reve
5. Tchaikovsky Melodie
6. Marais Le Tableau de l'Operation de la Taille (Depiction of a Bladder Stone Operation)
7. Joplin The Entertainer
8. Calistri-Yeh Variations on "My Country 'Tis of Thee"
9. Sousa Stars and Stripes Forever
10. Ward America the Beautiful

Please check out the other two volumes in this series:
Pure Cello Volume 2: Ten More Concert Pieces for Unaccompanied Cello (S0.853843)
Pure Cello Volume 3: Thirty Christmas Carols for Unaccompanied Cello (S0.853851)

Here are 10 great pieces arranged for pure solo viola - no piano required! This collection has more than 40 minutes of classical and patriotic songs ideally suited for formal recitals, wedding celebrations, and background music gigs.

These are not just lame copies of the melody line; they are all fully worked out arrangements designed to be as rich as possible and to highlight the viola. These are direct transcriptions of the original "Pure Cello" series, now available for viola. As a professional cellist, I originally arranged these pieces for my personal use, and I have performed every one of them in public.

These are fairly challenging pieces; I would compare their difficulty to Bach Cello Suite #2 on the easy side and Bruch Cello Concerto on the harder side. But with some practice you will have some amazing additions to your solo repertoire.

Each of the songs in this collection is also available separately, but buying the full volume saves you over 60%.

Volume 1 contains the following:
1. Strauss Blue Danube Waltz
2. Dvorak Goin' Home (Largo from "New World" Symphony #9)
3. Schubert Ave Maria
4. Faure Apres un reve
5. Tchaikovsky Melodie
6. Marais Le Tableau de l'Operation de la Taille (Depiction of a Bladder Stone Operation)
7. Joplin The Entertainer
8. Calistri-Yeh Variations on "My Country 'Tis of Thee"
9. Sousa Stars and Stripes Forever
10. Ward America the Beautiful