SKU: SU.80101154

This work is a setting for violin and piano of the well-known hymn tune New Britain (Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound). It provides diverse treatments of the tune -- from dramatic and grand to introspective and hushed. 12 pages Published by: Zimbel Press.

SKU: PR.114423360

UPC: 680160686285.

When the Newport Music Festival commissioned me for a piano trio in honor of their 2021 season, I looked for a topic that would celebrate an aspect of the Newport community. While researching the area, I was struck by the nine lighthouses situated around the island. The dual nature of lighthouses was particularly appealing to me: not only do they serve a vital role in the navigation of ships around rocks and land, but they are also a beautiful sight, particularly at night when their blinking beacons are clearly visible to the eye. It occurred to me that lighthouses link the past with the present, and will endure long into the future, with their beacons serving the same purpose for every generation.I became fascinated with the lighthouse on the property of Castle Hill Inn, located at the opening of the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay. This squat thirty-four foot granite structure was erected in 1890 on a very picturesque spot, right at the water’s edge. Its “characteristic,” the nautical term for each lighthouse’s unique light sequence that allows ships to identify the lighthouse, is to alternate on for three seconds, then off for three seconds. The lighthouse has also served as the starting and finish line for numerous high profile yacht races, as well as survived a massive hurricane in 1938, though the lighthouse keeper’s nearby residence wasn’t so lucky. American novelist Thornton Wilder wrote much of his 1973 novel Theophilus North while staying at the Castle Hill Inn; a passage from the book perfectly captures the dual nature of lighthouses:“At a later visit I was able to engage the pentagonal room in a turret above the house; from that magical room I could see at night the beacons of six lighthouses and hear the booming and chiming of as many sea buoys.”In Beacon of the Bay, we first hear the lighthouse’s characteristic as its ruby light blinks on and off. This is followed by a simple theme that represents the lighthouse performing its solitary duty. As the piece progresses, we hear waves playfully lapping around its base, then yachts gracefully floating by; this is followed by a violent storm that churns the waves with so much force that they crash against the lighthouse’s granite body. But the steadfast lighthouse holds firm to the rocks, grandly blinking its ruby light. The music quiets back down to its simple theme, with yachts sailing by once more as the piece concludes.

SKU: JK.00753

Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 43:2-5, Helaman 5:12.

Violin solo with piano accompaniment, arranged for early-advanced violin with some double stops and occasional shift into 3rd position. (previously listed as #00665)
Arranger: Kelly D. Anderson
Difficulty: early advanced
Performance time: 2:45
Reference: Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 43:2-5, Helaman 5:12.

SKU: HL.48180733

UPC: 888680831776. 9.0x12.25x0.06 inches.

Having won many prizes at the Paris Conservatoire during the 1920s-1930s, Eugene Bozza went on to conduct the orchestra of the Opera-Comique and to become Head of the Conservatoire in Valenciennes. As a major figure on the classical music frontline, Bozza's compositions were well-received by audiences, 10 Easy Pieces for Violin and Piano being no exception. This collection of Bozza pieces is suitable for beginner violinists. The third piece, Minuet Pages, is chirpy and graceful, displaying the typical features of a minuet. As music educationalist, Paul Griffiths has written of Bozza's compositions, his works reveal melodic fluency, elegance of structure and a consistently sensitive concern of instrumental capabilities..