SKU: AP.36-A134748

ISBN 9798888529850. UPC: 659359935244. English.

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) wrote his Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77, in 1878. He composed the work for his longtime friend, famed violinist Joseph Joachim, who premiered it in Leipzig with the Gewandhaussaal on January 1, 1879, Brahms himself conducting. The program also included, at Joachim's insistence, Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, on which Brahms modeled his own concerto. While the critical reception of the time was mixed, the audiences at the various early performances received the work well. Most complaints directed at the concerto addressed the role of the solo violin, noting that the soloist does not offer much of the melodic material or include much in the way virtuosic passages, a consequence of looking more towards Beethoven's serious aesthetic rather than Paganini's flashy one. Joachim himself, before a falling out with the composer over personal reasons, included Brahms' concerto among the best German offered, saying: The Germans have four violin concertos. The greatest, most uncompromising is Beethoven's. The one by Brahms vies with it in seriousness. The richest, the most seductive, was written by Max Bruch. But the most inward, the heart's jewel, is Mendelssohn's. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 4.2.0.0: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Solo Violin in set.

These products are currently being prepared by a new publisher. While many items are ready and will ship on time, some others may see delays of several months.

SKU: CF.CM9554

ISBN 9781491150863. UPC: 680160908363. 6.875 x 10.5 inches.

Philip Silvey's setting of the Scottish folk song O Waly, Waly takes on a new and unique twist. Struck by how the lyrics offer only one person's view, Silvey dares to tell the other side of the story. With a whimsical, yet supportive accompaniment, mixed ensembles of all abilities are certain to relate to the message of love and loss.

SKU: PR.31241902A

UPC: 680160690510. English.

Commissioned by the San Francisco Choral Society and the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir, Terra Nostra is a 70-minute oratorio on the relationship between our planet and humankind, how this relationship has shifted over time, and how we can re-establish a harmonious balance. Part I: Creation of the World explores various creation myths from different cultures, culminating in a joyous celebration of the beauty of our planet. Part II: The Rise of Humanity examines human achievements, particularly since the dawn of our Industrial Age, and how these achievements have impacted the planet. Part III: Searching for Balance questions how to create more awareness for our planet’s plight, re-establish a deeper connection to it, and find a balance for living within our planet’s resources. In addition to the complete oratorio, stand-alone movements for mixed chorus, and for solo voice with piano, are also available separately.
Terra Nostra focuses on the relationship between our planet and mankind, how this relationship has shifted over time, and how we can re-establish a harmonious balance. The oratorio is divided into three parts:Part I: Creation of the World celebrates the birth and beauty of our planet. The oratorio begins with creation myths from India, North America, and Egypt that are integrated into the opening lines of Genesis from the Old Testament. The music surges forth from these creation stories into “God’s World” by Edna St. Vincent Millay, which describes the world in exuberant and vivid detail. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “On thine own child” praises Mother Earth for her role bringing forth all life, while Walt Whitman sings a love song to the planet in “Smile O voluptuous cool-breathed earth!” Part I ends with “A Blade of Grass” in which Whitman muses how our planet has been spinning in the heavens for a very long time.Part II: The Rise of Humanity examines the achievements of mankind, particularly since the dawn of the Industrial Age. Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Locksley Hall” sets an auspicious tone that mankind is on the verge of great discoveries. This is followed in short order by Charles Mackay’s “Railways 1846,” William Ernest Henley’s “A Song of Speed,” and John Gillespie Magee, Jr.’s “High Flight,” each of which celebrates a new milestone in technological achievement. In “Binsey Poplars,” Gerard Manley Hopkins takes note of the effect that these advances are having on the planet, with trees being brought down and landscapes forever changed. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “A Dirge” concludes Part II with a warning that the planet is beginning to sound a grave alarm.Part III: Searching for Balance questions how we can create more awareness for our planet’s plight, re-establish a deeper connection to it, and find a balance for living within our planet’s resources. Three texts continue the earth’s plea that ended the previous section: Lord Byron’s “Darkness” speaks of a natural disaster (a volcano) that has blotted out the sun from humanity and the panic that ensues; contemporary poet Esther Iverem’s “Earth Screaming” gives voice to the modern issues of our changing climate; and William Wordsworth’s “The World Is Too Much With Us” warns us that we are almost out of time to change our course. Contemporary/agrarian poet Wendell Berry’s “The Want of Peace” speaks to us at the climax of the oratorio, reminding us that we can find harmony with the planet if we choose to live more simply, and to recall that we ourselves came from the earth. Two Walt Whitman texts (“A Child said, What is the grass?” and “There was a child went forth every day”) echo Berry’s thoughts, reminding us that we are of the earth, as is everything that we see on our planet. The oratorio concludes with a reprise of Whitman’s “A Blade of Grass” from Part I, this time interspersed with an additional Whitman text that sublimely states, “I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love…”My hope in writing this oratorio is to invite audience members to consider how we interact with our planet, and what we can each personally do to keep the planet going for future generations. We are the only stewards Earth has; what can we each do to leave her in better shape than we found her?

SKU: AP.36-A134701

ISBN 9798888529843. UPC: 659359537080. English.

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) wrote his Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77, in 1878. He composed the work for his longtime friend, famed violinist Joseph Joachim, who premiered it in Leipzig with the Gewandhaussaal on January 1, 1879, Brahms himself conducting. The program also included, at Joachim's insistence, Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, on which Brahms modeled his own concerto. While the critical reception of the time was mixed, the audiences at the various early performances received the work well. Most complaints directed at the concerto addressed the role of the solo violin, noting that the soloist does not offer much of the melodic material or include much in the way virtuosic passages, a consequence of looking more towards Beethoven's serious aesthetic rather than Paganini's flashy one. Joachim himself, before a falling out with the composer over personal reasons, included Brahms' concerto among the best German offered, saying: The Germans have four violin concertos. The greatest, most uncompromising is Beethoven's. The one by Brahms vies with it in seriousness. The richest, the most seductive, was written by Max Bruch. But the most inward, the heart's jewel, is Mendelssohn's. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 4.2.0.0: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Solo Violin in set.

These products are currently being prepared by a new publisher. While many items are ready and will ship on time, some others may see delays of several months.

SKU: CF.CM9705

ISBN 9781491160015. UPC: 680160918614. Key: F# minor. English. Traditional Spiritual.

New to the Carl Fischer family, Abeni Janae (b. 2001) brings a fresh voice in her arrangement of this wonderfully rich African American spiritual. Accessible for mixed choirs of all sizes and abilities, there is pathos and passion in every phrase.
Keep in mind what this spiritual text represents, especially if you can relate to it on a personal level. Since it is a traditional spiritual, it is important to use appropriate pronunciations. That means it is acceptable not to pronounce some of the words the way we normally would in American English. For example: Do not pronounce the “t” in “little” too much, opting to pronounce it closer to “liddle.” Do not pronounce the “-er” in “longer” too much, opting to pronounce it as “lon-guh.” Whether or not the choir sings with much or minimal vibrato is at the discretion of the conductor/director.Mostly, have fun singing this piece!If you have any further questions about the background of this piece or anything of the sort, feel free to contact me at missabenijanae@gmail.com.