SKU: CL.012-5028-00

Viva Noel is a medley of glorious holiday favorites in a fast/slow/fast form. Opening with a musical fanfare based on the French hymn He is Born the Holy Child the arrangement transitions quickly into a fanciful rendition of Deck the Halls. The following section opens with a beautiful brass choir adaptation of It Came Upon A Midnight Clear and develops into a lush, full band setting of this charming carol. The finale begins as a quick, light version of Here We Come a-Wassailing ending with a declarative brass fanfare with small bits of Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella and Angels We Have Hear on High. This high-energy holiday arrangement features all sections of the ensemble with exceptional emphasis on the percussion writing. Viva Noel! will be a solid opener or closer for any holiday concert!

SKU: FJ.HX9014S

English.

Originally recorded by Monika Herzig and a cast of musical collaborators from around the globe on her 2016 album, The Whole World in Her Hands, Oh, Muddy Waters is a bluesy call-and-response between bass instruments and the whole ensemble. Monika has arranged the small group version for big band, with modest brass ranges, suggested piano voicings, and solo space for tenor sax and guitar (or piano). Solo transcriptions are provided that match the recording note-for-note. Laid-back, soft syncopations and a rich harmonic language bring to life a composition that builds on that initial bass riff. Top trumpet note: G5.

SKU: CL.026-4511-01

Inspired by the calm and serenity of the lake which is the setting for one of America’s premiere fine arts camps, this beautiful ballad provides an excellent opportunity for teaching legato style and phrasing. This Build-A-Band edition presents this favorite work in a format accessible to smaller ensembles or those with incomplete instrumentation. Highly recommended!

About Build-A-Band Series

The Build-A-Band Series provides educational and enjoyable music for bands with incomplete or unbalanced instrumentation. Written using just four or five parts (plus percussion), these effective arrangements will work with any combination of brass, woodwind, string and percussion instruments as long as you distribute the parts so that each of the five parts is covered. All of the publications in the Build-A-Band Series have been arranged to be playable with any instrumentation as long as each part is used: 1st Part, 2nd Part, 3rd Part, 4th Part, and Bass Part. (Please note: In some of these arrangements the 4th Part, and the Bass Part are the same, making it possible to play those arrangements with only 4 parts.)

SKU: CF.YPS208F

ISBN 9781491152966. UPC: 680160910465.

A stunning and heart-wrenching composition based on the Jewish folk son Shlof, Mayn Kind. You can hear the emotional content pour out of this piece written in memory of an outstanding orchestra director. The piece beginnings with original material to set the tone, followed by a clarinet solo on the song. It then develops through a variety of different harmonic presentation before building to a nice key change and climatic moment. The piece ends as it began, but with a more hopeful tone. An amazing piece.
Sleep, My Child was commissioned by the Madison Middle School Band and Orchestra in Tampa, Florida, and is dedicated to the memory of their Director of Orchestras Kevin Frye. Director of Bands Chris Shultz championed the commissioning of this piece to honor Kevin after he passed away in December 2016. Mr. Frye was a beloved member of the staff at Madison Middle as well as the music community of Tampa and the state of Florida. I was a personal friend of Kevin’s. We were in several musical groups together when we were young that were formative to both of our musical careers. I also guest conducted his Madison Middle School Orchestra several times over the past four years. His musicianship, teaching skills and love for his students were exemplary.When taking on the challenge of writing a piece to honor Kevin’s legacy, Mr. Shultz and I decided to try and include several important aspects of Kevin’s life into the piece. Kevin was proudly Jewish, a fantastic trumpet player and loved Jazz. With that in mind, and after a lot of research, a Jewish folk song Shlof, Mayn Kind was selected as the basis for the piece, not to be religious, but to honor his faith and heritage. Plus it is a beautiful song, and I felt the title reflected the sentiment I was looking to express, which is of someone taking rest after a long battle with illness. Thus, a lullaby seemed appropriate.I also wanted to incorporate Jazz into the piece, but in a concert setting, so you will hear as the piece develops, the harmonies of the folk song expand into ones found more commonly in Jazz compositions. Not in a far out way, but in a subtle way to again honor this part of his life. For example the climactic moment of the piece at the fermata in m. 57 is a Dbmaj9#11 chord. It appropriately give the piece the angst that I was looking for at this moment in the piece, while honoring the importance of Jazz in Kevin’s musical life.The piece was also conceived to include both the Madison band and orchestra in the performance at the premiere. I wanted the pieces to work separately by the band and separately by the orchestra, but I also wanted them to be able to play the piece together to honor Kevin.The piece begins with original material designed to set the mood of the piece with a tempo/style marking of pensive, but also as material that I used as connective musical tissue between statements of the folk song.  After this introduction, the folk song is presented by a solo violin (or clarinet) with orchestral accompaniment in a simple straight forward presentation of the song. This is followed by a woodwind section statement of the folk song accompanied by muted trumpets. During this presentation the harmony starts to expand with more color notes in the chords. The low brass are added half way through this statement to add depth and lushness.The introductory material returns, but with some angry hits in the lower voices. This leads to a full ensemble state of new material that is used to transition to the climax of the piece, and to build tension. After the build, the piece modulates to a shortened statement of the folk song with more advanced harmonies and an active counter line in the violas, horns, saxes and first clarinets to further build the tension.  This tension is released at the fermata in m. 57, as mentioned above. After a thoughtful pause, the piece concludes with a completion of the folk song again with a solo violin (or clarinet) followed by a return of the introductory material to tie the piece together. The piece ends hopeful, with a solo trumpet (Kevin’s instrument) that is dissonant at first, but then resolves as if to say - everything will be OK! It has been my distinct honor to have been asked to write this piece in Kevin’s memory! I hope that in some small way the piece helps to bring comfort to his family, students, colleagues and to all those that knew him!–Larry ClarkLakeland, FL  2017.

SKU: BT.DHP-1196115-020

English-German-French-Dutch.

Hora Est! (Latin for ‘it is time!’) was composed to bid adieu to Sjoerd de Boer’s following forty years as conductor of the Chr. Fanfare Band, based in the town of Wjelsryp in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, this small phrase, hora est, is traditionally said upon awarding a university doctorate at graduation ceremonies. The composition was written with Sjoerd de Boer firmly in mind, mirroring various aspects of his life. The main motif of the work consists of three notes, forming his initials: S (Eb) D B. At a certain point, the music is interrupted by a thunderstorm and heavy rain (forever a bad omen: the debut for this work took place a day after such a deluge, but fortunately their open-air concert was met with clear blue skies.) The fanfare then plays an Italianesque march, with the motif of de Boer’s initials interwoven throughout. The work re-uses this motif twice towards the end of the piece as one might expect, by the saxophones to create a festive, driven and virtuosic atmosphere. Finally, the work comes to an end with the initials motif played across the ensemble in complete unison. The powerful closing chords symbolise a fond farewell to de Boer: a driven and extremely capable conductor whose musical mark on Concordia will be felt for years to come. Hora Est! is suitable as a contest piece and would be a definite highlight for any upcoming concert.

Hora Est! is gecomponeerd ter gelegenheid van het afscheid van Sjoerd de Boer als dirigent van Chr. Fanfarekorps Concordia uit Wjelsryp (Friesland), na maar liefst veertig jaar. Hora Est! is Latijn voor ‘Het is tijd!’. Het zinnetje wordt traditioneel uitgesproken bij een promotie tot doctor op de universiteit, op het moment dat de vastgestelde tijd voor verdediging van het proefschrift om is. De pedel komt dan binnen en stampt met zijn staf op de grond terwijl hij deze woorden roept. In dat opzicht verwijst de titel naar de voormalige universiteitsstad Franeker, de woonplaats van Sjoerd en de stad waar hij jaren lang leraar muziek was aan de christelijke scholengemeenschap. Anderzijds verwijst de titel naar zijn afscheid van Concordia: ‘Het is tijd!’.

SKU: BT.DHP-1196115-120

English-German-French-Dutch.

Hora Est! (Latin for ‘it is time!’) was composed to bid adieu to Sjoerd de Boer’s following forty years as conductor of the Chr. Fanfare Band, based in the town of Wjelsryp in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, this small phrase, hora est, is traditionally said upon awarding a university doctorate at graduation ceremonies. The composition was written with Sjoerd de Boer firmly in mind, mirroring various aspects of his life. The main motif of the work consists of three notes, forming his initials: S (Eb) D B. At a certain point, the music is interrupted by a thunderstorm and heavy rain (forever a bad omen: the debut for this work took place a day after such a deluge, but fortunately their open-air concert was met with clear blue skies.) The fanfare then plays an Italianesque march, with the motif of de Boer’s initials interwoven throughout. The work re-uses this motif twice towards the end of the piece as one might expect, by the saxophones to create a festive, driven and virtuosic atmosphere. Finally, the work comes to an end with the initials motif played across the ensemble in complete unison. The powerful closing chords symbolise a fond farewell to de Boer: a driven and extremely capable conductor whose musical mark on Concordia will be felt for years to come. Hora Est! is suitable as a contest piece and would be a definite highlight for any upcoming concert.

Hora Est! is gecomponeerd ter gelegenheid van het afscheid van Sjoerd de Boer als dirigent van Chr. Fanfarekorps Concordia uit Wjelsryp (Friesland), na maar liefst veertig jaar. Hora Est! is Latijn voor ‘Het is tijd!’. Het zinnetje wordt traditioneel uitgesproken bij een promotie tot doctor op de universiteit, op het moment dat de vastgestelde tijd voor verdediging van het proefschrift om is. De pedel komt dan binnen en stampt met zijn staf op de grond terwijl hij deze woorden roept. In dat opzicht verwijst de titel naar de voormalige universiteitsstad Franeker, de woonplaats van Sjoerd en de stad waar hij jaren lang leraar muziek was aan de christelijke scholengemeenschap. Anderzijds verwijst de titel naar zijn afscheid van Concordia: ‘Het is tijd!’.

SKU: HL.48024060

UPC: 888680680695. 9.0x12.0x0.059 inches. Aurelio Bonelli/trans. Shelley Hanson.

“Woodwind and percussion players usually are unfamiliar with the antiphonal brass choir tradition. I made this modern, more easily readable version of Bonelli's classic 1600 Toccata for flexible wind ensemble with optional percussion, so that as few as 8 players up to full symphonic band could play in this style. I've used it as a dramatic concert opener, with the second, smaller group positioned behind the audience.” ~ Shelley Hanson Recorded by the Eden Prairie (MN) High School Wind Ensemble - Dr. Elizabeth Jackson, conductor.