By Neil Diamond. Guitar Chord Songbook. Softcover. 120 pages. Published by Hal Leonard

String Quartet

SKU: HL.49047454

Score and Parts. Composed by Julian Anderson. String Ensemble. Chamber, Classical. Softcover. 148 pages. Duration 1380 seconds. Schott Music #ED13989. Published by Schott Music (HL.49047454).

UPC: 842819101086. 9.0x12.0x0.358 inches.

My 3rd String Quartet is in six contrasted movements. Certain musical figures recur across the work, but there are few themes as such. The main emphasis is on contrast of mood, texture, harmony, pacing and timing. Unlike many of my works this quartet had no extra-musical inspiration, and in principle should have no subtitle. Certain features already present in my music became more prominent in this new work: modes (limited collections of pitches) have always helped me to focus musical character, but here a sense of key note for each mode became much more pronounced, as did the difference between modes for each section of the work. A sort of hybrid key-system emerged (even with equivalents of major and minor) which is not normal tonality, nor does it aim to imitate it. Unlike tonality this key-system includes noises, extended performance techniques and intervals outside Western tuning as available resources. What I hope it does is to focus the listening experience onto different musical areas, to encourage a sense of both modulation from one area to another and to give the music a sense of goal. No conscious knowledge of this is needed when listening: the music should communicate directly on its own. Here, then, is this collection of six musical colours, related and unrelated, different yet belonging together, variable yet in a set order. Hence the subtitle, chosen both for both its sound and its sense: 'hana no hanataba' meaning, in Japanese, 'bouquet of flowers'. A brief description: 1) Moderately fast. Short droplets of sounds gather increasing momentum. 2) Very fast. Canons and bells at different speeds. 3) Very slow - fast - very slow - very fast - very slow. The main slow movement and its main scherzo. An emphasis on non-tempered tunings and on inhaling and exhaling waves of sound. The slow sections feature florid melodic writing. In the exuberant scherzo competing duos and trios create imaginary folk music. 4) Extremely fast/extremely slow. Open strings and harmonics fuse into a single string instrument - like a sort of large resonating Medieval tromba marina. 5) Very fast. A variation on movement 2). Variation, Schoenberg told Cage, is just a sort of repetition 'with some things changed and others not.' 6) Slow - Very Fast - Fast - Slow. The opening calm harmonies and florid melodies evoke movement 3) in different music. The fast part features one overt theme: a fanfare-like call to attention which is subject to extensive development. There is much use of non-Western tuning. At its climax the music freezes into a frieze - a wall of sound standing in front of the audience with increasing obstinacy and certainty as the work grinds towards its cadence.

by William Bay. For Harmonica (Diatonic). solos. Easiest. Folk. Level: Beginning. Book. Size 8.75x11.75. 20 pages. Published by Mel Bay Publications, Inc.

String Orchestra

SKU: BT.MUSM570367849

Composed by James Weeks. Score Only. University of York Music Press #MUSM570367849. Published by University of York Music Press (BT.MUSM570367849).

The latest in a series of pieces written for CoMA string players,  Bee Haven  is a sound environment, an imaginary outdoor space populated by plants, flowers and bees. The sound of honeybee humming is the main focus of the work; around this, the bees’ ‘haven’ (a living environment, free from agricultural poisons and habitat destruction) is created through quiet air noise and gentle brushing of the instruments. There are no events in the piece save one brief flurry of rain; placing themselves within it, listeners become part of the imagined space for the duration of the work.

SKU: SU.29000230

Composed by Chick Corea. Book. Book. Subito Music Corporation #29000230. Published by Subito Music Corporation (SU.29000230).

A colorful book from the mind and hand of the great master jazz pianist. It's a kick to make something out of nothing. It seems most people like to do this. The lady of the house takes a look at an empty kitchen table and envisions a table setting including flowers and napkins with a particular design. Or an architect sees an empty lot and envisions a new apartment building in that space complete with interior and exterior colors and materials. Or anybody, including myself, takes a look at a blank piece of paper and starts drawing shapes on it......There's another very human tendency - and that's to want to attach meaning and significance to things in life - to a song, to an event, to something viewed - literally to anything. It's usually an automatic thing. Everything needs to mean something. This tendency to attach meaning is also a kind of creativity, I suppose. But I find that, unless there is also a sufficient amount of creation without meaning or purpose then the motions and emotions of living can become bogged down with too much weighty significance. - Chick Corea (Excerpted from the foreward to Creativity & Doodling) Book size: 6x6 36 pages Published by: Chick Corea Productions.

Baritone/Bass Book with Online Audio. Edited by Richard Walters. Vocal Collection. Piece for the NFMC Vocal event with the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) Festivals Bulletin 2008-2009-2010. Play Along. Softcover Audio Online. 224 pages. Published by Hal Leonard

by Christine Watts. For cello. Non-Series. All styles, method. Level: Beginning. Book. Method. Size 8.75x11.75. 96 pages. Published by Mel Bay Pub., Inc.

A Treasury of Favorite Songs to Play. Composed by Various. Easy Piano Songbook. Softcover. 88 pages. Published by Hal Leonard

(Just the Chords and Lyrics to Your Favorite Folk Songs) Guitar/vocal songbook for guitar and voice. With lyrics, chord names and guitar chord diagrams. Series: Stum & Sing. 95 pages. Published by Cherry Lane Music.

(For Voice and Piano). By George Rochberg. For High Voice, Piano. Soft Cover. Standard notation. Composed 1991. 23 pages. Duration 20:00

E-Z Play Today #371. By Various. E-Z Play Today. Pop. Softcover. 160 pages. Published by Hal Leonard