SKU: CA.3112307

ISBN 9790007166748. Language: German/English. Text: Fritsch, Ahasverus. Text by Ahasverus Fritsch.

This six-movement cantata uses the hymn of the same name by Ahasverus Fritsch, first recorded in 1698 in the Darmstadter Liederbuch. This places it amongst those chorale cantatas which use a hymn from the repertoire associated with Pietism. As was customary, the hymn text is retained in the outer movements, whereas the text for the inner movements - two secco recitatives and a tenor and a bass aria - are concerned with the contrast between the hostile world and the certainty of Jesus; the links between the cantata text and the Feast of the Epiphany are correspondingly tenuous. In the first movement the soprano sings the hymn melody complete, accompanied by mainly homophonic vocal parts, whilst the instrumental writing is largely influenced by the melody of the first line of the hymn. Remarkable is the tenor aria, with its contrasting central section and its chromatic twists and turns, in which Bach once again proves himself to be a master of harmony. The demands on the chorus are fairly modest, whereas the instrumentalists are challenged in the first movement and in both the arias. Score available separately - see item CA.3112300.

SKU: CA.3112311

ISBN 9790007207472. Text language: German/English. Text: Fritsch, Ahasverus.

This six-movement cantata uses the hymn of the same name by Ahasverus Fritsch, first recorded in 1698 in the Darmstadter Liederbuch. This places it amongst those chorale cantatas which use a hymn from the repertoire associated with Pietism. As was customary, the hymn text is retained in the outer movements, whereas the text for the inner movements - two secco recitatives and a tenor and a bass aria - are concerned with the contrast between the hostile world and the certainty of Jesus; the links between the cantata text and the Feast of the Epiphany are correspondingly tenuous. In the first movement the soprano sings the hymn melody complete, accompanied by mainly homophonic vocal parts, whilst the instrumental writing is largely influenced by the melody of the first line of the hymn. Remarkable is the tenor aria, with its contrasting central section and its chromatic twists and turns, in which Bach once again proves himself to be a master of harmony. The demands on the chorus are fairly modest, whereas the instrumentalists are challenged in the first movement and in both the arias. Score and part available separately - see item CA.3112300.

SKU: MN.CH-1343

UPC: 765844006727. English.

Isaac Watts (1674 –1748) was born in Southampton, England and was brought up in the home of a committed religious Nonconformist; his father, also Isaac Watts had been incarcerated twice for his views. Watts could not attend Oxford or Cambridge because of being a Noncomformist and because these universities were restricted to Anglicans, instead attending the Dissenting Academy at Stoke Newington in 1690. Watts lived at Abney Hall in Stoke Newington until his death in 1748; he was buried in Bunhill Fields. He left an extensive legacy of hymns, treatises, educational works, and essays. His work was influential amongst Nonconformist independents and religious revivalists of the 18th century by contributing to English hymnody with new poetry to be used in worship. The older tradition was based on the poetry of the Bible which was developed from the teachings of the 16th-century Reformation leader John Calvin. Watts’ introduction of extra-Biblical poetry opened up a new era of Protestant hymnody with other poets following in his path. Many of Watts’ hymns are included in the Christadelphian Hymnal, the Episcopal Church’s Hymnal 1982, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, the Baptist Hymnal, the Presbyterian Trinity Hymnal, and the Methodist Hymns and Psalms. Many of his texts are also used in the American Hymnal and The Sacred Harp. Several of his hymns are used in the hymnals of the Church of Christ, Scientist and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Of the more that 600 tunes in the Sacred Harp, 149 of them have words by Isaac Watts. Similarly, of the 180 tunes in the Missouri Harmony 2005 Edition, Isaac Watts is credited with the words for 75 of them. The majority of these words come from Watts monumental Psalms and Hymns, first published in 1707.

SKU: AP.48316

UPC: 038081551395. English.

Originally published in The Social Harp in 1855, this revivalist song has become deeply woven into the American folk music tradition. A powerful and insistent rhythmic foundation is laid by the low voices, as the agile melody darts over top. A slower middle section offers some warm homophonic harmony in a setting that is largely polyphonic. The dance returns and builds to a dazzling and multitextured finish. Exquisite!

SKU: PL.0406

Raymond Weidner has created an atmospheric and beautiful work for high voices. This Lenten text is set to close harmony and a harp part of gracious beauty. Most of the work is quiet and inward, only bursting into a wider range at key moments in the text. The final alleluias are stirring in their sweep and make a memorable impression on the listener. The work closes in the same quiet feeling in which it began. O Sacrum Convivium would make a wonderful work for both accomplished treble choirs and women's choirs.

This creates it effects by the delicate accompaniment of the harp (or piano) and the translucent SSA voices. It is a contemplative work with three real vocal lines throughout and a beautiful climax. - David Halls Salisbury Cathedral March 2004.

SKU: PR.140401310

ISBN 9781491134153. UPC: 680160684250. 9 x 12 inches. Key: G major.

NORA’S DANCE is a jazz-influenced rag from 1921, and among the only surviving compositions by Nora Douglas Holt. A charming and exciting work rejuvenated by Lara Downes’ 2021 recording for the Rising Sun label, the rag is both a fun 2 minutes for pianists and audiences, and also a fascinating time capsule. Composed several years after Scott Joplin’s death, and several years before the Charleston pervaded popular music, NORA’S DANCE blossoms with the energy and jazz harmony starting to emerge as The Roaring 20’s, using ragtime and stride as the seed for pianistic style.
My own life in music has been driven by a quest to find strong female role models, trails to follow, shoulders to stand on. In Nora Douglas Holt, I find an inspiring example of creativity, independence, and resilience – with a dash of troublemaking. She was a free spirit, a force of nature, and she lived a fascinating and eventful life on her own terms. She reinvented herself through five marriages and at least as many careers. From her beginnings at the piano at age four, she explored many avenues of musical expression – performing, composing, music journalism, broadcasting, teaching – all with inventiveness, style, and zeal.She made the most of the Roaring ’20s, as an artist, socialite, jetsetter, muse, and patroness of the Harlem Renaissance. In 1921 she started an independent arts journal called “Music and Poetry,” where the charming piano solo Nora’s Dance was first published. I think the piece captures beautifully, in a little under 2 minutes, the energy and excitement of those heady years.In 1926, Nora left New York to travel the world, performing in nightclubs throughout Europe and Asia. She put her belongings in storage before she left, and when she came back she discovered that many of her things had been stolen, including more than 200 of her musical compositions. She never composed again.When the Depression hit, she moved out to Los Angeles, where she studied music education at USC, taught music in the LA public schools, and opened her own beauty salon. She returned to New York in the ’40s and worked as a music critic for several major newspapers, then launched yet another career, this time in broadcasting. Her popular radio concert series “Nora Holt’s Concert Showcase” broadcast to New York’s classical music audience, with a focus on Black composers and performers.Ahead of her time, larger than life, full of ideas…. I am so pleased to introduce you to the feisty and free spirited Nora Douglas Holt!

SKU: PO.UME05P

ISBN 9781877564956.

A Tedious Brief Scene: Bottom's Dance (2011) is a fine example of Holmes work from her career as a composer and educator in New Zealand for over 25 years. Holmes was inspired to depict the character Bottom from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in writing this lighthearted work. It is highly engaging and energetic with elements of minimalist techniques of layered melodic ostinati, and jazz-influenced and non-tonal harmony. Like the character and scene from Shakespeare's play, the music oscillates between moments of poignancy and boisterous self-confidence. It incorporates a variety of accented rhythmic patterns, changing metres and delicate melodic material, which gives pianists an opportunity to demonstrate their individual and combined talents as a chamber ensembles. It is suitable for performance by secondary students of approximately Grade VIII and above (ABRSM / Trinity).It is now available for purchase as a study score and/or performance set (parts only). This listing is the performance set of parts only.

SKU: HL.299894

UPC: 888680959104. 5.0x5.0x0.155 inches.

In addition to being a recognized and celebrated vocalist, Rosana Eckert has become a preeminent voice in vocal jazz arranging. Taking a well-known Ziegfeld Follies song from 1927, Eckert guides young singers through harmony, syncopation, and a written-out scat section in this fantastic arrangement!

SKU: IS.VAP4359EM

ISBN 9790365043590.

August Louis Baeyens received his musical training at the Royal Flemish Music Conservatory in Antwerp, studying solfège, viola, and harmony. As a composer, Baeyens developed chiefly through the study of composers such as Debussy, Wagner and Strauss; this interest gave him the reputation of a revolutionary within the confines of the very traditionalist conservatory. It makes sense that the first concerto he wrote for a solo instrument was his Concerto for Viola (Concerto voor altviool) in 1956. A recipient of the first prize award for viola while in conservatory, he performed as a violist in orchestras throughout Flanders. The concerto is in three movements: Moderato, Larghetto espressivo, and Allegro.