SKU: BO.BC0006

Despite a strong vocation for the cello, which he studied and began to play with a distinctive character, Pau Casals, like most ambitious, creative musicians, wrote at the piano and for the piano, as it is the ultimate teaching instrument, summarising the full vision of the creative process. Any creative musician habitually worked at the piano, whether for this instrument alone or for piano accompanied by other solo instruments. To date, it has not been possible to document whether Casals had systematic training on this instrument, although at that time it was more common than it is today because, considering its qualities of timbre and combination, it was particularly attractive for creating test pieces and different kinds of compositions.

The piano works contained in this second volume include part of the salon repertoire, a continuation of the first volume, and four sardanas for piano of diverse origin: some are reductions of more complex forms and others sketches for instrumental groups. In the first group, some works intended for children are published, a demonstration of the tenderness the ‘cellist felt for the children of his closest friends. In the second case, the sardanas are works from his first exile in Prada and show the nostalgia of the composer, away from his country against his will.

In general, the works are not especially complex; their purpose and nature are diverse. They come in the context of salon music, with the appearance of creative entertainments characterised by a basically tonal, transparent language with a widespread tendency to modulate to nearby keys more as a momentary expressive resource than as a structural evolutionary procedure. They show a lack of systematic work on the instrument as well as the commonplaces of piano composition of their time. In some of these works, the piano thread breaks, the works do not have the thrust of finished products; the occasional appearance of chords that are difficult or impossible to finger leads us to think of intentions closer to test pieces than to products intended for normal performance. But not all these piano works are circumstantial. There is also a prelude and a minuet of a certain piano writing complexity.

SKU: PR.11540233L

ISBN 9781491129418. UPC: 680160674367. 11 x 14 inches.

At Her Ladyship's Request (2016) was an idea born out of admiration for the wind works of Percy Grainger - most notably his Lincolnshire Posey. The names and places here are all fictitious. Four countrymen have come forward at Her Ladyship's request as we commoners (and for as long as I can remember) have been led to believe Her Highness has grown complacent in her aged betrothal to His Lordship. I. It has long been established in this hill country that young, svelte Tom Abel has caught her fancy eye. He knocks about with the swagger of a visiting dignitary, confident and cocksure. And then there is his father's fortune. Cecil Abel may be the richest man in the land save for His Lordship. Tom, his only son, will run his face straight into that pile the moment his old man kicks. II. It is rare to spy Father Daniel Bennett, High Priest from the Abbey at Lockwood Cross, loitering in our very own town square...but not as of late. III. Is Her Ladyship so desperate as to call upon Old Man Dimplesweet? Were you to confirm this, I would have straightened my back and spit the ground before you. Then I saw what could not possibly be misconstrued. And where is His Lordship anyway? IV. Pettybone! Conniving... insidious. I don't believe there has been a greater rivalry among men for generations. The Duke's ego alone could run our nation. The grudges he grows are notorious. His mount is legendary. The day has come to collect his toll.
At Her Ladyship’s Request (2016) was an idea born out of admiration for the wind works of Percy Grainger – most notably his Lincolnshire Posey.The names and places here are all fictitious. Four countrymen have come forward at Her Ladyship’s request as we commoners (and for as long as I can remember) have been led to believe Her Highness has grown complacent in her aged betrothal to His Lordship.I. It has long been established in this hill country that young, svelte Tom Abel has caught her fancy eye. He knocks about with the swagger of a visiting dignitary, confident and cocksure. And then there is his father’s fortune. Cecil Abel may be the richest man in the land save for His Lordship. Tom, his only son, will run his face straight into that pile the moment his old man kicks.II. It is rare to spy Father Daniel Bennett, High Priest from the Abbey at Lockwood Cross, loitering in our very own town square…but not as of late.III. Is Her Ladyship so desperate as to call upon Old Man Dimplesweet? Were you to confirm this, I would have straightened my back and spit the ground before you. Then I saw what could not possibly be misconstrued. And where is His Lordship anyway?IV. Pettybone! Conniving… insidious. I don’t believe there has been a greater rivalry among men for generations. The Duke’s ego alone could run our nation. The grudges he grows are notorious. His mount is legendary. The day has come to collect his toll.

SKU: CF.CM9735

ISBN 9781491161159. UPC: 680160919741. Key: A minor. Latin, English. Christopher Smart and ZRS.

Origins of the Tarantella The tarantella is a popular southern Italian dance with origins in the 11th century. (There is even some mention of the tarantella in ancient Greek mythology.) Of the possible sources of the dance, the most popular comes from the villages of Tanto and Tarentum (little spider), Italy. During harvest, workers in the field were sometimes bitten by the tarantula spider. To combat the poison, the afflicted workers went into a frenetic, almost musical exorcism to sweat the venom out of their pores. In the millennium since, the very energetic nature of the dance has remained, although the curative focus of the dance has given way to more enjoyable endeavors, even stately courtship. Origins of the Text Christopher Smart (1722-1771), also known as Kit Smart or Jack Smart, was born in Kent, England and suffered from what is now believed to be acute asthma and other health issues as a child. As such, he did not work in the fields, but spent much time reading and writing, a passion that he nurtured for a lifetime. Well known in London literary circles, his career as a writer floundered due to mounting debts and his falling out of favor with the literary establishment: Sadly, he was forced to confinement at St. Luke's Hospital for Lunatics, though this was based on his mounting debt, and not on insanity. (Confinement, or debtor's prison, was common during this period if one's debts could not be paid.) During his confinement, he worked on two of his most famous works, Jubilate Agno and A Song of David. (Part of Jubilate Agno [Rejoice in the Lamb] was set to music by English composer, Benjamin Britten.) Smart's writing style (which, at times, bordered on the absurd), along with his many obsessions, lead to frequent misperceptions of his work and his lucidity. In this present work, portions of Smart's Jubilate Agno were used in mm. 24-31, 103-110 and 149-156. The remaining text was gathered by the composer, including the rapid, almost patter-like, delivery of words from A-Z in the alphabet. (Christopher Smart had a preoccupation with the alphabet.) These words both rhyme and accentuate the frenetic nature of the spider dance: theraphosa [teh-rah-fo-sa] a genus of tarantula spiders bellicose [beh-lee-ko-sah] hostile; aggressive odiosa [o-dee-o-sa] hateful; vexation tenebrosa [teh-neh-bro-sa] creeping; dark nemorosa [neh-mo-ro-sa] wooded; shady lapidosa [lah-pee-do-sa] stony area; gritty The convergence, then, of the medieval tarantella (spider dance), the writings of a brilliant poet who bordered on the absurd, and the infusion of strong, descriptive and otherwise random, rhyming words, synthesizes to make dramatic lyrics for this work. About the Composer Z. Randall Stroope is an American composer and conductor. He has served as Professor of Music at three universities (an Endowed Professor at two), conducted 47 all-state choirs, and directed over 40 times at Carnegie Hall, among other American venues. Randall guest conducts full-time, and composes from his home studios on Merritt Island, Florida and in Sandia Park, New Mexico. Performance Notes Text: In Latin, the r is flipped; use s instead of z on endings such as phosa, cosa, and so on; the Latin o is a cross between oh and aw; in the transliteration above, I chose to simply use an o for consistency. The director will blend the oh and aw in the rehearsals to his/her own preference. Lastly, tarantula is pronounced tah-rah-n-too-lah (avoid teh-ran-choo-luh) within the confines of this text. Stomp: This can be done by the entire chorus, or just the first row. It is as much visual as it is auditory. The string quartet is preferred over piano when that option affords itself. I created a piano score that is a viable option and included it in the piano/vocal score if a performance uses chorus/piano.
The tarantella is a popular southern Italian dance with origins in the 11th century. (There is even some mention of the tarantella in ancient Greek mythology.) Of the possible sources of the dance, the most popular comes from the villages of Tanto and Tarentum (“little spider”), Italy. During harvest, workers in the field were sometimes bitten by the tarantula spider. To combat the “poison,” the afflicted workers went into a frenetic, almost musical exorcism to sweat the venom out of their pores. In the millennium since, the very energetic nature of the dance has remained, although the curative focus of the dance has given way to more enjoyable endeavors, even stately courtship.Christopher Smart (1722-1771), also known as “Kit Smart” or “Jack Smart,” was born in Kent, England and suffered from what is now believed to be acute asthma and other health issues as a child. As such, he did not work in the fields, but spent much time reading and writing, a passion that he nurtured for a lifetime. Well known in London literary circles, his career as a writer floundered due to mounting debts and his falling out of favor with the literary establishment: Sadly, he was forced to confinement at St. Luke’s Hospital for Lunatics, though this was based on his mounting debt, and not on insanity. (Confinement, or debtor’s prison, was common during this period if one’s debts could not be paid.) During his confinement, he worked on two of his most famous works, Jubilate Agno and A Song of David. (Part of Jubilate Agno [“Rejoice in the Lamb”] was set to music by English composer, Benjamin Britten.) Smart’s writing style (which, at times, bordered on the absurd), along with his many obsessions, lead to frequent misperceptions of his work and his lucidity. In this present work, portions of Smart’s Jubilate Agno were used in mm. 24-31, 103-110 and 149-156. The remaining text was gathered by the composer, including the rapid, almost patter-like, delivery of words from A-Z in the alphabet. (Christopher Smart had a preoccupation with the alphabet.) These words both rhyme and accentuate the frenetic nature of the spider dance:The convergence, then, of the medieval tarantella (spider dance), the writings of a brilliant poet who bordered on the absurd, and the infusion of strong, descriptive and otherwise random, rhyming words, synthesizes to make dramatic lyrics for this work.Z. Randall Stroope is an American composer and conductor. He has served as Professor of Music at three universities (an Endowed Professor at two), conducted 47 all-state choirs, and directed over 40 times at Carnegie Hall, among other American venues. Randall guest conducts full-time, and composes from his home studios on Merritt Island, Florida and in Sandia Park, New Mexico. In Latin, the “r” is flipped; use “s” instead of “z” on endings such as “phosa,” “cosa,” and so on; the Latin “o” is a cross between “oh” and “aw”; in the transliteration above, I chose to simply use an “o” for consistency. The director will blend the “oh” and “aw” in the rehearsals to his/her own preference. Lastly, “tarantula” is pronounced “tah-rah-n-too-lah” (avoid “teh-ran-choo-luh”) within the confines of this text.Stomp: This can be done by the entire chorus, or just the first row. It is as much visual as it is auditory. The string quartet is preferred over piano when that option affords itself. I created a piano score that is a viable option and included it in the piano/vocal score if a performance uses chorus/piano.
The tarantella is a popular southern Italian dance with origins in the 11th century. (There is even some mention of the tarantella in ancient Greek mythology.) Of the possible sources of the dance, the most popular comes from the villages of Tanto and Tarentum (“little spider”), Italy. During harvest, workers in the field were sometimes bitten by the tarantula spider. To combat the “poison,” the afflicted workers went into a frenetic, almost musical exorcism to sweat the venom out of their pores. In the millennium since, the very energetic nature of the dance has remained, although the curative focus of the dance has given way to more enjoyable endeavors, even stately courtship.Christopher Smart (1722-1771), also known as “Kit Smart” or “Jack Smart,” was born in Kent, England and suffered from what is now believed to be acute asthma and other health issues as a child. As such, he did not work in the fields, but spent much time reading and writing, a passion that he nurtured for a lifetime. Well known in London literary circles, his career as a writer floundered due to mounting debts and his falling out of favor with the literary establishment: Sadly, he was forced to confinement at St. Luke’s Hospital for Lunatics, though this was based on his mounting debt, and not on insanity. (Confinement, or debtor’s prison, was common during this period if one’s debts could not be paid.) During his confinement, he worked on two of his most famous works, Jubilate Agno and A Song of David. (Part of Jubilate Agno [“Rejoice in the Lamb”] was set to music by English composer, Benjamin Britten.) Smart’s writing style (which, at times, bordered on the absurd), along with his many obsessions, lead to frequent misperceptions of his work and his lucidity. In this present work, portions of Smart’s Jubilate Agno were used in mm. 24-31, 103-110 and 149-156. The remaining text was gathered by the composer, including the rapid, almost patter-like, delivery of words from A-Z in the alphabet. (Christopher Smart had a preoccupation with the alphabet.) These words both rhyme and accentuate the frenetic nature of the spider dance:The convergence, then, of the medieval tarantella (spider dance), the writings of a brilliant poet who bordered on the absurd, and the infusion of strong, descriptive and otherwise random, rhyming words, synthesizes to make dramatic lyrics for this work.Z. Randall Stroope is an American composer and conductor. He has served as Professor of Music at three universities (an Endowed Professor at two), conducted 47 all-state choirs, and directed over 40 times at Carnegie Hall, among other American venues. Randall guest conducts full-time, and composes from his home studios on Merritt Island, Florida and in Sandia Park, New Mexico.In Latin, the “r” is flipped; use “s” instead of “z” on endings such as “phosa,” “cosa,” and so on; the Latin “o” is a cross between “oh” and “aw”; in the transliteration above, I chose to simply use an “o” for consistency. The director will blend the “oh” and “aw” in the rehearsals to his/her own preference. Lastly, “tarantula” is pronounced “tah-rah-n-too-lah” (avoid “teh-ran-choo-luh”) within the confines of this text.Stomp: This can be done by the entire chorus, or just the first row. It is as much visual as it is auditory. The string quartet is preferred over piano when that option affords itself. I created a piano score that is a viable option and included it in the piano/vocal score if a performance uses chorus/piano.

SKU: MB.99933M

ISBN 9780786693184. UPC: 786693185. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

First Lessons Bass is intended to introduce beginning students to the fundamental concepts of playing the electric bass. The material covered in this book is approximately the material covered in the first 8 lessons of private bass instruction. This book makes use of the 3-finger left hand position commonly found in double bass technique. The emphasis on left hand technique allows the student to develop a consistent fingering approach to the fingerboard, reduces unnecessary strain on the left hand, and makes the bass more accessible to younger students or students with small hands. After the left hand technique has been established, the book introduces the student to important elements of bass line construction including blues patterns, the root-fifth relationship, and common rhythmic patterns. Includes access to online audio and video.

â?¢ Introduction for beginning students to the fundamental concepts of playing the electric bass.
â?¢ Book is approximately the material covered in the first 8 lessons of private bass instruction.
â?¢ Makes use of the 3-finger left hand position commonly found in double bass technique.
â?¢ Offers student important elements of bass line construction: blues patterns, root-fifth relationship, and common rhythmic patterns.
â?¢ Includes access to online audio and video.

SKU: CF.CM9714

ISBN 9781491160329. UPC: 680160918904. Key: F major. English. Robert Frost.

About the work ... Few American poems are as well known as The Road Not Taken. Robert Frost, the author, is an international icon, not unlike Pablo Picasso, Winston Churchill or Mark Twain in their own disciplines.The poem is full of contradictions and quirks of form and structure. Perhaps that illusiveness is part of the poem's intrigue. But beyond all of the literary devices that only a few scholars may fully appreciate, this poem has taken on a sort of fanfare for the common person credo - a challenge to individualism, stepping out on one's own, and breaking the mold out of sheer determination if nothing else. Frost connects to the core of the human spirit in just a few stanzas using the analogy of a fork in a road. The message super cedes geography, culture, race or creed. Rather, it is part of the DNA of most every person on the planet - the inner desire to feel empowered to create one's own destiny, to forge a road not taken, and ultimately in doing so, to make a difference. Rehearsal notes ... Research strongly suggests that there is a direct connection between the first rehearsal and the performance. First impressions last. I find it helpful to immediately lock three concepts into place - mechanics (notes/rhythms), text/phrasing (intent and motivation) and color (timbre). Performers need to think musically from the first reading forward (first impression). The cello is very much a collaborative instrument in this work, and should be located in front of the ensemble (not to side). Lastly, let the text speak. The simplest melodic lines are often the most exposed. Keep the voices clear and transparent, floating over the top in softer passages, and singing with vibrancy and forward focus throughout. Z. Randall Stroope A definitive recording was made by the New American Voices, with Randall conducting. This can be found on Spotify, YouTube, his website (www.zrstroope), and other social media. About the composer ... Z. Randall Stroope is an American composer and conductor. His composition teachers were Normand Lockwood and Cecil Effinger, both students of the Nadia Boulanger, the famous French teacher (and student of Gabriel Faure). He is the artistic director of two international summer music festivals, is an Honorary Member of the National Association of Italian Choral Directors, and has conducted in 25 countries. He has directed over 40 times at Carnegie Hall, and is a frequent conductor at other prestigious concert venues. Randall has 190 published works, and his music can be heard on Spotify, YouTube and other platforms, including his website (www.zrstroope.com).
About the work ...Few American poems are as well known as The Road Not Taken. Robert Frost, the author, is an international icon, not unlike Pablo Picasso, Winston Churchill or Mark Twain in their own disciplines.The poem is full of contradictions and quirks of form and structure. Perhaps that illusiveness is part of the poem's intrigue. But beyond all of the literary devices that only a few scholars may fully appreciate, this poem has taken on a sort of fanfare for the common person credo - a challenge to individualism, stepping out on one's own, and breaking the mold out of sheer determination if nothing else. Frost connects to the core of the human spirit in just a few stanzas using the analogy of a fork in a road. The message super cedes geography, culture, race or creed. Rather, it is part of the DNA of most every person on the planet - the inner desire to feel empowered to create one's own destiny, to forge a road not taken, and ultimately in doing so, to make a difference.Rehearsal notes ...Research strongly suggests that there is a direct connection between the first rehearsal and the performance. First impressions last. I find it helpful to immediately lock three concepts into place - mechanics (notes/rhythms), text/phrasing (intent and motivation) and color (timbre). Performers need to think musically from the first reading forward (first impression). The cello is very much a collaborative instrument in this work, and should be located in front of the ensemble (not to side). Lastly, let the text speak. The simplest melodic lines are often the most exposed. Keep the voices clear and transparent, floating over the top in softer passages, and singing with vibrancy and forward focus throughout.Z. Randall StroopeA definitive recording was made by the New American Voices, with Randall conducting. This can be found on Spotify, YouTube, his website (www.zrstroope), and other social media.About the composer ...Z. Randall Stroope is an American composer and conductor. His composition teachers were Normand Lockwood and Cecil Effinger, both students of the Nadia Boulanger, the famous French teacher (and student of Gabriel Fauré). He is the artistic director of two international summer music festivals, is an Honorary Member of the National Association of Italian Choral Directors, and has conducted in 25 countries. He has directed over 40 times at Carnegie Hall, and is a frequent conductor at other prestigious concert venues. Randall has 190 published works, and his music can be heard on Spotify, YouTube and other platforms, including his website (www.zrstroope.com).