SKU: CF.YPS200

ISBN 9781491152201. UPC: 680160909704. Key: D minor.

Step right up, ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, step right up! See the exotic, the strange, and the magical at the Cirque de L’étrange, or “Circus of the Strange.” This piece evokes a bygone era when circuses and carnivals provided people from all walks of life a chance to see human and animal oddities. Cirque de L'étrange is an original concert march written in standard march form, but its sound is anything but standard. This piece is playable by younger groups and is a great way to expose students to the march form and style without sounding like your typical march.
Step right up ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, step right up! See the exotic, the strange, and the magical at the Cirque de L’étrange. Welcome to the Cirque de L’étrange, known in English as the “Circus of the Strange.” This piece evokes a time of a bygone era, a time when circuses and carnivals provided people from all walks of life a chance to see human and animal oddities that were sources of both delight and horror. While many of these sideshow attractions were deemed fraudulent, it did not deter the crowds from flocking to be shocked and awed. I have always held a special place in my heart for the showmanship of carnivals, because my grandfather dearly loved them. For much of his life, he worked at fairs and carnivals selling cotton candy and candy apples. A large portion of my days when growing up were spent running around fairgrounds and helping my grandfather with his stand. He imparted in me a love for the cunning, magic, and sheer joy that only carnivals and circuses can bring. In Cirque de L’étrange, I sought to capture the the mirthful, yet uncanny mood of the carnivals that I grew up exploring, thus transporting you to a different time.Cirque de L'étrange is an original concert march written in standard march form, but its sound is anything but standard. This piece is playable by younger groups, as it is a great way to expose students to the march form and style while not sounding like your typical march.Opening in D minor, the piece combines the playful feel of a march and a macabre tango. The second time through the First Strain (mm. 5-23), the upper woodwinds and bells add a second counter melody based in D harmonic minor, which heightens the peculiar nature of the piece. The Second Strain (mm. 24-43) by contrast, is a little more upbeat, thus evoking the magical ebullience of a circus, which is further highlighted by the xylophone part. The Second Strain ends in the key of F major and sets up the transition to the Trio in the key of G minor. The Trio (m. 44) begins with the G harmonic minor melody in the clarinets and a counter melody in the bassoon and tenor saxophone. The rest of the woodwinds and bells join in at m. 60 while the percussion adds a Gypsy-like feel with tambourine and triangle. At m. 76 the full band joins in the macabre parade with the trombones and baritones harmonizing the counter melody. The conclusion of the march has the upper woodwinds, adding a second counter melody complete with trills to bring the march to an exciting and dramatic finish.As the World’s Greatest Showman, P.T. Barnum, a man my grandfather greatly admired, once said “The noblest art is that of making others happy.” It is my hope that through this piece you will experience the thrill, delight, and fright that only carnivals can bring as you visit the Circus of the Strange!

SKU: PR.11441825S

UPC: 680160643745. 9 x 12 inches.

In 2011, Barbara Garrop, my mother, commissioned me to write a piano trio in memory of Norman Garrop, my father, who passed away about thirty years ago. When I started brainstorming about topics for the piece, I found it difficult to recall many moments of my early life involving my father. Too many years had passed, and the memories that I could summon were of achild looking up to her father, not an adult relating to an equal. However, while collecting stories of my father from various family members, along with discovering a number of objects that had once belonged to him and that I had stored away in boxes decades ago, I began to realize that this piece wasn't so much about my father as it was about my re-discovering the man that he was: a loving husband and dad who cared deeply about his family and his passions (which included bike riding, collecting coins, strumming our guitar, playing baseball, watching football games, entertaining people, helping to run local theater and puppet productions, and carving objects out of wook); an accountant who dreamed of a better future: a treasurer of our local synagogue; an early advocate for computers (we owned an Apple II+); and a pranster with a great sense of humor. Ultimately, I decided to musically tell the story of my search for these memories. In the first movement (Without), a child calls out in a sing-song voice, searching for her lost parent. This search intesifies over the course of the movement through a series of themes, including a stepping motif in which a two-note progression steadily climbs higher, a pseudo-jewish folksong, and a passionate longing theme. The child's search becomes increasingly intense throughout the movement, calling out fervently and repeatedly to the parent; the movement ends in a moment of great tnesion and uncertainty. The second movment (Within) quietly opens with the lost parent finally answering, represented by a solo cello; the child (now personified by the violin) has found the parent within the sanctuary of her own heart. This movement highlights the joy and solemnity of this beautiful discovery. -S.G.