SKU: PO.PE137S

ISBN 9781877564376.

Arranged for string orchestra by Julian Azkoul, artistic director and leader of the United Strings of Europe, Farr's quirky and clever Mondo Rondo is right at home in this larger setting. The visceral energy and grooving rhythms in the second and third movements are particularly well suited for orchestral reinforcement, while its hocketting pizzicato and subtle body percussion passages are made all the more dynamic in this context.Mondo Rondo is also available in its original form for string quartet and also arranged by the composer for piano trio.

SKU: KJ.WB470

UPC: 084027047378.

About Tradition of Excellence: Excellence in Performance

Excellence in performance is a concert band repertoire series correlated with the Tradition of Excellence Comprehensive Band Method by Bruce Pearson and Ryan Nowlin. The compositions in the series correlate to a specific page in Tradition of Excellence Books 1, 2, or 3 and reinforce and expand on skills and concepts introduced in the method.

/Selections include exciting parts for every player, grade-appropriate cross-cueing, accessible ranges and rhythms, creative percussion writing, electric bass and rehearsal piano parts, and full conductor scores with rehearsal suggestions, program notes and composer biographies. In addition, the Grade 1 works provide an Advanced Snare Drum part for percussionists who have achieved a higher level of ability, playable simultaneously with the more basic Snare Drum part to facilitate differentiated learning.

SKU: PR.164002720

UPC: 680160573042. 8.5 x 11 inches.

My third quartet is laid out in a three-movement structure, with each movement based on an early, middle, and late work of the great American impressionist painter Mary Cassatt. Although the movements are separate, with full-stop endings, the music is connected by a common scale-form, derived from the name MARY CASSATT, and by a recurring theme that introduces all three movements. I see this theme as Mary's Theme, a personality that stays intact while undergoing gradual change.   I The Bacchante (1876) [Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]   The painting shows a young girl of Italian or Spanish origin, playing a small pair of cymbals. Since Cassatt was trying very hard to fit in at the French Academy at the time, she painted a lot of these subjects, which were considered typical and universal. The style of the painting doesn't yet show Cassatt's originality, except perhaps for certain details in the face. Accordingly the music for this movement is Spanish/Italian, in a similar period-style but using the musical signature described above. The music begins with Mary's Theme, ruminative and slow, then abruptly changes to an alla Spagnola-type fast 3/4 - 6/8 meter. It evokes the Spanish-influenced music of Ravel and Falla.   Midway through, there's an accompanied recitative for the viola, which figures large in this particular movement, then back to a truncated recapitulation of the fast music. The overall feeling is of a well-made, rather conventional movement in a contemporary Spanish/Italian style. Cassatt's painting, too, is rather conventional.   II At the Opera (1880) [Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts]   This painting is one of Cassatt's most well known works, and it hangs in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The painting shows a woman alone in a box at the opera house, completely dressed (including gloves) and looking through opera glasses at someone or something that is NOT on the stage. Across the auditorium from her, but exactly at eye level, is a gentleman with opera glasses intently watching her - though it is not him that she's looking at. It's an intriguing picture.   This movement is far less conventional than the first movement, as the painting is far less conventional. The music begins with a rapid, Shostakovich-type mini-overture lasting less than a minute, based on Mary's Theme. My conjecture is that the woman in the painting has arrived late to the opera, busily stumbling into her box. What happens next is a kind of collage, a kind of surrealistic overlaying of two different elements: the foreground music, at first is a direct quotation of Soldier's Chorus from Gounod's FAUST (an opera Cassatt would certainly have heard in the brand-new Paris Opera House at that time), played by Violin II, Viola, and Cello. This music is played sul ponticello in the melody and col legno in the marching accompaniment. On top of this, the first violin hovers at first on a high harmonic, then descends into a slow melody, completely separate from the Gounod. It's as if the woman in the painting is hearing the opera onstage but is not really interested in it. Then the cello joins the first violin in a kind of love-duet (just the two of them, at first). This music isn't at all Gounod-derived; it's entirely from the same scale patterns as the first movement and derives from Mary's Theme and its scale. The music stays in a kind of dichotomy feeling, usually three-against-one, until the end of the movement, when another Gounod melody, Valentin's aria Avant de quitter ce lieux reappears in a kind of coda for all four players. It ends atmospherically and emotionally disconnected, however. The overall feeling is a kind of schizophrenic, opera-inspired dream.   III Young Woman in Green, Outdoors in the Sun (1909) [Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts]   The painting, one of Cassatt's last, is very simple: just a figure, looking sideways out of the picture. The colors are pastel and yet bold - and the woman is likewise very self-assured and not in the least demure. It is eight minutes long, and is all about melody - three melodies, to be exact (Young Woman, Green, and Sunlight). No angst, no choppy rhythms, just ever-unfolding melody and lush harmonies. I quote one other French composer here, too: Debussy's song Green, from Ariettes Oubliees. 1909 would have been Debussy's heyday in Paris, and it makes perfect sense musically as well as visually to do this.   Mary Cassatt lived her last several years in near-total blindness, and as she lost visual acuity, her work became less sharply defined - something akin to late water lilies of Monet, who suffered similar vision loss. My idea of making this movement entirely melodic was compounded by having each of the three melodies appear twice, once in a pure form, and the second time in a more diffuse setting. This makes an interesting two ways form: A-B-C-A1-B1-C1.   String Quartet No.3 (Cassatt) is dedicated, with great affection and respect, to the Cassatt String Quartet, whose members have dedicated themselves in large measure to the furthering of the contemporary repertoire for quartet.

SKU: FJ.B1777

UPC: 241444402870. English.

Explore the unconventional in this dare-to-be-different original. Catchy grooves, quirky half steps, and playful tri-tones are presented in a safe, yet surrealistic way. Unique, fun, and catchy - this is the perfect change of pace for your next concert!

About FJH Developing Band

Slightly more advanced than beginning band. Clarinet 1 begins to play over the break. Rhythms and ranges are expanded to accommodate the end of first-year as well as second-year instruction. Grade 1.5

SKU: AP.48054S

UPC: 038081555072. English.

Beethoven's Fifth . . . four iconic notes recognized instantly. Now in V by Jeffrey Turner, the same motif is used as a theme in this piece, set in an epic musical landscape more fitting to a cinematic superhero battling evil. Driving ostinatos, menacing cellos, and pulsating rhythms will be great fun for the musicians and audience alike. Players will also have a chance to showcase their spiccato bowing skills, and the optional percussion will add extra drama. This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud. (3:50).

SKU: CA.3912711

ISBN 9790007215781. Language: German.

Telemann's setting of Psalm 121 I lift up mine eyes to the hills reveals him to be an admirer of French music. Constructed on the example of a grand motet, each of the movements is patterned after the French model: the model of an overture for the first movement, the echoes of a chaconne in the second, the dotted gigue rhythms of the Canarie in the third. In addition there is the lively exchange between choir and solo ensemble, and much more. The music is full of poetic imagery, whenever the occasion arises, as at the very beginning with the words Ich hebe meine Augen auf, or in a later passage with the text Siehe, der Hüter Israel schläft noch schlummert nicht (Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep). Score and part available separately - see item CA.3912700.

SKU: CF.CAS95F

ISBN 9781491142158. UPC: 680160630219.

Hodie Christus Natus Est, by Jan Pieters Sweelinck (1562-1621), is an extremely popular Renaissance a cappella choral work that has been transcribed for string orchestra. Although the work is usually associated with the Christmas season, it is a timeless piece that can be programmed at anytime during the school year.

About Carl Fischer Concert String Orchestra Series

This series of pieces (Grade 3 and higher) is designed for advancing ensembles. The pieces in this series are characterized by:

• Expanded use of rhythms, ranges and keys but technical demands are still carefully considered
• More comprehensive bowing techniques
• Viola T.C. included
• Careful selection of keys and degree of difficulty for advancing musicians

SKU: CL.012-4645-00

What starts out as a fanfare quickly becomes variations on the opening themes. As the title suggests, those themes are musical foreshadowing for the Changes Ahead. With effective use of mixed meters, changing keys and rhythms there is an excitement that builds off of otherwise simple melodies. In the middle section comes a lyrical contrast with a sense of anticipation that the changed themes are coming back to a powerful ending, where all the themes combine. Changes Ahead showcases each section of the band, but more importantly it will challenge them to listen to other themes and compliment them. With lots of percussion, dramatic brass, flowing winds this piece creates a bold musical experience for the band and the audience.

SKU: HL.35032679

UPC: 888680912239. 5.0x5.0x0.185 inches. Charlotte Elliott/Joseph M. Martin. I Timothy 1:15, John 7:37-38, Psalm 51:2.

A new edition of this early Martin hymn resetting! In this version, the key has been lowered and the rhythms adjusted to reflect a more traditional approach to the text, refining the anthem for reverence and worship. The contours of the melody convey longing and repentance while the B section weaves gentle counterpoint into a sonic tapestry of beauty. An approachable yet effective option for Holy Week or services of contemplation. Superb! Score and Parts (fl, ob, cl, bn, perc 1-2, pno, vn 1-2, va, vc, db) available as a digital download.