Grade 3-This collection of pieces was written for the Trinity Guildhall Examination Board syllabus. It is aimed principally at students of grades 1 to 5 and intended to combine technical challenges with that most vital musical ingredient: fun.Four pieces for bassoon and piano by Graham Sheen.Drunken Sailor - the sequelThis needs a plaintive tone especially in the upper register where the dynamics are particularly important. To capture the mood of the piece those slurs in bars 35 and 36 for example might even be close to a glissando. Use your imagination to recreate the sailor's state of health!The Vulgar BoatmanNot only more 'hidden' melodies but moreappalling puns! (Volga Boatman for those not versed in Russian folksongs). This is like a waltz: it is written in 3/4 time but played so as to give the impression of one beat in bar. The melodies need to be well sustained so that we hear four eight or even more bars as a single phrase. Clues for the musical detective:- in addition to the Volga Boatman you might spot just a hint of 'Sailing down the River on a Sunday Afternoon' 'We Sail the Ocean Blue' (H.M.S. Pinafore) The Eton Boat Song and even Wagner's Flying Dutchman.Last Tango in HarrisEveryone must surely know these thinly disguised Scottish tunes but can you make them sound like a tango? Bear in mind that tangos are not jazz: the rhythm is quite strict but the tango character is in the tone and the phrasing. Notice how expressive the occasional shorter note value can be as in bars 4 and 5 in the bassoon part.Rheumanian StretchesOr was that Rumanian Sketches? This is a chance to play the main melody in two registers of the bassoon. Try to make a good even sound in both octaves. This piece requires careful counting since the phrases in the bassoon part don't always begin where you might expect. Think of this piece as a song.

The magnificent interweaving of harmonies and dialogue-like Voices in Handel’s For Unto Us A Child Is Born make it a perfect addition to the festive choral repertoire. German-born British Baroque composer George Frideric Handel originally composed this piece in 1741 for the English-language oratorio Messiah which eventually became one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music. As the last song of Scene 3 of Part I of the oratorio which addresses Isaiah's specific prophecy about the virgin birth of a Messiah For Unto Us A Child Is Born tells the news of Christmas thebirth of a son in Isaiah’s words as found in the Scripture (Isaiah 9:6). The delicate familiar theme is introduced by the Sopranos and taken up by their counter-voices the Tenors later the same dialog is given over to the Altos and Basses. The tutti culminates in 'Wonderful' 'Counselor' 'The Mighty God' 'The Everlasting Father' and 'The Prince of Peace'.