SKU: GI.G-10125

ISBN 9781622774647.

We can all be artists with our voices, here and now. I’m not talking about singing lessons, or reading music, or any kind of study. We can learn a song as easily as children do, just by opening our ears and mouths. —Alice Parker In this series of beautifully detailed and thought-provoking essays, world-renown composer and conductor Alice Parker beckons us all to return to the natural state of singing. We move beyond the scientific precision of the printed page to uncover the core of creative expression. Drawing on her decades of experience as a musician, teacher, and leader of SINGS, Alice’s insights and advice are profound in their simplicity. She reveals the true importance of our voices, encouraging all of us to open our ears and then our mouths to express our common humanity. Like Alice Parker's music making, the book is simple, but moving and profound. She honors singing, as you would expect, saying in the very first sentence of the book, Song is a gift given to all human beings who have ears and a voice. And a few pages later, Song is truly the most democratic of the arts. We need no equipment other than ears and voices, no instrument other than heart and mind. If you found yourself thinking: What about eyes to read the notes? This book would reply that you are thinking about song(s) instead of Song. Songs can be stored in a book or file cabinet, Song happens only when there is singing. Song is about listening and singing — Pastor Bruce Benson from Sing for Joy Newsletter Read full newsletter artice here.

SKU: HL.49008315

ISBN 9790001126403. UPC: 073999352016. 8.0x11.75x0.221 inches.

'Hammerklavier' is a full-length cyclical work. The composer tries casting off the straight-jacket of hide-bound musical traditions, sending the listener on a voyage of discovery and liberation. The 'Hammer' of the title refers not to the mechanical action of the pianoforte nor to Beethoven's 'Hammerklaviersonata' but to the mental approach required of the performer who doesn't just simply depress the keys of the piano but needs to be a true 'performance artist'. The composer has recorded the entire cycle for WERGO (WER 6611-2).