SKU: PR.110406720

UPC: 680160001316.

I have always been fond of writing works for specific people or organizations. It has been my good fortune during most of my creative career to be asked to compose for many extraordinary performers. The Sonata for Harpsichord Solo is such a case in point: it was written in 1982 for Barbara Harbach, a superb performer, close friend, and collaborator on many musical projects. The Sonata was premiered on March 2, 1984, in a recital given by Dr. Harbach at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. During my formative years as a composer, one seldom heard of the harpsichord as a modern instrument, though while I attended undergraduate school at Boston University, some of us banded together to construct a small harpsichord from one of the first do-it-yourself kits which began to appear in the late '40s. It was also during this time that I heard the Sonatina for Violin and Harpsichord by my teacher Walter Piston and consequently specified that the accompanying instrument for my second violin sonata could either be a piano or a harpsichord. It was not until recently, however, that my interest in the harpsichord as a solo instrument for new music was aroused. This was because of the emergence of so many young virtuosi, such as Barbara Harbach, who are interested in the performance of new music besides the great harpsichord music of the Classical, Baroque, and pre-Baroque eras. The keyboard music of Domenico Scarlatti has always intrigued and fascinated me. The brevity, excitement, and clarity of this sparkling music is charming as well as exhilarating. It is this type of Baroque sonata that inspired the conception and form of my harpsichord sonata. The entire work is loosely based on the musical translation of Barabara Harbach's name, especially the conflict of the B (B-flat) and H (B-natural in German notation). This secondo rub or dissonance especially pervades the first movement, which is in a modified sonata form, pitting jagged and tense melodic elements against most lyrical and smooth lines. This second movement is a song-like melody accompanied by rolled chords which may be played on the lute stop of the instrument if this sonata is performed on a two-manual harpsichord. The final movement is an ever-driving joyous toccata which brings the work to an exciting close with a coda made up of accelerating repeated chords. --Samuel Adler.

SKU: FG.55011-911-6

ISBN 9790550119116.

Piano reduction for Einojuhani Rautavaara's Concerto for harp and orchestra (2000) available for the first time (2024)! This product includes also the solo part edited by Kalen Smith.

The composer tells about the three-movement work: The concerto is in three movements. After the orchestral introduction, the harp leads into a gradually thickening texture that progresses into a series of powerful culminations. Once these subside, the expansive motifs of the introduction return. The solo is echoed by two harps in the orchestra: I wanted the magnificent sound to be multiplied. The simple melody in the second movement is coloured in a very archaic way by the orchestra; we might imagine the performance of a troubadour or a bard in ancient times. The finale is festive, 'solenne'. It presents the combined sonority of the three harps at its most colourful and melodic.

Duration: 23'
Orchestra: 2222-4220-12-2hp-str (performance material is available for hire from the publisher).

The study score is available for sale (M042091586).

Einojuhani Rautavaara (9. October 1928 � 27. July 2016) is internationally one of the best known and most frequently performed Finnish composers. He was by nature a romantic, even a mystic, as is often apparent from the titles of his works: for example Angels and Visitations for orchestra or his double-bass concerto Angel of Dusk. Despite Rautavaara�s label of mysticism he was a complex and contradictory figure whose works cannot be categorized in stylistic terms.

SKU: FG.55011-912-3

ISBN 9790550119123.

Luonnonjumala (God of Nature) is Tauno Marttinen’s adaption for harp of his piano suite Taara op. 34. The manuscript for harp was found in January 2024 by Rauno Marttinen, composer’s son.

Duration: c. 15’
Movements:
1. Virran ääniä | The Voices of the Stream
2. Luonnonjumalan lähde | The Spring of God of Nature
3. Metsässä tuulee |The Wind Blows through the Forest

Tauno Marttinen (1912–2008) studied in Viipuri and later in Helsinki at the Helsinki Conservatoire. His piano teachers were Ilmari Hannikainen and Selim Palmgren, but he soon became increasingly interested in composing. Marttinen was also the conductor of the Hämeenlinna City Orchestra in 1949−1958 and the founder and principal of the Hämeenlinna Music Institute.

Marttinen started his composing career in late Romantic vein. However, his first concerts in the 1940s met with criticism since the winds of Modernism had already landed in Finland. He then became interested in Dodecaphony and studied under Vladimir Vogel in Ascona but later abandoned strict dodecaphony and found his own, personal style incorporating elements from Neo-classicism and free-tonality with a hint of mysticism – he was called the Shaman of Hämeenlinna (his hometown).

Tauno Marttinen was an incredibly productive composer; he wrote around four hundred works with opus numbers as well as a wealth of other pieces. His oeuvre includes 10 symphonies, concertos for various solo instruments, operas as well as vocal, chamber and instrumental works. Many of Marttinen’s pieces have become popular standard repertoire, such as the piano piece Kimalluksia (Gleams).

SKU: HL.48181739

UPC: 888680862275. 9x12 inches.

“Born in 1929, French composer, Pierick Houdy was a student of Olivier Messiaen at the Paris Conservatoire. He led a successful career as director of many institutions and choirs, and his compositions remain known to this day, Sonata for Harp being no exception. Composed in 1983, Sonata for Harp contributes to a substantial catalogue of works by Houdy. The Sonata comprises three movements and a typical performance lasts about twelve minutes. The work is modern in style and addresses a range of technical features. Suitable for advanced harpists, Houdy's Sonata for Harp is an exciting addition to the contemporary Harp repertoire and makes for a evocative performance.&rdquo.

SKU: PR.114415700

ISBN 9781598064711. UPC: 680160612284. 9x12 inches.

Schocker's first harp Sonata offers three movements (1. Changes; 2. Procession, Remembering; 3.Facing Forward) in approachable form for advancing students Perfect for year-end recitals. For intermediate to advanced. Duration: 8'_______________________________________SONATA NO. 1 for Harp (114-41570)With the same spontaneous gift and gusto that Gary Schocker has offered the flute world, providing a rich library of solo works and chamber music, Schocker has recently turned his creative generosity to harp. The 8-minute SONATA NO. 1 is within the reach of intermediate players, and set in three movements: Changes; Procession, Remembering; and Facing Forward. .