SKU: HL.49046382

UPC: 841886031753. 0.126 inches.

Magnificat is a tribute to the unaccompanied motets of favourite composers from several eras - in particular those of Dufay, the Eton Choirbook, Robert Carver, Lassus and Bach. The work is therefore full of contrast in texture, harmony, mood and pacing, and exploits the resources of unaccompanied chorus in a manner not only analogous to those already mentioned but also to ensemble or orchestral writing. Naturally - given the sentiments of the text - the mood is predominantly joyful and exuberant; but the darker implications of certain phrases in the text are not ignored. Towards the end there is a big choral explosion on one of the traditional plainsong chants for the Magnificat, before the work subsides into a coda of calm serenity. Magnificat was commissioned by the ORA choir. It is dedicated to the French composer Betsy Jolas, in celebration of her 90th birthday, and in equal celebration of our mutual love of many choral composers mentioned above.

SKU: HL.44007672

UPC: 884088310271. 9x12 inches.

Follow the historic Rogue River from its headwaters in Oregon to the mighty Pacific! The serenity of the mountain snowmelt gives way to energetic rapids and then to the greater expanse and power of the lower river. This work has lots of potential for co-curricular study with history and geography. It will be a nice accessible challenge for the maturing young band, rewarding each section with integral and expressive parts to play. (Grade 2-1/2).

SKU: ST.CN12P

ISBN 9790220224690.

Among the UK's most noted choral composers and conductors, Ronald Corp does not hesitate to bring his own musical vision to a much-loved poem by the sixteenth-century lutenist songwriter and 'Doctor of Physick' Thomas Campion, following the example not only of Campion himself but also of Charles Wood and Hubert Parry. Eschewing the manner of Parry's resonant polyphony for a simple harmonised setting in a flexible verbal rhythm reflecting the measure of the words, this is a heartfelt plea for spiritual release uttered in a quietly elegiac tone, in which the serenity of the entreaty rather than its pathos is to the fore.

SKU: XC.ISO2001

UPC: 812598034332. 9 x 12 inches.

In the late summer months, the Scottish countryside is covered by the heather flower. Purple in color, it makes the otherwise harsh landscape a place of tranquil beauty. In this adaptation of the Scottish folk song Wild Mountain Thyme, composer Michael J. Miller’s Purple Mountain Heather captures the serenity of the Scottish moors in full bloom. Flowing melodies phrased with expressive shaping are passed throughout the ensemble, creating heartfelt drama for all to enjoy!

SKU: KJ.JO2004F

UPC: 8402702559.

Beginning in a mood of peaceful serenity and rising up to ecstatic glory in the conclusion, Mr. Mahr's composition is a touching and sophisticated metamorphosis in sound. Full Score.

SKU: HL.370494

ISBN 9781705147009. UPC: 840126994025.

The First String Quartet in C major, Op. 37, was written in the autumn of 1917 and earned Szymanowski the first prize in a competition organized by the Ministry of Religious and in a competition organized by the Ministry of Religious and Educational Affairs in January 1922. The First String Quartet is notable for its clar and simple construction. The first movement is in the formof a sonata allegro; the Andantino semplice (in modo iuna canzone) in the middle is a cross between ternary and variation form. The final Scherzando alla burlesca also keeps to the form of a sonata allegro. The combinations and proportions of formal factors and the treatment of thematic material betray a fairly conventional adoption of classical models. Similarly, the expressive and structural use of melodic material shows a respect for traditional norms. Szymanowski created, in other works from the same period, his own individual type of melodic line, which was strongly expressive and achieved its effect chiefly by its tonal qualieties; nevertheless in this Quartet he returns to a fluid, cantilena-like, symmetrically shaped melodic line, which runs along in broad phrases of a concentrated, reflective character. Melody becomes the chief factor in the development of the form, both in thematic usage and in the application of a more polyphonic texture. Harmonic and tonal means are considerably simplified in the Quartet []. Most of the writing is linear, or horizontal, with individual treatment of each part, the parallel continuation of the four sound planes, almost a matter of principle. The functions of the particular instruments in realizing these planes are constantly changing,which accounts for the even greater variedy of tone-colour. The decision to forego experiment with forms and sonorities is reflectedin the overall approach to musical expression. The predominant atmosphere of restrained emotion, quiet lyricism and serenity is strongly suggestive of classical aestetic models. (Based on Zofia Helman Commentary on Szymanowski Complete Edition, Vol. B6) (II) The ''Second String Quartet'' represents an interesting attempt to revert to classical form coupled with the new harmonic and tonal vocabulary worked out previously in the ''Slopiewnie'', ''Stabat Mater'' and ''Mazurkas''. It was also the first time the composer had used folk elements in the framework of a major classical form. The ''Second String Quartet'' is in a special category among Szymanowski's works. Though it dates from the composer was still occupied with folk music, it nevertheless shows him returning to classical models, but at the same time using an aesthetic of subjective expression, which gives the work its own individual stamp. The ''Second String Quartet'' synthesis of the various directions in which Szymanowski was attempting to develop. The sonority and texture used in the first.