SKU: HL.49018099

ISBN 9790001158428. UPC: 884088567347. 8.25x11.75x0.457 inches. Latin - German.

On letting go(Concerning the selection of the texts) In the selection of the texts, I have allowed myself to be motivated and inspired by the concept of 'letting go'. This appears to me to be one of the essential aspects of dying, but also of life itself. We humans cling far too strongly to successful achievements, whether they have to do with material or ideal values, or relationships of all kinds. We cannot and do not want to let go, almost as if our life depended on it. As we will have to practise the art of letting go at the latest during our hour of death, perhaps we could already make a start on this while we are still alive. Tagore describes this farewell with very simple but strikingly vivid imagery: 'I will return the key of my door'. I have set this text for tenor solo. Here I imagine, and have correspondingly noted in a certain passage of the score, that the protagonist finds himself as though 'in an ocean' of voices in which he is however not drowning, but immersing himself in complete relaxation. The phenomenon of letting go is described even more simply and tersely in Psalm 90, verse 12: 'So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom'. This cannot be expressed more plainly.I have begun the requiem with a solo boy's voice singing the beginning of this psalm on a single note, the note A. This in effect says it all. The work comes full circle at the culmination with a repeat of the psalm which subsequently leads into a resplendent 'lux aeterna'. The intermediate texts of the Requiem which highlight the phenomenon of letting go in the widest spectrum of colours originate on the one hand from the Latin liturgy of the Messa da Requiem (In Paradisum, Libera me, Requiem aeternam, Mors stupebit) and on the other hand from poems by Joseph von Eichendorff, Hermann Hesse, Rabindranath Tagore and Rainer Maria Rilke.All texts have a distinctive positive element in common and view death as being an organic process within the great system of the universe, for example when Hermann Hesse writes: 'Entreiss dich, Seele, nun der Zeit, entreiss dich deinen Sorgen und mache dich zum Flug bereit in den ersehnten Morgen' ['Tear yourself way , o soul, from time, tear yourself away from your sorrows and prepare yourself to fly away into the long-awaited morning'] and later: 'Und die Seele unbewacht will in freien Flugen schweben, um im Zauberkreis der Nacht tief und tausendfach zu leben' ['And the unfettered soul strives to soar in free flight to live in the magic sphere of the night, deep and thousandfold']. Or Joseph von Eichendorff whose text evokes a distant song in his lines: 'Und meine Seele spannte weit ihre Flugel aus. Flog durch die stillen Lande, als floge sie nach Haus' ['And my soul spread its wings wide. Flew through the still country as if homeward bound.']Here a strong romantically tinged occidental resonance can be detected which is however also accompanied by a universal spirit going far beyond all cultures and religions. In the beginning was the sound Long before any sort of word or meaningful phrase was uttered by vocal chords, sounds, vibrations and tones already existed. This brings us back to the music. Both during my years of study and at subsequent periods, I had been an active participant in the world of contemporary music, both as percussionist and also as conductor and composer. My early scores had a somewhat adventurous appearance, filled with an abundance of small black dots: no rhythm could be too complicated, no register too extreme and no harmony too dissonant. I devoted myself intensely to the handling of different parameters which in serial music coexist in total equality: I also studied aleatory principles and so-called minimal music.I subsequently emigrated and took up residence in Spain from where I embarked on numerous travels over the years to India, Africa and South America. I spent repeated periods during this time as a resident in non-European countries. This meant that the currents of contemporary music swept past me vaguely and at a great distance. What I instead absorbed during this period were other completely new cultures in which I attempted to immerse myself as intensively as possible.I learned foreign languages and came into contact with musicians of all classes and styles who had a different cultural heritage than my own: I was intoxicated with the diversity of artistic potential.Nevertheless, the further I distanced myself from my own Western musical heritage, the more this returned insistently in my consciousness.The scene can be imagined of sitting somewhere in the middle of the Brazilian jungle surrounded by the wailing of Indians and out of the blue being provided with the opportunity to hear Beethoven's late string quartets: this can be a heart-wrenching experience, akin to an identity crisis. This type of experience can also be described as cathartic. Whatever the circumstances, my 'renewed' occupation with the 'old' country would not permit me to return to the point at which I as an audacious young student had maltreated the musical parameters of so-called contemporary music. A completely different approach would be necessary: an extremely careful approach, inching my way gradually back into the Western world: an approach which would welcome tradition back into the fold, attempt to unfurl the petals and gently infuse this tradition with a breath of contemporary life.Although I am aware that I will not unleash a revolution or scandal with this approach, I am nevertheless confident as, with the musical vocabulary of this Requiem, I am travelling in an orbit in which no ballast or complex structures will be transported or intimated: on the contrary, I have attempted to form the message of the texts in music with the naivety of a 'homecomer'. Harald WeissColonia de San PedroMarch 2009.

SKU: AP.47482

UPC: 038081544564. English.

Take a musical journey to the end of the rainbow in this upbeat and majestic piece by Susan H. Day, written in the key of G, featuring easy rhythms and satisfying melodies for all sections. Teaching points include dotted quarter notes, legato bowing, two-note slurs, and pizzicato. The viola part doubles the violin 2 part. Students and audience will consider this piece their own pot of gold! This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.

SKU: FG.55011-610-8

ISBN 9790550116108.

Two Mythical Scenes for orchestra was completed in 1956, when Sallinen was Aarre Merikanto's composition student for his second term. The work received its premiere performance only after a good deal of pressure from Prof. Merikanto's side, and was finally premiered in a concert by the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jussi Jalas. The work received opus number 1, as it was the first publicly performed work by Sallinen.
The composer has told that he was inspired by a 1947 book published by the Finnish Literary Society (SKS) Myytillisia kuvia (Mythical Scenes/Images). The second movement of the work, Kalmanvaen joulukirkko (The Christmas Service of the Dead) is based on the stories in which the dead rise from their graves early in the Christmas Day morning to attend their own special ceremony led by a dead priest. The opening movement Kulkue (Procession) depicts the dead in a procession towards the church.
In 2020 Sallinen revised the score slightly. In his own words with very small changes helping the sixty years younger and less experienced self. The revisions mostly concerned nuances and dynamics, bowings and some bridges. The original structure, rhythmic and harmonic world is still the same as they were when young Sallinen composed the work in 1956.

SKU: HL.51489069

UPC: 840126951905. 6.75x9.5x0.291 inches.

Haydn arrived in London at the beginning of February 1794 for his second stay in England. By this time, he had completed three movements of the Symphony in D major Hob. I:101, and the finished work was premiered on 3 March. Even the members of the audience at the premiere took note of the pendulum-like accompanying figure in the second movement, which was in fact explicitly mentioned in a review: “The management of the accompaniments of the andante, though perfectly simple, was masterly.” The even tick-tock oscillations sparked the imagination of listeners so much, apparently, that the nickname “Clock” came into use later in the nineteenth century. And while this name may have nothing to do with Haydn, is it even possible to listen to the famous second movement today without making the association? To everyone wishing to become more acquainted with this symphony, let this inexpensive study edition be commended - with reliable commentaries on its genesis, sources, and edition as well as an unassailable musical text taken from the Haydn Complete Edition.

SKU: KN.9997

UPC: 822795099973.

We welcome Joshua Reznicow to the Kendor family of writers with this festive original that sounds more difficult to play than it is. Written in G major and its relevant minor key, it gives directors a chance to teach both sharp and flat keys while using open strings to maintain a solid pitch center. Controlling bow speed and style using hooked bow, spiccato, and slurred techniques helps to drive the musical energy throughout. Short solos and a brief violin cadenza lead to a rewarding finish and allow more advanced players to showcase their skills. Duration ca. 3:40. Available in SmartMusic.

SKU: AP.45884

UPC: 038081524481. English.

Day of Wrath (translated from the Latin Dies Irae), with its dramatic extremes of emotion, is the perfect choice for any concert or festival. Students may recognize it from the video game Mobile Strike! This setting by Verdi in his Requiem Mass was first performed in 1874 and now has been arranged by Deborah Baker Monday. Repeated sixteenth notes are used extensively along with divided parts to create a full, sonorous effect with huge dynamic contrasts from the fortissimo opening to the morendo ending. (2:05).