SKU: HL.49045014

ISBN 9790001202114. 9.0x12.0 inches.

The Belgian composer Nicholas Lens presents extremely varied etudes, exercises and simple phrases with wonderfully telling titles from poetry and everyday world for children and adults. For the most part the studies are tonal and simple and have no constructed line. They are not based on any educational concept but leave the musical dramatization to the pupils and teachers: 'Notes and rhythms are just notes and rhythms, they do not have that many rules, they do not have any pretension, they are just tools for you to use to express what you want to share'.

SKU: HL.360543

ISBN 9781789361940. 9.0x12.0 inches.

The new RSL Classical Piano syllabus aims to reflect the widening tastes of young people, positioning itself at the forefront of thevast array of music available to pianists, encompassing the rich heritage of music from the Baroque right through to the modern day and emerging composers. The repertoire strikes a balance between a radical redesign and maintaining a recognisable structure, and sticks to four key principles: championing ethnically diverse composers, representing genders, acknowledging the history and tradition of piano learning, and enabling students to feel comfortable studying music in a popular and classical environment. The syllabus books are all beautifully presented, and to the high standard for which RSL books have become renowned from their market-leading Rockschool examinations for contemporary music. Each contains 10 pieces from a diverse range of composers and include everything students need to take their exams, including technical exercises and supporting texts for sight-reading, ear tests and general musicianship questions.

SKU: HL.14042937

Monsoon Toccata by Anthony Gilbert. 3'33; for solo piano. In memoriam Janet Owen Thomas (1961-2002). In 1988, Janet Owen Thomas met up with me in Sydney at the end of a short organ-recital tour - possibly her last before devoting herself entirely to composing. We returned to England together, doing a rapid circular tour of Northern India on the way. Alighting from the plane at Delhi we were hit by the whirling wind and torrential rain of the seasonal monsoon, and early the following morning there was also a minor earthquake. This experience determined the spirit of the music, and Northern Indian Raga determines the purely technical approach, with thequasi-improvisatory toccatalike textures acting as decoration to a slow-moving, widely-spaced modal top line which almost loses control of the overall shape at the mid-point - a reflection of the impact of those natural phenomena. A.G. Monsoon Toccata by Anthony Gilbert. 3'33'; for solo piano. In memoriam Janet Owen Thomas (1961-2002).

'In 1988, Janet Owen Thomas met up with me in Sydney at the end of a short organ-recital tour - possibly her last before devoting herself entirely to composing. We returned to England together, doing a rapid circular tour of Northern India on the way. Alighting from the plane at Delhi we were hit by the whirling wind and torrential rain of the seasonal monsoon, and early the following morning there was also a minor earthquake.

This experience determined the spirit of the music, and Northern Indian Raga determines the purely technical approach, withthe quasi-improvisatory toccatalike textures acting as decoration to a slow-moving, widely-spaced modal top line which almost loses control of the overall shape at the mid-point - a reflection of the impact of those natural phenomena.'

A.G.