SKU: PR.16500100F

ISBN 9781491114421. UPC: 680160669783. 9 x 12 inches.

Commissioned for a consortium of high school and college bands in the north Dallas region, FOR THEMYSTIC HARMONY is a 10-minute inspirational work in homage to Norwood and Elizabeth Dixon,patrons of the Fort Worth Symphony and the Van Cliburn Competition. Welcher draws melodic flavorfrom five American hymns, spirituals, and folk tunes of the 19th century. The last of these sources toappear is the hymn tune For the Beauty of the Earth, whose third stanza is the quatrain: “For the joy of earand eye, For the heart and mind’s delight, For the mystic harmony, Linking sense to sound and sight,”giving rise to the work’s title.
This work, commissioned for a consortium of high school bands in the north Dallas area, is my fifteenth maturework for wind ensemble (not counting transcriptions). When I asked Todd Dixon, the band director whospearheaded this project, what kind of a work he most wanted, he first said “something that’s basically slow,” butwanted to leave the details to me. During a long subsequent conversation, he mentioned that his grandparents,Norwood and Elizabeth Dixon, were prime supporters of the Fort Worth Symphony, going so far as to purchase anumber of high quality instruments for that orchestra. This intrigued me, so I asked more about his grandparentsand was provided an 80-page biographical sketch. Reading that article, including a long section about theirdevotion to supporting a young man through the rigors of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition fora number of years, moved me very much. Norwood and Elizabeth Dixon weren’t just supporters of the arts; theywere passionate lovers of music and musicians. I determined to make this work a testament to that love, and tothe religious faith that sustained them both. The idea of using extant hymns was also suggested by Todd Dixon,and this 10-minute work is the result.I have employed existing melodies in several works, delving into certain kinds of religious music more than a fewtimes. In seeking new sounds, new ways of harmonizing old tunes, and the contrapuntal overlaying of one tunewith another, I was able to make works like ZION (using 19th-century Revivalist hymns) and LABORING SONGS(using Shaker melodies) reflect the spirit of the composers who created these melodies, without sounding likepastiches or medleys. I determined to do the same with this new work, with the added problem of employingmelodies that were more familiar. I chose five tunes from the 19th century: hymns, spirituals, and folk-tunes.Some of these are known by differing titles, but they all appear in hymnals of various Christian denominations(with various titles and texts). My idea was to employ the tunes without altering their notes, instead using aconstantly modulating sense of harmony — sometimes leading to polytonal harmonizations of what are normallysimple four-chord hymns.The work begins and ends with a repeated chime on the note C: a reminder of steeples, white clapboard churchesin the country, and small church organs. Beginning with a Mixolydian folk tune of Caribbean origin presentedtwice with layered entrances, the work starts with a feeling of mystery and gentle sorrow. It proceeds, after along transition, into a second hymn that is sometimes connected to the sea (hence the sensation of water andwaves throughout it). This tune, by John B. Dykes (1823-1876), is a bit more chromatic and “shifty” than mosthymn-tunes, so I chose to play with the constant sensation of modulation even more than the original does. Atthe climax, the familiar spiritual “Were you there?” takes over, with a double-time polytonal feeling propelling itforward at “Sometimes it causes me to tremble.”Trumpets in counterpoint raise the temperature, and the tempo as well, leading the music into a third tune (ofunknown provenance, though it appears with different texts in various hymnals) that is presented in a sprightlymanner. Bassoons introduce the melody, but it is quickly taken up by other instruments over three “verses,”constantly growing in orchestration and volume. A mysterious second tune, unrelated to this one, interrupts it inall three verses, sending the melody into unknown regions.The final melody is “For the Beauty of the Earth.” This tune by Conrad Kocher (1786-1872) is commonly sung atThanksgiving — the perfect choice to end this work celebrating two people known for their generosity.Keeping the sense of constant modulation that has been present throughout, I chose to present this hymn in threegrowing verses, but with a twist: every four bars, the “key” of the hymn seems to shift — until the “Lord of all, toThee we praise” melody bursts out in a surprising compound meter. This, as it turns out, was the “mystery tune”heard earlier in the piece. After an Ivesian, almost polytonal climax, the Coda begins over a long B( pedal. At first,it seems to be a restatement of the first two phrases of “For the Beauty” with long spaces between them, but it soonchanges to a series of “Amen” cadences, widely separated by range and color. These, too, do not conform to anykey, but instead overlay each other in ways that are unpredictable but strangely comforting.The third verse of “For the Beauty of the Earth” contains this quatrain:“For the joy of ear and eye, –For the heart and mind’s delightFor the mystic harmonyLinking sense to sound and sight”and it was from this poetry that I drew the title for the present work. It is my hope that audiences and performerswill find within it a sense of grace: more than a little familiar, but also quite new and unexpected.

SKU: BT.DHP-1115037-010

9x12 inches. English-German-French-Dutch.

Satoshi Yagisawa is well known for his dramatic symphonic band compositions. Even though he has written relatively few marches, they are also very popular: March Willing and Able is based on a chorale while March Bou Shu is based on a Japanese folk song. The Memory of Our Native Place is a rather unusual piece for Yagisawa, as it actually closely resembles a traditional march. The piece opens with a lively fanfare and is contrasted by the following theme. The trio features a chorale-like melody.

Satoshi Yagisawa is vooral bekend van zijn dramatische orkestwerken. Marsen schreef hij nog maar weinig. Die paar die hij schreef, zijn inmiddels allemaal wel erg geliefd en populair; March Willing and Able is gebaseerd op koraalmuziek en in March Bou Shu is een Japanse volksmelodie verwerkt. Deze nieuwe mars, The Memory of Our Native Place, begint met een stralende fanfare. Daarna klinkt een innig thema. In het triodeel komt een koraalachtige melodie naar voren. Kortom: hieraan houdt uw publiek zeker een mooie herinnering!

Satoshi Yagisawa ist bekannt für seine dramatischen Blasorchesterwerke - Märsche hat er bisher nur sehr wenige, dafür aber sehr beliebte geschrieben. Zwei davon sind March Willing and Able und March Bou Shu - der eine auf choraler Musik, der andere auf einem japanischen Volkslied basierend. The Memory of Our Native Place beginnt mit einer strahlenden Fanfare, bevor ein inniges Thema erklingt. Im Trio tritt eine choralartige Melodie hervor.

The Memory of our Native Place n’est pas une marche conventionnelle, mais contient néanmoins quelques éléments standard. Elle s’ouvre avec une fanfare brillante, suivie par un thème pétillant de fraîcheur marqué par une joyeuse alternance de réponses entre bois, cuivres et cuivres graves. La mélodie chantante du trio mène fi nale haut en couleurs faisant de The Memory of our Native Place une incontournable marche de concert.

Satoshi Yagisawa ha composto oltre cento brani per fi ati, ma solamente quattro marce, tra le quali ricordiamo le acclamate March Willing and Able e March Bou Shu, la prima basata su musica corale, la seconda su una canzone folk giapponese. Con The Memory of our Native Place, Yagisawa si allontana dal suo stile poco convenzionale, componendo una marcia che si avvicina agli schemi standard. L’inizio vede protagonista una fanfara brillante, seguita da un tema più intimo. Il trio espone una melodia simile a un corale.

SKU: CF.CPS225F

ISBN 9781491153192. UPC: 680160910694.

Tartan Tapestries is an original piece that sets out to emulate Scottish folk music. Composer Larry Clark has created a concert overture in triple meter to capture the essence of music from Scotland. After a lilting first section,  lush and beautiful moments weave a tapestry of sounds with the lyrical, middle section of the piece. There is an optional part for bagpipes, and an optional ending should you chose to use this instrument as part of the piece. Alert your contest music committee about this strong new piece for advancing groups.
Tartan Tapestries was commissioned by Friends of the Arts for the Saint Andrew's School Band in Boca Raton, Florida. The band program at Saint Andrew’s School is under the direction of Andrea Wolgin. The premiere took place on November 29, 2017.When I was asked by their conductor Ms. Wolgin to write a piece for the Saint Andrew’s School, I asked her what kind of involvement she wanted the students to have in the process. We discussed several options for having the students involved in the process of creating with the type of piece they wanted.  We set up a “Skype” meeting with members of the band to discuss the piece. During this discussion, the consensus of the students was that they wanted a piece depicting the Scottish influence to the school. They also wanted a piece that would challenge all sections of the band and to include bagpipes if possible. I asked that the students be involved in helping to name the piece once it was completed, for which they agreed and were very helpful. Armed with this information, I set out to compose a piece for them, and Tartan Tapestries is the result.The piece begins with a fanfare gesture based upon rhythms and harmonies that appear throughout the piece. I chose the lilting triple feel to the piece, to bring about the Scottish flavor. I wanted the fanfare to be bardic sounding, to depict the strength of the Scottish people and for the piece to have a dynamic opening. The fanfare contains material that alludes to the main theme and with a bit of dissonance and tension that is resolved in the main body of the piece.The main theme is a lilting original melody, but one that I hope with have the essence of Scottish folk songs. The main idea is followed by a more modal and dark sounding secondary theme, first stated in the horns. This material is later used in the development section of the piece. The main theme returns several times, with different and varied orchestrations and harmonic treatments. This is followed by a short transition leading to the more lyrical and slower second section of the piece. A transparent presentation of the lyrical theme, which is based on aspects of the main theme, is presented first by a solo flute. This section is a nod to famous composer Malcom Arnold’s wonderful works for orchestra in its style and orchestration. After a transition or bridge section with a solo euphonium, the piece builds to a dramatic climax of the lyrical theme by the full band. This subsides to a return of the solo flute to end this second section of the piece, followed by a transition back the main theme.The solo bagpipes play a central role in the return of the main theme and take center stage after being heard in the distance earlier in the work. The piece brings back a shortened version of the darker secondary theme, followed by a hint of the fanfare material that builds to one last statement of the main theme by the full band, before leading to a dramatic coda to complete the work.It has been my pleasure to have been given the opportunity to compose this piece for the Saint Andrew’s School Band! I thank Andrea Wolgin for making it happen, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed bringing the piece to life.–Larry ClarkLakeland, Florida 2017.

SKU: HL.1352001

UPC: 196288191704. 6.75x10.5x0.029 inches.

Based on the writings of C.S. Lewis, a deep and introspective lyric is given an almost whimsical treatment in this song from the folk rock duo, The Oh Hellos. This eccentric combination is part of the appeal and makes for a very singable selection for ensembles of all sizes and styles.

SKU: HL.1351999

UPC: 196288191681. 6.75x10.5x0.029 inches.

Based on the writings of C.S. Lewis, a deep and introspective lyric is given an almost whimsical treatment in this song from the folk rock duo, The Oh Hellos. This eccentric combination is part of the appeal and makes for a very singable selection for ensembles of all sizes and styles.

SKU: HL.1352000

UPC: 196288191698. 6.75x10.5x0.029 inches.

Based on the writings of C.S. Lewis, a deep and introspective lyric is given an almost whimsical treatment in this song from the folk rock duo, The Oh Hellos. This eccentric combination is part of the appeal and makes for a very singable selection for ensembles of all sizes and styles.