SKU: PR.416415760
UPC: 680160636532. 9 x 12 inches.
The 1712 Overture stands out in P.D.Q. Bach's oeuvre for two reasons, among others: it is by far the most programmatic instrumental piece among those by the minimeister of Wein-am-Rhein so far unearthed, and 2) its discovery has led to a revelation about the composer's father, Johann Sebastian Bach, that has exploded like a bombshell on the usually serene musicological landscape. The overture is based on an anecdote told to P.D.Q. Bach by a cousin, Peter Ulrich. Since P.U. Bach lived in Dudeldorf, only a few miles down the road from Wein-am-Rhein, he was P.D.Q.'s closest relative, and he was, in fact, one of the few members of the family who was on speaking terms with P.D.Q. The story, related to P.D.Q. (fortunately for us posterity types) in a letter, may be summarized thus: The town of Dudeldorf was founded by two brothers, Rudi and Dieter Dudel, early in the 18th century. Rudi remained mayor of the newborn burg for the rest of his long life, but Dieter had a dream of starting a musicians' colony, an entire city devoted to music, which dream, he finally decided, could be realized only in the New World. In 1712, he and several other bagpipers sailed to Boston, never to return to Germany. (Henceforth, Rudi became known as der deutscher Dudel and Dieter as the Yankee Dudel). Unfortunately, the head of the Boston Musicians' Guild had gotten wind of Dudel's plans, and Wilhelm Wiesel (pron. VEE-zle), known none too affectionately around town as Wiesel the Weasel, was not about to share what few gigs there were in colonial America with more foreigners and outside agitators. He and his cronies were on hand to meet Dudel's boat when it pulled into Boston Harbor; they intended to prevent the newcomers' disembarkation, but Dudel and his companions managed to escape to the other side of the bay in a dinghy, landing with just enough time to rent a carriage and horses before hearing the sound of The Weasel and his men, who had had to come around the long way. The Germans headed West, with the Bostonians in furious pursuit. soon the city had been left far behind, and by midnight so had the pursuers; Dieter Dudel decided that it was safe for him and his men to stop and sleep until daybreak. When they awoke, they found that they were in a beautiful landscape of low, forested mountains and pleasant fields, warmed by the brilliant morning sun and serenaded by an entrancing variety of birds. Here, Dudel thought, her is where I will build my colony. The immigrants continued down the road at a leisurely pace until they came upon a little church, all by itself in the countryside, from which there suddenly emanated the sounds of a pipe organ. At this point, the temptation to quote from P.U. Bach's letter to P.D.Q. cannot be resisted: They went inside and, after listening to the glorious music for a while, introduced themselves to the organist. And who do you think it was? Are you ready for this -- it was your old man! Hey, no kidding -- you know, I'm sure, that your father was the guy to get when it came to testing new organs, and whoever had that one in Massachusetts built offered old Sebastian a tidy sum to go over there and check it out. The unexpected meeting with J.S. Bach and his sponsors was interrupted by the sound of horse hooves, as the dreaded Wiesel and his men thundered on to the scene. They had been riding all night, however, and they were no spring chickens to start with, and as soon as they reached the church they all dropped, exhausted, to the ground. The elated Germans rang the church bells and offered to buy everyone a beer at the nearest tavern. There they were taught, and joined in singing, what might be called the national anthem of the New World. The melody of this pre-revolutionary patriotic song is still remembered (P.D.Q. Bach quotes it, in the bass instruments, near the end of the overture), but is words are now all but forgotten: Freedom, of thee we sing, Freedom e'er is our goal; Death to the English King, Long live Rock and Ross. The striking paucity of biographical references to Johann Sebastian Bah during the year 1712 can now be explained: he was abroad for a significant part of that year, testing organs in the British Colonies. That this revelation has not been accepted as fact by the musicological establishment is no surprise, since it means that a lot of books would have to be rewritten. The members of that establishment haven't even accepted the existence of P.D.Q. Bach, one of whose major works the 1712 Overture certainly is. It is also a work that shows Tchaikowsky up as the shameless plagiarizer that some of us have always known he was. The discovery of this awesome opus was made possible by a Boston Pops Centennial Research Commission; the first modern performance took place at the opening concert of the 100th anniversary season of that orchestra, under the exciting but authentic direction of John Williams.
SKU: PR.41641576L
UPC: 680160636549. 11 x 17 inches.
SKU: PR.11641867L
UPC: 680160683215.
Contextures: Riots -Decade '60 was commissioned by Zubin Mehta and the Southern California Symphony Association after the successful premiere of the Concerto for Four Percussion Soloists and Orchestra. It was written during the spring and summer months of 1967. Riots stemming from resentment against the racial situation in the United States and the war in Vietnam were occurring throughout the country and inevitably invaded the composer's creative subconscious. Contextures, as the title implies, was intended to exploit various and varying textures. As the work progressed the correspondence between the fabric of music and the fabric of society became apparent and the allegory grew in significance. So I found myself translating social aspects into musical techniques. Social stratification became a polymetric situation where disparate groups function together. The conflict between the forces of expansion and the forces of containment is expressed through and opposition of tonal fluidity vs. rigidity. This is epitomized in the fourth movement, where the brass is divided into two groups - a muted group, encircled by the unmuted one, which does its utmost to keep the first group within a restricted pitch area. The playful jazzy bits (one between the first and second movements and one at the end of the piece) are simply saying that somehow in this age of turmoil and anxiety ways of having fun are found even though that fun may seem inappropriate. The piece is in five movements, with an interlude between the first and second movements. It is scored for a large orchestra, supplemented by six groups of percussion, including newly created roto-toms (small tunable drums) and some original devices, such as muted gongs and muted vibraphone. There is also an offstage jazz quartet: bass, drums, soprano saxophone and trumpet. The first movement begins with a solo by the first clarinetist which is interrupted by intermittent heckling from his colleagues leading to a configuration of large disparate elements. The interlude of solo violin and snare-drum follows without pause. The second movement, Prestissimo, is a display piece of virtuosity for the entire orchestra. The third movement marks a period of repose and reflection and calls for some expressive solos, particularly by the horn and alto saxophone. The fourth movement opens with a rather lengthy oboe solo, which is threatened by large blocks of sound from the orchestra, against an underlying current of agitated energy in the piano and percussion. This leads to a section in which large orchestral forces oppose one another, ultimately bringing the work to a climax, if not to a denouement. Various thematic elements are strewn all over the orchestra, resulting in the formation of a general haze of sound. A transition leads to the fifth movement without pause. The musical haze is pierced gently by the offstage jazz group as if they were attempting to ignore and even dispel the gloom, but a legato bell sound enters and hovers over both the jazz group and the orchestra, the latter making statements of disquieting finality. Two films were conceived to accompany portions of Contextures. The first done by Herbert Kosowar, was a chemography film (painting directly into the film using dyes and various implements) with fast clips of riot photographs. The second was a film collage made by photographically abstracting details from paintings of Reginald Pollack. The purpose was to invoke a non-specific response - as in music - but at the same time to define the subject matter of the piece. The films were constructed to correspond with certain developments in the piece and in no way affect the independence and musical flow of the piece, having been made after the piece was completed. Contextures: Riots - Decade '60 is dedicated to Mehta, the Southern California Symphony Association and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The news of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King came the afternoon of the premiere, April 4, 1968. That evening's performances, and also the succeeding ones, were dedicated to him and a special dedication to Dr. King has been inserted into he score. All the music that follows the jazz group - beginning with the legato bell sound playing the first 2 notes to We shall overcome constitutes a new ending to commemorate Dr. King's death.
SKU: PR.11641867S
UPC: 680160683208.
SKU: LO.30-2896L
UPC: 000308133059.
This product is the set of printed parts only for Upon This Rock, and it includes parts for 2 Flutes, Oboe, 2 Clarinets, Bassoon, 2 Horns, 3 Trumpets, 2 Trombones, Tuba, 2 Percussion, Piano, Electric Bass, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello, and Bass.
SKU: BA.BA05822-01
ISBN 9790006567454. 33 x 26 cm inches. Preface: Brown, Bruce Alan.
To conclude Series II (Dance Dramas) from the Gluck Complete Edition (GGA), this volume of Christoph Willibald Gluck's earliest contributions to the genre comprises six ballet scores from 1759 (La Promenade, Les Jardiniers, Les Turcs, Les Savoiards, Les Amours de Flore et Zphire, and Le Suisse) as well as the ballet music for Les Vendanges, which dates from 1761. These works belong to the compositions â also called Krumau ballets because of their musical transmission â which Gluck created in Vienna between 1759 and 1765 for the court theatres in Laxenburg and Schönbrunn as well as the Kärntnertortheater, and which are to be attributed to him as a ballet composer around the middle of the 18th century in Viennese theatre life based on the considerations presented in the general preface.Together with volumes II/3 to II/5, ballet music by Gluck is available whose sources come from the former Schwarzenberg court archive in Ceský Krumlov, Czech Republic, and which until the Velvet Revolution of 1989, lay behind the Iron Curtain remaining largely inaccessible and unexplored by Western scholars. These volumes reflect two fundamental developments in Gluck research: on the one hand, they provide a significantly expanded, historically more accurate idea of what it meant to compose for the ballet in the 18th century; on the other hand, they bring to light an immense treasure trove of sources formerly of Viennese provenance.In addition to the detailed introduction by this volumeâs editor on the ballet choreographies of Gasparo Angiolini and Carlo Bernardi, on the formation of the ballet troupes of the Viennese theatres in Gluck's early years there, on ballet types and genres, as well as a detailed account of the individual titles, the volume includes a general preface to volumes II/3 through II/5 by Bruce Alan Brown, which discusses Gluck's ballet music in Vienna in general as well as the development of research into this genre. Extensive illustrations (partly from the so-called Durazzo Collection) with reference to the choreographies enrich the discussions. The ballet works, which have survived in only one source each, appear in print for the first time in this volume of the Gluck Complete Edition.
About Barenreiter Urtext
What can I expect from a Barenreiter Urtext edition?
MUSICOLOGICALLY SOUND - A reliable musical text based on all available sources - A description of the sources - Information on the genesis and history of the work - Valuable notes on performance practice - Includes an introduction with critical commentary explaining source discrepancies and editorial decisions ... AND PRACTICAL - Page-turns, fold-out pages, and cues where you need them - A well-presented layout and a user-friendly format - Excellent print quality - Superior paper and binding
SKU: HL.293395
ISBN 9781540050984. UPC: 888680936129. 9.0x13.75x2.61 inches.
This cantata is a celebration of light. Filled with time-honored carols and expressive original songs, this work will dazzle and inspire. The first half of the cantata is dedicated to hopeful prophecies associated with the coming Light of the World. With the birth of Jesus, the second part moves forward to declare the tidings of great joy and is crowned with an opportunity for the congregation to join in singing, Joy to the World. Brant Adams and Robert Sterling shine as orchestrators of this truly festive work. Glorious! Songs include: A Festive Call to Christmas; Celebration of Light; Come, Golden Light; Dazzling Joy; Beautiful Name; Dreamer of Stars; Angel Song; Silver and Shadows; Joyous Carols of Christmas. Score and Parts for Full Orchestra (fl 1-2, ob, cl 1-2, bn, hn 1-2, tpt 1-3, tbn, 1-2, tba, timp, perc 1-2, hp, pno, vn 1-2, va, vc, db) available as a Printed Edition and as a digital download. Score and Parts for Consort (fl, cl, tpt 1-2, tbn, perc, kybd str) available as a Printed Edition and as a digital download.
SKU: SU.91580100
A Grateful Tail - Movement by Movement Siriusly, Dog Star Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, has been used by travelers and navigators for thousands of years as a guiding star and so it is here as the opening movement for the symphony. Sirius, the cornerstone to the constellation Canis Maggiore or Big Dog sits at the foot of Orion, the hunter, leading the way. Highly cinematic, the movement evokes both a musical and visual sense of the mythological and mysterious elements of Sirius and its Dog Godstar secrets. From the clarion call of the opening, Sirius theme, the sound is buoyant and frisky emulating the nature of doggy playtime. Puppy pleasures abound as a doggy four-step, my turn on the traditional American two-step dance, is introduced. The movement transforms into an actual orchestrated frolic of small, large and medium dog barks beginning with the winds (smaller dogs) and ultimately, the big dog, brass. The movement climaxes with the coda or, Dog Park, where the winds and the brass bark and play together over the, doggy ostinato four-step rhythm, culminating with the final call of the Sirius theme. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, Peacefully It's all in a dog's day and life. Tranquility presides over this supremely gentle, intermezzo-like movement. After a day of play, every dog needs rest. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, is a lyrical andante inspired by the profound serenity and beauty of a dog at rest. The Last Will and Testament of Silverdene Emblem O'Neill Based on a powerful piece of prose written by the American playwright, Eugene O'Neill this text was intended as a consolation piece for Carlotta, his wife, who had become grief-stricken over the loss of their beloved dog, the Dalmatian known as Blemie.Written for a singing actor who personifies the role of Blemie, a dog at the end of his life, the movement plays like a one act, musical drama as we follow Blemie through a wonderfully three-dimensional, emotional and psychological journey writing his Last Will and Testament, for those who have loved him. Wagging the Tail: Ossia Fido's Lament A life-affirming rumba/samba using Blemie's final words from O'Neill's text, this final movement employs the most unique American musical invention, the gospel choir. In order to make the dances come alive, this movement also calls upon the colors of a rhythm section. Creating the spirit of an Irish Funeral, the movement is a joyful and revival-like celebration of a dog's life as its spirit lives on forever in the hearts and minds of dog lovers everywhere. Remember Me, remember me! My spirit is wagging a grateful tail. Published by: Subito Music Publishing Release Date: July 9, 2013.
SKU: LO.30-3153L
UPC: 000308138962.
Soaring and majestic, this Mary McDonald original work is filled with rich harmonies and sequencing modulations that build to a powerful close as the chorus answers the call with We will go!.
SKU: PR.416416140
UPC: 680160642441.
Time is one of the main factors impacting the world and our lives. Einstein saw time as the relationship of the motion of one object relative to the position of another object, as measured through observation. But can we really measure time objectively? Music, the art which moves through time, can affect our perception of time, and can affect each person's perception of time differently. Depending on the emotion it stimulates, music can make time seem to pass quickly or slowly. A composer can use music to convey time to an audience and different musical ideas can create different sensations of time. Absence of Time is a concerto for woodwind quartet and orchestra. It has three main sections (fast, slow, fast), recalling traditional concerto form, but it does not use the solo instruments in the traditional way, i.e., as soloists in contest with the orchestra. Inspired by the idea of juxtaposing different experiences of time, I divided the instruments into two groups: the four soloists and the orchestra. The orchestra functions mostly as the keeper of time (real time) while the quartet of soloists fluctuates (in imaginary time or in the absence of time) around the orchestra's time. While the quartet's instruments do play solos, they also play in ensemble with the orchestra. You could say that they play in both imaginary time (as soloists) and in real time (with the orchestra). In addition to this, the woodwind section of the orchestra plays in conversation with the solo quartet, calling it back to real time. Fusion is achieved at the end of the piece through the use of strong, driving rhythm. Absence of Time was commissioned by the Pacific Symphony and was first performed by the Pacific Symphony and the Pacific Symphony Woodwind Quartet with Carl St. Clair as conductor on October 20, 2016.
SKU: PR.41641614L
UPC: 680160642458. 11 x 17 inches.
SKU: BA.BA06861
ISBN 9790260104211. 34.3 x 27 cm inches.
LeoÅ¡ Janácek’s symphonic fragment Dunaj (The Danube) dates from the period of the composition of “Katya Kabanovaâ€. The composer was not concerned with a musical-picturesque description of a river landscape, but with the mythical link between women’s destinies and water.“Pale green waves of the Danube! There are so many of you, and one followed by another. You remain interlocked in a continuous flow. You surprise yourselves where you ended up – on the Czech shores! Look back downstream and you will have an impression of what you have left behind in your haste. It pleases you here. Here I will rest with my symphony.†Thus LeoÅ¡ Janácek described the idea behind the composition project which occupied him in 1923/24. However, after further work, it remained incomplete in 1926. His “symphony†entitled Dunaj has survived as a continuously-notated, four-movement bundle of sketches in score form. It is one of the works which occupied him until his death. The scholarly reconstruction by the two Brno composers MiloÅ¡ Å tedron and LeoÅ¡ Faltus closely follows the original manuscript.A whole conglomeration of motifs stands behind the incomplete work. What at first seems like a counterpart to Smetana’s Vltava, in fact doesn’t turn out to be a musical depiction of the Danube. On the contrary, the fateful link between the destiny of women, water and death permeates the range of motifs found in the work. It seems to be no coincidence that Janácek, whilst working on the opera Katya Kabanova, in which the Volga, as the river bringing death plays an almost mythical role, planned a Danube symphony, and that its content was linked with the destiny of women: in the sketches, two poems were found which may have provided the stimulus for several movements of the symphony. He copied a poem by Pavla Kriciková into the second movement, in which a girl remarks that whilst bathing in a pond, she was observed by a man. Filled with shame, the young naked woman jumps into the water and drowns. The outer movements likewise draw on the poem “Lola†by the Czech writer Sonja Å pálová, published under the pseudonym Alexander Insarov. This is about a prostitute who asks for her heart’s desire: she is given a palace, but then goes on a long search for it and is finally no longer wanted by anyone. She suffers, feels cold and just wants a warm fire. Janácek adds his remark “she jumps into the Danube†to the inconclusive ending.To these tangible literary models is added Adolf Veselý’s verbal account which reports that the composer wanted to portray “in the Danube, the female sex with all its passions and driving forcesâ€. The third movement is said to characterise the city of Vienna in the form of a woman.It is evident that in his composition, Janácek was not striving for a simple, natural lyricism. The River Danube is masculine in the Slavic language – “ten Dunaj†– and assumes an almost mythical significance in the national character, indeed often also a role bringing death. The four movements are motivically conceived. Elements of sound painting, small wave-like figures in the first movement, motoric, driving movements in the third are obvious evocations of water. And the content and the literary level are easy to discover. The “tremolo of the four timpaniâ€, which was amongst Janácek’s first inspirations, appears in the second movement. It is not difficult to retrace in it the fate of the drowning bather. The oboe enters lamentoso towards the end of the movement over timpani playing tremolo, its descending figure is taken over by the flute, then upper strings and intensified considerably. The motif of drowning – Lola’s despair – returns again in the fourth movement in the clarinet, before the work ends abruptly and dramatically.One special effect is the use of a soprano voice in the motor-driven third movement. The singer vocalises mainly in parallel with the solo oboe, but also in dialogue with other parts such as the viola d’amore, which Janácek used in several late works as a sort of “voice of loveâ€.
SKU: LO.30-2645L
UPC: 000308126587.
A powerful choral prayer, this reverent original anthem by Mary McDonald calls upon God to purify our hearts; cleanse and make us new. Full of soaring vocals and breathtaking harmonies, along with an optional orchestration by Michael Lawrence, this piece is a masterful call to God's people to gather in His house in penitence and devotion. The orchestra includes a Conductor's Score and parts for 2 Flutes, Oboe, 2 Clarinets, Bassoon (sub Bass Clarinet), 3 Trumpets, 2 Horns (sub 2 Alto Saxes), 2 Trombones (sub 2 Tenor Saxes), Tuba, Percussion, Harp, Piano, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello, and Bass (string reduction included).
SKU: PE.EP73416A
ISBN 9790577018577. 210 x 297 mm inches. English.
The Lost Words by composer James Burton takes its inspiration and text from the award-winning 'cultural phenomenon' and book of the same name by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris: a book that was, in turn, a creative response to the removal of everyday nature words like acorn, newt and otter from a new edition of a widely used children's dictionary. Both the book and Burton's 32-minute work, which is written in 12 short movements for upper-voice choir in up to 3 voice parts (with either orchestral or piano accompaniment), celebrates each lost word with a beautiful poem or 'spell', magically brought to life in Burton's music. At its heart, the work delivers a powerful message about the need to close the gap between childhood and the natural world. Burton's piece was co-commissioned by the Hallé Concerts Society for the Hallé Children's Choir and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The piano accompaniment version was premiered at the Tanglewood Festival in 2019 by the Boston Symphony Children's Choir, of which Burton is founder and director. The Hallé Children's Choir will premiere the orchestral version of the full work in Manchester, UK, post-pandemic.
SKU: AP.47438
UPC: 038081545387. English.
Inspired by the joyous optimism of the Kenyan people, this energetic greeting prelude for string orchestra will delight performers and audiences alike with its rhythmic drive and call-and-response echoes. Paul Basler's Kenyan-influenced compositions use call-and-response and motivic manipulation as organizational methods. He reinforces specific pitches by using them frequently and stressing them metrically and rhythmically---using syncopation, regrouping of beats, and changing meter.
SKU: AP.47438S
UPC: 038081545394. English.
SKU: LO.30-3709MD
UPC: 000308154160.
Orchestral Score and CD with Printable Parts for 10/5317MD This original work with music by Mary McDonald and words by Rose Aspinall was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream†speech from March 1963. With powerful vocal moments and a soaring orchestration by David Clydesdale, this festive anthem is a call for unity and a better tomorrow. A wonderful selection for patriotic-themed concerts and events!
SKU: HL.153116
UPC: 888680095123. 11.5x17.0x0.523 inches.
This work creates a dialogue between the Western Equal Temperament system, performed by the orchestra, against the Persian Dastgâh/Maghâm system, performed by a microtonal trumpet capable of playing up to 24 notes per octave. As the music juxtaposes these traditions, it explores the tensions as well as commonalities that exist between the two.
SKU: LO.30-2425L
UPC: 000308121858.
Fill your sanctuary with Palm Sunday majesty and excitement with this anthem from Joe Martin. The first of three verses is a lively call-and-response setting of the scripture: “Who is this King of glory?†The contrasting middle verse is an inventive pairing of the traditional hymn tune LEONI with the text “All Glory, Laud and Honor.†The final verse returns the lively theme of the first in counterpoint with drum-like hosannas. An energetic accompaniment that ties all three verses together, whether provided by piano alone or orchestra, makes this anthem the perfect choice for Palm Sunday. (From the cantata Who Is This King? SATB – 55/1096L; SAB – 55/1097L.) Instrumentation: 2 Flutes, Oboe, 2 Clarinets, Bassoon, 2 F Horns, 3 Trumpets, 2 Trombones, Tuba, Timpani, 2 Percussion, Violin 1 & 2, Viola, Cello, Bass.
SKU: HL.4008565
UPC: 196288180029.
Composer Otto M. Schwarz completed his first Concerto for trumpet in October 2009. Schwarz displays a special knack in writing for this instrument, thanks to his trumpet studies undertaken with Professor Josef Pomberger at the Music Conservatory in Vienna. Concerto for Trumpet No. 1 'Trumpet Town' was commissioned by the police-orchestra of Upper Austria, under the baton of Andreas Schwarzenlander. The work was premiered on 17 November 2009. The soloist for the evening was trumpeter Franz Wagnermeyer, who also studied at the Vienna Conservatory and who currently performs with, amongst others, the international group “Ten of the Bestâ€. A rapid flourish in 12/8 time opens Concerto for Trumpet No. 1 'Trumpet Town'. The metric changes that follow affect the pulse rhythmically and melodically, in exciting and unexpected ways. The solo trumpet's displays of technical prowess and bravura alternate with the film-score-like tutti sections of the brass ensemble. The slow, almost elegiac, central section can be performed on the flugel horn, while the closing reprise demands that both the soloist and the orchestra give of their best as the piece comes to an exciting, colourful, and uplifting finale. This piece is also available for trumpet and piano.
SKU: KN.9996
UPC: 822795099966.
This popular Celtic melody has been framed in an unforgettable and lively interplay of parts. For the classically trained, Celtic music is the most appealing crossover into world styles for string players. Handed down through many generations of fiddlers by ear, this tune is extremely popular in Irish fiddle circles. Available in SmartMusic. The Junior (grade 2) and Senior (grade 4) editions of this arrangement interlock to create a multi-level edition that's perfect for all-district concerts and festivals. An interlocking score can be downloaded for free here.
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: BR.PB-5545-07
ISBN 9790004213551. 6.5 x 9 inches.
The question Why add music to such perfect poetry? preoccupied Schumann long and intensively. His first compositional approach to Goethes Faust began in 1844, but it was not until 1851 that he finally completed the Scenes. At Liszts suggestion, Schumann added an overture in 1853, a symphonic instrumental introduction which atmospherically evokes the action of the Scenes but has no direct thematic reference to them. As an independent overture, the work has been played relatively rarely in concert halls to this day; the general prejudice towards Schumanns late works was no doubt partly responsible for this. The first Urtext edition of the overture was based on the autograph score that was revised by Schumann and served as the principal source. It should give new impulses to the future reception of this work which Paul Dukas hailed as a miracle, from beginning to end.The Faust Overture in its First Urtext Edition.
SKU: BT.YKM570369270
A Hymn to the Thames was commissioned by James Turnbull and the Music Director of the St Paul’s Sinfonia, Andrew Morley. It was begun in 2019 and completed early in 2020. There are four movements played without a break, which follow the Thames from its Cotswold source to the North Sea. As the first performance took place in St ALfege’s Church, Greenwich, this seemed appropriate. The solo oboe represents both a wanderer along the river path and the spirit of the river. The pitch centres of the movements spell out the musical letters of the river (tHAmES—B natural, A, E and E flat) so that the river’s name is projected across the whole work. In addition, the musical letters found in James Turnbull, Andrew Morley and my wife, Teresa Cahill ( who was born in Maidenhead and brought up by the river in Rotherhithe) are entwined in various guises. The first movement grows from the depths, the soloist entering with fanfare-like gestures, followed by lyrical music and breaks into a dance as the river gathers momentum. The third movement is slow and sustained and geographically the Thames flows through Oxford. The music is based on the well-known In Nomine ‘head motif’ from the Gloria tibi Trinitas Mass by the early Tudor composer, John Taverner, who was the first Director of Music at Christ Church, Oxford. The orchestra provides a screen or veil above which the solo oboe dreams and ruminates. This leads directly into the fourth and final movement which begins in the depths once more, interrupting the oboe’s held note from the end of the third movement. The waters’ increasing intensity and power are represented throughout by a moto perpetuo of quick, steady semiquavers. Near the close, the woodwind play O Nata Lux by Thomas Tallis, the great Tudor composer who, with his wife Joan, is buried in St Alfege’s. Beneath this, the lower strings continue the fast semiquaver movement of the river and, above, the violins are heard as a halo of harmonics. At the close, the oboe rises, opening out to the future, and celebrating its voyage, while the orchestra fades as the river meets the sea. A Hymn to the Thames lasts approximately 17 minutes.
SKU: HL.49044904
ISBN 9783795793388. 10.0x13.25x1.3 inches.
The New Robert Schumann Edition (RSA) is intended as a historico-critical edition of the collected works. They will be carefully studied and prepared according to present-day musicological and editorial techniques and presented in their entirety. Drafts, sketches and fragments, in short, everything that has come down to us as being authentically by Schumann and which, in most cases, has been deliberately preserved by him, will be brought together, evaluated as to its importance and documented in some form or other in the edition of the complete works.It is the aim of the edition to reproduce authentic texts which - having corrected scribal, copying and printing errors and eradicated later additions and other textual corruptions - will approach as closely as is possible the intention of the originals.The critical edition will form the basis of accurate performance material for Robert Schumann's work.
SKU: LO.30-3550L
UPC: 000308149241.
Enhance “I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary†(10/4973L), a classic Gaither song that has been expertly arranged by Mary McDonald, by incorporating the optional soaring orchestration. This companion item includes the orchestral score and a CD with printable parts. Enhance “I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary†(10/4973L), a classic Gaither song that has been expertly arranged by Mary McDonald, by incorporating the optional soaring orchestration. This companion item includes the orchestral score and parts. This proclamation of faith and the timeless message of the significance of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection in our daily lives will be instantly impactful.
SKU: AP.45892S
UPC: 038081526546. English. Traditional American.
Imagining the Alaska Klondike gold rush calls up visions of fortune seekers, turn-of-the-century dance halls, and adventure! Klondike Fiddles captures those moods in a medley of two authentic fiddle tunes from that by-gone era by Andrew H. Dabczynski. These delightful melodies---March of the Gold Miners and Crooked Stovepipe---fall under the fingers of intermediate string students, with interesting parts for all players, body percussion sounds, and challenging optional improvisation opportunities. Here's a piece that complements any concert program and will have the players and audience tapping their toes! (3:50).
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