SKU: PR.11441825S
UPC: 680160643745. 9 x 12 inches.
In 2011, Barbara Garrop, my mother, commissioned me to write a piano trio in memory of Norman Garrop, my father, who passed away about thirty years ago. When I started brainstorming about topics for the piece, I found it difficult to recall many moments of my early life involving my father. Too many years had passed, and the memories that I could summon were of achild looking up to her father, not an adult relating to an equal. However, while collecting stories of my father from various family members, along with discovering a number of objects that had once belonged to him and that I had stored away in boxes decades ago, I began to realize that this piece wasn't so much about my father as it was about my re-discovering the man that he was: a loving husband and dad who cared deeply about his family and his passions (which included bike riding, collecting coins, strumming our guitar, playing baseball, watching football games, entertaining people, helping to run local theater and puppet productions, and carving objects out of wook); an accountant who dreamed of a better future: a treasurer of our local synagogue; an early advocate for computers (we owned an Apple II+); and a pranster with a great sense of humor. Ultimately, I decided to musically tell the story of my search for these memories. In the first movement (Without), a child calls out in a sing-song voice, searching for her lost parent. This search intesifies over the course of the movement through a series of themes, including a stepping motif in which a two-note progression steadily climbs higher, a pseudo-jewish folksong, and a passionate longing theme. The child's search becomes increasingly intense throughout the movement, calling out fervently and repeatedly to the parent; the movement ends in a moment of great tnesion and uncertainty. The second movment (Within) quietly opens with the lost parent finally answering, represented by a solo cello; the child (now personified by the violin) has found the parent within the sanctuary of her own heart. This movement highlights the joy and solemnity of this beautiful discovery. -S.G.
SKU: PR.114418250
UPC: 680160640959. 9 x 12 inches.
SKU: PR.140401330
ISBN 9781491134412. UPC: 680160684939.
Nathaniel Dett was among America’s leading composers in the early 20th century, and MAGNOLIA SUITE is a beautiful example of his rich, hybrid style. Deeply inspired by the music and mission of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Dett’s piano music springs from the late Romantic traditions of florid texture and embellishment, along with programmatic titles and raw emotion. It is notable for melody writing inspired by and paraphrasing African-American song. The 18-minute MAGNOLIA SUITE contains five movements, any of which may also be performed separately. This edition by Lara Downes provides a clean, new engraving that corrects the many errors and unclear indications appearing in the historical printing.Robert Nathaniel Dett was born in a place that was built on freedom. The little village of Drummondville, Ontario was founded by enslaved Africans – Dett’s ancestors among them – who traveled the Underground Railroad out of the American South into Canada. Their journey brought them to a safe haven, a place where fortunes and futures could be transformed in the span of one generation, to lives full of new possibilities. You could call it “the place where the rainbow ends,†which is the title of the last movement of Dett’s Magnolia Suite.When Dett wrote these pieces, he was a young teacher at Lane College in Tennessee, a historically Black college that had been founded in 1882, the year of his birth. A place built on freedom, with the purpose of educating newly-emancipated slaves – a place designed to nurture the blossoming of ideas, the vibrant flowering of minds set free. This music is inspired by the gorgeous splendor of the magnolia blooms on that college campus, and also by the shared histories, experiences, and aspirations of the community that Dett found there.These five pieces pay affectionate tribute to lineage and legacy. They express gratitude for the bittersweet beauties of the present; nostalgia for the past (a bit romanticized, as the past always is); and an effervescent optimism for the future that awaits us in the place where the rainbow ends.
SKU: BT.GOB-000809-120
The young have the future. This is the statement made at the beginning of ‘Like a Child’ by Andreas Ludwig Schulte. The opening radiates strength and ambition, but one is also made to wonder which direction will be chosen, which choices will have to be made.After the introduction the first steps on the path of life are taken, still somewhat unsteadily (the 3/4th time used illustrates this uncertainty). However, the child has now set off and will meet the future with an open mind, unafraid, even though experience will teach it how easily it can be hurt.Fortunately, it is sometimes allowed to be vulnerable and it discovers there will always be someone to offer shelter,support and love. (Adagio) The last part breathes a far greater independence. Youth is able to face the future, it can even take on the whole world! Wie de jeugd heeft, heeft de toekomst. Met dit statement begint deze compositie van Andreas Ludwig Schulte. Het begin straalt kracht en ambitie uit. Maar welke kant gaat het op, welke keuzes moeten gemaakt worden?Na de inleidingworden de eerste schreden op het levenspad gezet, het is nog wat onzeker (de driekwarts maat voelt een beetje wankel). Toch gaan we daarna op pad, onbevangen, met open vizier de toekomst tegemoet al blijken er toch noch kwetsbaremomenten te bestaan. Gelukkig mogen we dat soms ook zijn en dan is er altijd wel iemand bij wie we geborgenheid, steun en liefde ontvangen. (Adagio)Het laatste deel straalt al veel meer zelfstandigheid uit. Laat maarkomen die toekomst, we kunnen de wereld aan!
SKU: BT.GOB-000809-020
SKU: HL.2050295
UPC: 797242938795. 6.75x10.5x0.299 inches.
America has often been referred to as the great melting pot of nationalities and cultures. That is true to a certain extent. Americans have not relinquished the unique character of their individual heritage - they have, however, acknowledged those things that unite all of us as a people, a nation dedicated to liberty and justice for all. The one thing we share that is most obvious is this particular area of the planet Earth, located in the western hemisphere, on the North American Continent. This is a landmass that is bordered east and west by the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and north and south by Canada and Mexico. In addition, we have two states that are thousands of miles removed from these borders but very much a part of these states - the United States of America. This is a celebration of our country - our dwelling place - our Homeland. Our Homeland - this is the place where we pledge the same flag, protect and defend the same Constitution, breathe the same air, cherish the future of our children, and stand constant vigil to defend the rights that compelled our founders to form a more perfect Union. This is the place our ancestors fought for, and also the place where people still gather the courage to come and be a part of the greatest experiment in freedom in human history.America - a land uniquely blessed of God - a staggering mosaic of natural beauty and resources. America - sweet land of Liberty. America - residence for those who dared to dream the dream, pay the price, share the costs. . . of living in the HOMELAND!
SKU: BR.EB-9387
ISBN 9790004188576. 0 x 0 inches.
Commissioned by the Kolner Philharmonie (KolnMusik) for the non bthvn projekt 2020 and the Cite de la musique / Philharmonie de Paris Dedicated to Arditti Quartet Each movement of this quartet explores a single state, its lights and its shadows. Each movement, you could say, is a moment . And these moments could last for more or less time without compromising their essential nature. The processes could be extended or compressed, repeated or reversed, but the core ideas - if they are ideas, but maybe they are simply experiences? - are what they are. Despite this, the precise sequence of movements matters a great deal. Heard together they do articulate some kind of linear narrative, maybe even a metaphorical journey (albeit a circular one where the arrival might, who knows, prove to be a new departure). One situation gives way to another and instrumental relationships within the quartet vary, but ultimately the imaginative impulse behind the piece preferences states of unity. Whether or not this unity is expressed texturally - sometimes literal unisons pervade, but not always - there is generally a sense that even seemingly diverse aspects relate to a fundamental condition of concord: a conscious limitation in the pitch structure to spectral emanations of the root notes E-flat and C. At the opening this is unambiguously audible in the perpetual alternation of these two notes in the low cello register. Later the two spectra are woven into a micro-tonal 'double-spectral-mode' (derived from the first 24 partials of the C and E-flat fundamentals), which defines the subtle melodic inflection of the second movement, and the never-quite-chromatic ascending scales of the third. For now this feels like a rich source of melodic possibility, so far only just glimpsed... And why the insistence on E-flat? Probably by way of historical anecdote. Apparently Karl Holz (a member of the Schuppanzigh Quartet) said to Beethoven: We performed your Quartet in E-flat Op. 127 in his [Weber's] honour; he found the Adagio too long; but I told him: Beethoven also has a longer feeling and a longer imagination than anyone standing or not standing today. - Since then, even Linke (another member of the quartet) can no longer stand him: we cannot forgive him for this. Listening again to Op. 127, in light of these comments, I was struck by the opening moment: the unfolding of an E-flat 7th chord over the course of a few bars. Every time I hear it I find myself wishing that Beethoven would have lingered longer there, without resolution or progression, just enjoying that sonority. And maybe - why not? - tune the 7th naturally. And what would it be to stretch that moment into an entire piece? What would Weber think of that?! In the end I was not so extreme in my self-limitation, and other concerns took over, but it was from these thoughts that the composition process began... Lastly, about the title: it comes from a book called 'The Clock of the Long Now' by Stewart Brand, published at the turn of the millennium. It's about the creation of a thousand-year clock to embody the aspiration to thinking in terms of longer time-spans than are presently habitual. If the music of Beethoven embodied a 'longer' feeling and imagination than some of his contemporaries were able to appreciate, what is our relation to time now? Longer or shorter? Maybe it depends who you ask... It's probably more extreme in both directions: attention spans might be diminishing in the digital world, but conversely there is an awareness of distant pasts and potential futures which would have been inconceivable at the time of Beethoven. In any case, the interesting thing is to ponder how societal conditions, assumptions and expectations might - whether consciously or unconsciously - influence the time of art, for listeners and creators alike. And what if time is running out? (Christian Mason)World premiere: Paris, Cite de la musique, January 14, 2020.
SKU: PR.31241902S
UPC: 680160690589. English.
Commissioned by the San Francisco Choral Society and the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir, Terra Nostra is a 70-minute oratorio on the relationship between our planet and humankind, how this relationship has shifted over time, and how we can re-establish a harmonious balance. Part I: Creation of the World explores various creation myths from different cultures, culminating in a joyous celebration of the beauty of our planet. Part II: The Rise of Humanity examines human achievements, particularly since the dawn of our Industrial Age, and how these achievements have impacted the planet. Part III: Searching for Balance questions how to create more awareness for our planet’s plight, re-establish a deeper connection to it, and find a balance for living within our planet’s resources. In addition to the complete oratorio, stand-alone movements for mixed chorus, and for solo voice with piano, are also available separately.Terra Nostra focuses on the relationship between our planet and mankind, how this relationship has shifted over time, and how we can re-establish a harmonious balance. The oratorio is divided into three parts:Part I: Creation of the World celebrates the birth and beauty of our planet. The oratorio begins with creation myths from India, North America, and Egypt that are integrated into the opening lines of Genesis from the Old Testament. The music surges forth from these creation stories into “God’s World†by Edna St. Vincent Millay, which describes the world in exuberant and vivid detail. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “On thine own child†praises Mother Earth for her role bringing forth all life, while Walt Whitman sings a love song to the planet in “Smile O voluptuous cool-breathed earth!†Part I ends with “A Blade of Grass†in which Whitman muses how our planet has been spinning in the heavens for a very long time.Part II: The Rise of Humanity examines the achievements of mankind, particularly since the dawn of the Industrial Age. Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Locksley Hall†sets an auspicious tone that mankind is on the verge of great discoveries. This is followed in short order by Charles Mackay’s “Railways 1846,†William Ernest Henley’s “A Song of Speed,†and John Gillespie Magee, Jr.’s “High Flight,†each of which celebrates a new milestone in technological achievement. In “Binsey Poplars,†Gerard Manley Hopkins takes note of the effect that these advances are having on the planet, with trees being brought down and landscapes forever changed. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “A Dirge†concludes Part II with a warning that the planet is beginning to sound a grave alarm.Part III: Searching for Balance questions how we can create more awareness for our planet’s plight, re-establish a deeper connection to it, and find a balance for living within our planet’s resources. Three texts continue the earth’s plea that ended the previous section: Lord Byron’s “Darkness†speaks of a natural disaster (a volcano) that has blotted out the sun from humanity and the panic that ensues; contemporary poet Esther Iverem’s “Earth Screaming†gives voice to the modern issues of our changing climate; and William Wordsworth’s “The World Is Too Much With Us†warns us that we are almost out of time to change our course. Contemporary/agrarian poet Wendell Berry’s “The Want of Peace†speaks to us at the climax of the oratorio, reminding us that we can find harmony with the planet if we choose to live more simply, and to recall that we ourselves came from the earth. Two Walt Whitman texts (“A Child said, What is the grass?†and “There was a child went forth every dayâ€) echo Berry’s thoughts, reminding us that we are of the earth, as is everything that we see on our planet. The oratorio concludes with a reprise of Whitman’s “A Blade of Grass†from Part I, this time interspersed with an additional Whitman text that sublimely states, “I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love…â€My hope in writing this oratorio is to invite audience members to consider how we interact with our planet, and what we can each personally do to keep the planet going for future generations. We are the only stewards Earth has; what can we each do to leave her in better shape than we found her?
SKU: PR.312419020
ISBN 9781491131862. UPC: 680160680474. 6.875 x 10.5 inches. English.
SKU: PR.31241902A
UPC: 680160690510. English.
SKU: HL.44011228
UPC: 884088876845. 9.0x12.0x1.477 inches. English-German-French-Dutch.
Diamond Concerto was commissioned by Musikverein Morschied from Germany - Dr. Eric Grandjean, conductor - for a special concert featuring Steven Mead as guest soloist. Together they gave the world premiere on 28th April 2012 in the town theatre of Idar-Oberstein.The commission is a highlight in the 30-year friendship between composer and soloist, which has included many mutual CD projects and concerts and, now, a concerto. Sparke had Steven Mead's special euphonium sound in his head throughout the composition process and made free use of the variety of styles which the world-renowned virtuoso has made his own during his highly successful solo career.The village ofMorschied lies to the west of Frankfurt am Main in the area known as the German Road of Precious Stones, which is famous for its thriving gem industry. Because of this it was decided to give the commission a local connection by choosing the title, Diamond Concerto. Each of the three movements is named after a famous diamond:1 EARTH STARis rather stern in mood, opening with a free fantasy for the soloist over a static chord from the band. This leads to an Allegro Moderato in minor mode where small motives are gradually repeated and developed by both band and soloist.2 OCEAN DREAMuses a varied quote from the composer's Music for Battle Creek, including a melting slow melody that was originally written with Steven Mead in mind.3 BLUE HEARTwas written, at Steven Mead's suggestion, in bebop style and takes the form of a jazz waltz. The quasi-improvisatory central section features a call-and-response passage for the soloist and upper woodwinds.Soloist: Difficulty 6Diamond Concerto is available for euphonium and piano (AMP 374-401) as well as for euphonium and brass band (AMP 354-030). Diamond Concerto is geschreven in opdracht van de Duitse Musikverein Morschied - met dirigent Eric Grandjean - voor een speciaal concert met Steven Mead als gastsolist. De wereldpremiere vond plaats op 28 april 2012 in het Stadttheater van Idar-Oberstein.De opdracht vormt een hoogtepunt in de dertig jaar lange vriendschap van de componist en de solist - waarin ze aan vele gezamenlijke cd-projecten en concerten werkten. En nu is er dan dit concert. Sparke heeft het gecomponeerd met Steven Meads geheel eigen euphoniumklank in het achterhoofd. Hij paste daarbij de diverse stijlen toe die de wereldberoemde virtuoos zich heeft eigen gemaakt tijdens zijn succesvollesolocarriere.Het plaatsje Morschied ligt ten westen van Frankfurt am Main, in het gebied dat bekendstaat als de Deutsche Edelsteinstrasse. Het is beroemd vanwege zijn bloeiende edelstenenindustrie. Om het werk een lokaal tintje te geven is een toepasselijke titel gekozen: Diamond Concerto. Elk van de drie delen is genoemd naar een beroemde edelsteen:1 EARTH STARDit deel is tamelijk sober van sfeer. Het opent met een vrije fantasie van de solist over een statisch akkoord in het orkest. Dan volgt een allegro moderato in mineur, met kleine motieven die geleidelijk worden herhaald en uitgewerkt door zowel het orkest als de solist.2 OCEAN DREAMHierin wordt een citaat van Sparke's werk Music for Battle Creek naar voren gebracht, met een vloeiende, langzame melodie die van oorsprong werd geschreven met het spel van Steven Mead in gedachten.3 BLUE HEARTNaar een suggestie van Steven Mead zelf is dit deel geschreven in bebopstijl. Het neemt de vorm aan van een jazzwals. De quasi-improvisatorische centrale passage omvat een vraag-en-antwoordspel voor de solist en het hoge hout.Solo: moeilijkheidsgraad 6Diamond Concertois eveneens verkrijgbaar voor euphonium en piano (AMP 374-401) en voor euphonium en brass band (AMP 354-030). Geschrieben fur den Musikverein Morschied, westlich von Frankfurt am Main an der Deutschen Edelsteinstrasse gelegen, wurde jeder der drei Satze von Diamond Concerto nach einem beruhmten Diamanten benannt: 1 EARTH STAR ist eher stimmungstechnisch ein Stern. Der Satz beginnt mit einer freien Fantasie des Solisten uber einem statischen Akkord des Orchesters. Dieses fuhrt zu einem Allegro Moderato in Moll, in welchem kurze Motive von sowohl Orchester als auch Solist nach und nach wiederholt und entwickelt werden.2 OCEAN DREAM verwendet ein variiertes Zitat aus Music for Battle Creek von Philip Sparke, das ein schmelzende Melodie enthalt, die schon im Gedanken an Stevengeschrieben worden war.3 BLUE HEART wurde auf Steven Meads Anregung hin im Bebop-Stil komponiert und weist die Form eines Jazz Waltz auf. Der quasi-improvisatorische Mittelteil enthalt eine Passage im Call-and-Response-Muster, die sich zwischen Solist und den hohen Holzblasern abspielt.Solist: Schwierigkeitsgrad 6Diamond Concerto ist fur Euphonium und Klavier erhaltlich (AMP 374-401) sowie fur Euphonium und Brass Band (AMP 354-030). Diamond Concerto est une œuvre de commande de la formation allemande Musikverein Morschied, dirigee par le Dr Eric Grandjean, pour un concert avec un invite special, le soliste Steven Mead. Ensemble, ils ont cree cette œuvre le 28 avril 2012 au theatre de la ville d'Idar-Oberstein.Cette commande represente l'un des points culminants d'une amitie de trente annees entre le compositeur et le soliste, leur relation ayant donne naissance a de nombreux enregistrements et concerts et, maintenant, a un concerto. Pendant la composition de cette œuvre, Sparke avait sans cesse a l'esprit le son bien particulier de l'euphonium de Steven Mead, et il a employe librement lavariete de styles que ce virtuose mondialement connu a adoptes au cours de sa brillante carriere de soliste.Le village de Morschied se trouve a l'ouest de Francfort-sur-le-Main, dans la region surnommee Route allemande des pierres precieuses, celebre pour son industrie de la joaillerie. C'est pourquoi le compositeur a decide de saluer cette province en intitulant son œuvre Diamond Concerto. Les trois mouvements sont chacun nommes d'apres un diamant celebre :1 EARTH STARDe caractere plutot serieux, ce mouvement debute avec une fantaisie libre pour le soliste sur un accord statique de l'orchestre. Vient ensuite un Allegro Moderato en mode mineur ou de courts motifs sont progressivement repetes et developpes par l'orchestre et le soliste.2 OCEAN DREAML'on pourra entendre ici une variante d'un extrait de Music for Battle Creek, incluant une melodie lente et emouvante, que le compositeur ecrivit alors dans l'optique d'une future interpretation realisee par Steven Mead.3 BLUE HEARTSuivant l'idee de Steven Mead, ce mouvement est ecrit dans un style de be-bop et prend la forme d'une valse jazzy. La partie centrale, quasi-improvisee, comprend un passage d'appel et reponse entre le soliste et les bois.Soliste: Difficulte 6Diamond Concerto est aussi disponible pour euphonium et piano (AMP 374-401) et euphonium et brass.
SKU: HL.44011229
UPC: 884088876852. 9x12 inches. English-German-French-Dutch.
SKU: CF.W2687
ISBN 9781491150955. UPC: 680160908455. 9x12 inches.
This new edition of Jean Baptiste Arban's Fourteen Characteristic Studies for Trombone, edited by Alan Raph, was specifically written to provide the student with suitable material with which to test his powers of endurance, according to Arban himself.The following fourteen studies have been specifically written to provide the student withsuitable material with which to test his powers of endurance. In taking up these studies, he willdoubtless be fatigued, especially at the outset, by those numbers requiring an unusual length ofbreath. However, through careful study and experience he will learn to overcome the difficultiesand will acquire the resources which will enable him to master this particular phase of playingwith ease. As a means to this end, attention is drawn to cantabile passages in particular, whichshould be played with the utmost expression, yet at the same time with as much modified toneas possible. On the cornet, as with the voice, clear tones may be obtained by widening thelips and veiled tones by contracting them. This happy circumstance allows the performer anopportunity to rest while still continuing to play, and at the same time enables him to introduceeffective contrasts into the execution. It should be noted that by little artifices of this kind, andby skillfully conserving his resources, the player will reach the end of the longest and mostfatiguing pieces, not only without difficulty, but even with a reserve of strength and power,which, when brought to bear on the final measures of a performance, never fails to impress anaudience.At this point my task as professor (using the written instead of the spoken word) willend. There are things which appear clear enough when stated verbally but which when writtendown on paper cause confusion, seem obscure, and even sometimes appear trivial.There are other things of such an elevated and subtle nature that neither speech norword can clearly explain them. They are felt, they are conceived, but they are not to be explained;and yet these things constitute the elevated style, the grand ecole, which it is my ambition toestablish for the cornet, just as they already exist for singing and for the various kinds of otherinstruments.Those of my readers who are ambitious and who want to attain this high level ofperfection, should above all things, always try to hear good music well interpreted. Theymust seek out, among singers and instrumentalists, the most illustrious models, and by doingthis purify their taste, develop their sentiments, and bring themselves as near as possible tothat which is beautiful. Perhaps then the innate spark which may someday be destined todemonstrate their own talent, will reveal itself and render them worthy of being, in their turn,cited and imitated in the future.
SKU: CF.CFD16
ISBN 9780825860164. UPC: 798408060169.
Since the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, hymns have been the tie binding the hearts and spirits of Christians together. With their beautiful melodies and poetically penned words, hymns are the universal language of Christian worship, the bond that draws believers together from all walks of life and across the world. With texts of faith and inspiration, hymns speak to present time with words of assurance of hope, and help direct us toward the future in glory. Next to the Bible, they have endured as the timeless voice of the Christian faith, teaching and inspiring believers throughout generations. In this collection of “favorites†we offer listeners a compilation of the genre’s most beloved and inspirational hymns of faith. Arranged by some of today’s most distinguished church music icons, the hymns in this collection will thrill and comfort the faithful listener. Drawing upon the words and melodies of some of the world’s greatest hymn writers, including Fanny Crosby, Charles Wesley, and Martin Luther, the arrangers in this collection maintain each work’s original integrity while beautifully transporting each hymn into the realm of today’s modern worship world. From the stirring strains of “Amazing Grace†to the majestic power of “Holy, Holy, Holy,†this collection will inspire Christian worshipers.
SKU: CF.W2686
ISBN 9781491150948. UPC: 680160908448. 9x12 inches.
This new edition of Jean Baptiste Arban's Fourteen Characteristic Studies for Trumpet in Bb, edited by Thomas Hooten and Jennifer Marotta, was specifically written to provide the student with suitable material with which to test his powers of endurance, according to Arban himself.The following fourteen studies have been specifically written to provide the student withsuitable material with which to test his powers of endurance. In taking up these studies, he willdoubtless be fatigued, especially at the outset, by those numbers requiring an unusual length ofbreath. However, through careful study and experience he will learn to overcome the difficultiesand will acquire the resources which will enable him to master this particular phase of playingwith ease. As a means to this end, attention is drawn to cantabile passages in particular, whichshould be played with the utmost expression, yet at the same time with as much modified toneas possible. On the cornet, as with the voice, clear tones may be obtained by widening thelips and veiled tones by contracting them. This happy circumstance allows the performer anopportunity to rest while still continuing to play, and at the same time enables him to introduceeffective contrasts into the execution. It should be noted that by little artifices of this kind, andby skillfully conserving his resources, the player will reach the end of the longest and mostfatiguing pieces, not only without difficulty, but even with a reserve of strength and power,which, when brought to bear on the final measures of a performance, never fails to impress anaudience.At this point my task as professor (using the written instead of the spoken word) will end.There are things which appear clear enough when stated verbally but which when written downon paper cause confusion, seem obscure, and even sometimes appear trivial.There are other things of such an elevated and subtle nature that neither speech nor wordcan clearly explain them. They are felt, they are conceived, but they are not to be explained;and yet these things constitute the elevated style, the grand ecole, which it is my ambition toestablish for the cornet, just as they already exist for singing and for the various kinds of otherinstruments.Those of my readers who are ambitious and who want to attain this high level of perfection,should above all things, always try to hear good music well interpreted. They must seek out,among singers and instrumentalists, the most illustrious models, and by doing this purifytheir taste, develop their sentiments, and bring themselves as near as possible to that which isbeautiful. Perhaps then the innate spark which may someday be destined to demonstrate theirown talent, will reveal itself and render them worthy of being, in their turn, cited and imitatedin the future.
SKU: BA.BA10303-01
ISBN 9790006559503. 33 x 26 cm inches. Key: C minor. Preface: Michael Stegemann.
The third symphony by Camille Saint-Saens, known as the Organ Symphony, is the first publication in a complete historical-critical edition of the French composer's instrumental works.I gave everything I was able to give in this work. [...] What I have done here I will never be able to do again.Camille Saint-Saens was rightly proud of his third Symphony in C minor Op.78, dedicated to the memory of Franz Liszt. Called theOrgan Symphonybecause of its novel scoring, the work was a commission from the Philharmonic Society in London, as was Beethoven's Ninth, and was premiered there on 19 May 1886. The first performance in Paris followed on 9 January 1887 and confirmed the composer's reputation asprobably the most significant, and certainly the most independent French symphonistof his time, as Ludwig Finscher wrote in MGG. In fact the work remains the only one in the history of that genre in France to the present day, composed a good half century after the Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz and a good half century before Olivier Messiaen's Turangalila Symphonie.You would think that such a famous, much-performed and much recorded opus could not hold any more secrets, but far from it: in the first historical-critical edition of the Symphony, numerous inconsistencies and mistakes in the Durand edition in general use until now, have been uncovered and corrected. An examination and evaluation of the sources ranged from two early sketches, now preserved in Paris and Washington (in which the Symphony was still in B minor!) via the autograph manuscript and a set of proofs corrected by Saint-Saens himself, to the first and subsequent editions of the full score and parts. The versions for piano duet (by Leon Roques) and for two pianos (by the composer himself) were also consulted. Further crucial information was finally found in his extensive correspondence, encompassing thousands of previously unpublished letters. The discoveries made in producing this edition include the fact that at its London premiere, the Symphony probably looked quite different from its present appearance ...No less exciting than the work itself is the history of its composition and reception, which are described in an extensive foreword. With his Symphony, Saint-Saens entered right into the dispute which divided French musical life into pro and contra Wagner in the 1880s and 1890s. At the same time, the work succeeded in preserving the balance between tradition and modernism in masterly fashion, as a contemporary critic stated:The C minor Symphony by Saint-Saens creates a bridge from the past into the future, from immortal richness to progress, from ideas to their implementation.On 19 March 1886 Saint-Saens wrote to the London Philharmonic Society, which commissioned the work:Work on the symphony is in full swing. But I warn you, it will be terrible. Here is the precise instrumentation: 3 flutes / 2 oboes / 1 cor anglais / 2 clarinets / 1 bass clarinet / 2 bassoons / 1 contrabassoon / 2 natural horns / [3 trumpets / Saint-Saens had forgotten these in his listing.] 2 chromatic horns / 3 trombones / 1 tuba / 3 timpani / organ / 1 piano duet and the strings, of course. Fortunately, there are no harps. Unfortunately it will be difficult. I am doing what I can to mitigate the difficulties.As in my 4th Concerto [for piano] and my [1st] Violin Sonata [in D minor Op.75] at first glance there appear to be just two parts: the first Allegro and the Adagio, the Scherzo and the Finale, each attacca. This fiendish symphony has crept up by a semitone; it did not want to stay in B minor, and is now in C minor.It would be a pleasure for me to conduct this symphony. Whether it would be a pleasure for others to hear it? That is the question. It is you who wanted it, I wash my hands of it. I will bring the orchestral parts carefully corrected with me, and if anyone wants to give me a nice rehearsal for the symphony after the full rehearsal, everything will be fine.When Saint-Saens hit upon the idea of adding an organ and a piano to the usual orchestral scoring is not known. The idea of adding an organ part to a secular orchestral work intended for the concert hall was thoroughly novel - and not without controversy. On the other hand, Franz Liszt, whose music Saint-Saens' Symphony is so close to, had already demonstrated that the organ could easily be an orchestral instrument in his symphonic poem Hunnenschlacht (1856/57). There was also a model for the piano duet part which Saint-Saens knew and may possibly have used quite consciously as an exemplar: theFantaisie sur la Tempetefrom the lyrical monodrama Lelio, ou le retour a la Vie op. 14bis (1831) by Berlioz. The name of the organist at the premiere ist unknown, as, incidentally, was also the case with many of the later performances; the organ part is indeed not soloistic, but should be understood as part of the orchestral texture.In fact the subsequent success of the symphony seems to have represented a kind of breakthrough for the composer, who was then over 50 years of age.My dear composer of a famous symphony, wrote Saint-Saens' friend and pupil Gabriel Faure:You will never be able to imagine what a pleasure I had last Sunday [at the second performance on 16 January 1887]! And I had the score and did not miss a single note of this Symphony, which will endure much longer than we two, even if we were to join together our two lifespans!
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