SKU: SU.80101399

Triptych in honorem Gustav Willscher (2017) is dedicated to Andreas Willscher in celebration of the writing of his Troppauer Musiklexicon. Gustav Willscher (born 1882 in Meltsch bei Troppau/Sudentenschleisen and died 1937 in Vienna) was in his time a very successful poet, writer, and composer. In addition to his musical talents (he played several instruments, among others the piano and guitar), he also created a collection of drawings. He was the grandfather of composer and organist Andreas Willscher. The outer movements, Silesian Prelude and Troppauer Postlude, refer to his cultural heritage, and each quote a musical theme by Gustav Willscher. The second movement, Minuet, refers obliquely to Vienna, the city in which Willscher died. Instrumentation: Organ Duration: 10' Composed: 2017 Published by: Zimbel Press.

SKU: HL.50601101

ISBN 9781540005540. UPC: 888680711443. 11x14 inches.

Composer note: The idea for a piano concerto for the Boston Symphony was instigated by Robert Levin, the great Mozart scholar and pianist. The idea was evidently embraced by BSO Artistic Administrator Tony Fogg and supported by Music Director James Levine. Much of the concerto was composed during the summer of 2004 at the American Academy in Rome in a secluded studio hidden within the Academy walls. While much of the composing took place far from home, the concerto comes out as a particularly “American” piece, shot through with vernacular elements. As in many of my compositions, simple, familiar musical ideas are the starting point. A shape, a melodic fragment, a rhythm, a chord, a texture, or a sonority may ignite the appetite for exploration. How such simple insignificant things can be altered, elaborated, extended, and combined becomes the exciting challenge of composition. I also want the finished work to breathe in a natural way, to progress spontaneously, organically, moving toward a transformation of the musical substance in ways unimaginable to me when I began the journey. Transformation is the goal, with the intention of achieving an altered state of perception and exposure that I am otherwise unable to achieve. “Chiavi in mano” – the title of the concerto – is the mantra used by automobile salesmen and realtors in Italy: Buy the house or the car and the keys are yours. But the more pertinent reason for the title is the fact that the piano writing is designed to fall “under the hand” and no matter how difficult it may be, it remains physically comfortable and devoid of stress. In other words: “Keys in hand.” –Yehudi Wyner, December 13, 2004.

SKU: BT.ESZ-01490700

Italian-English.

Ercole Pasquini (1550 ca-ante 1620), working for many years in Ferrara, then Frescobaldi’s predecessor as organist of the Cappella Giulia, leaves a considerable corpus of keyboard music that identify him as a link between Frescobaldi and Naples. It is half a century since the first critical edition of Ercole Pasquinis keyboard music was published (CEKM, vol. 12). This new edition (in two volumes) appears in the light of subsequent scholarship. It offers new solutions for some troublesome passages. It includes a number of pieces that were not included in the previous edition, but which do seem to have been attributed to Pasquini, as well as unattributed pieces which maywell have been by him. It also takes account of a source (ms. Naples 48, dated ca.1600) which has come to light in the intervening years. This manuscript includes a copy of a Canzona by Pasquini that is older and generally superior to the other surviving copies of this piece. The preface contains detailed discussion of the composers biography, the provenance of the sources, and the performance implications of the notation. Both preface and commentary are in English and Italian.

Attivo per molti anni in Ferrara, poi predecessore di Frescobaldi come organista della Cappella Giulia, Ercole Pasquini (1550 ca-ante 1620) lascia un consistente corpus di musica per tastiera che si pone come punto di raccordo tra Frescobaldi el’ambiente napoletano.Dopo mezzo secolo dalla pubblicazione della prima edizione critica della sua musica per tastiera (CEKM, vol. 12), il volume che qui si presenta (primo di due) appare alla luce degli studi più recenti e offre nuove soluzioni per alcuni passaggiproblematici. Comprende altresì una serie di pezzi non inclusi nella precedente edizioni, ma ascritti a Pasquini, così come pezzi non attribuiti, ma probabilmente da lui composti. Si tiene conto anche di una fonte (ms. Napoli 48, databile ca 1600),venuta alla luce in anni recenti, particolarmente autorevole nella trasmissione di una Canzona. La prefazione contiene la presentazione dettagliata della biografia del compositore, la provenienza delle fonti e le questioni notazionali in rapporto all’esecuzione. Prefazione e commento sono in italiano e in inglese.