SKU: ST.C130
ISBN 9790570811304.
As I sit myself down to write this brief foreword, I ask myself can there be music more stirring than these old Cornish folk melodies? Though not Cornish myself (I confess to being born a little further up the road, in Bristol), I feel I have spent sufficient time in these 'ere parts to resonate with the sturdy brass band tradition that continues to permeate this incomparably beautiful, rugged county. One can almost detect a French 'accent' when listening to the piano music of Debussy, and likewise, speaking as a lapsed brass player, there is undoubtedly something of the Cornish twang about Trelawny when played on a cornet or euphonium. Then again, one gets a different, yet entirely convincing effect upon hearing these melodies rendered on woodwind instruments; hence, with a little gamesmanship on my part, I am pleased to see my collection of these fifteen delectable ditties come to fruition in the form of arrangements for treble clef brass instruments (in B flat and E flat), trombone and tuba (bass clef), horn in F, flute, clarinet and bassoon. While many will find themselves humming the likes of Going up Camborne Hill, Lamorna or The Helston Furry Dance even before they have turned to the first page - for these are indelibly intertwined with Cornish culture – I wonder if I might draw your attention to The Cornish Squire, The Pool of Pilate and Cold Blows the Wind Today Sweetheart, which are quite simply sublime melodies, perhaps needing that extra bit of help in bringing them to mind nowadays. In the best tradition of musical hand-me-downs, Cornish folk music works equally ideally sung and played, and only by doing so on a regular basis can such traditions hope to continue forward with vigour and authority. A legitimate way of achieving this is to revitalise the harmonic scheme of these ancient tunes and bring them up to date for a modern audience; after all, it was such an approach that fuelled the imagination of Benjamin Britten and Ralph Vaughan Williams in decades past, while skilfully paying homage to the underlying charm and, for want of a better word, simplicity, of the original music. But this is only a start – for without an energetic response from younger generations, Cornish folk music is destined to wither on the vine in much the same way as is happening with the Cornish dialect. So, put your instrument to your lips and proceed, not with caution, but with enthusiasm and a smile, for your great grandparents (and perhaps even their grandparents) would surely raise a glass if they could hear you doing your bit to ensure the survival of this splendid heritage.Timeless Cornish melodies, cooked up for hungry clarinet playersGrades 1–4Former Spartan Press Cat. No.: SP1219.
SKU: FG.55011-586-6
ISBN 9790550115866.
A pioneer of Finnish modern jazz, Heikki Sarmanto (1939-) is renowned for his renderings of jazz numbers. No wonder, therefore, that broken chords and familiar keys resonate and sit well under the hand in the piano part of this Northern Dreams suite. The solo passages for the piano are like stylised improvisations. In addition to jazz idioms, the suite features Chopin-style arpeggios. His music is melodic and communicative, painting feelings, situations and events. Northern Dreams was originally composed with the tenor sax of Juhani Aaltonen in mind, and the solo part is a transcription of his improvisation. The solo part is also available in arrangements for alto sax, flute, clarinet, bassoon and trumpet.
SKU: ST.C183
ISBN 9790570811830.
Drunken Sailor — the sequelThis needs a plaintive tone especially in the upper register where the dynamics are particularly important. To capture the mood of the piece those slurs in bars 35 and 36, for example, might even be close to a glissando. Use your imagination to recreate the sailor’s state of health!The Vulgar BoatmanNot only more hidden melodies but more appalling puns! (Volga Boatman for those not versed in Russian folksongs). This is like a waltz: it is written in 3/4 time but played so as to give the impression of one beat in bar. The melodies need to be well sustained so that we hear four, eight or even more bars as a single phrase. Clues for the musical detective:- in addition to the Volga Boatman, you might spot just a hint of Sailing down the River on a Sunday Afternoon, We Sail the Ocean Blue (H.M.S. Pinafore), The Eton Boating Song and even Wagner’s Flying Dutchman.Last Tango in HarrisEveryone must surely know these thinly disguised Scottish tunes, but can you make them sound like a tango? Bear in mind that tangos are not jazz: the rhythm is quite strict, but the tango character is in the tone and the phrasing. Notice how expressive the occasional shorter note value can be, as in bars 4 and 5 in the bassoon part.Rheumanian StretchesOr was that Rumanian Sketches? This is a chance to play the main melody in two registers of the bassoon. Try to make a good even sound in both octaves. This piece requires careful counting since the phrases in the bassoon part don’t always begin where you might expect. Think of this piece as a song.Four Pieces for Bassoon and PianoGrade 3Former Spartan Press Cat. No.: SP1163.
SKU: ST.C181
ISBN 9790570811816.
Polka-dotsThere are three contrasting types of expression for the bassoonist here. The opening phrase is staccato which is followed (at bar 11) by a sustained counter melody. Finally (at bar 19) both these effects are combined in a second melody which needs very clear dynamic playing.Monkey PuzzleSustaining the sound while rearticulating the notes is important in this piece. In other words, the opening should be played almost slurred. Be aware of the changing harmonies underneath the held notes in the bassoon part.Serious SongLong but separate notes contrast with real legato. The main theme is marked tenuto, so full value for each note, especially ending notes. Even the quavers aren’t very short at this speed. Try to make the richest sound you can like, for example, a fine Russian baritone.Three Pieces for Bassoon and PianoGrade 1Former Spartan Press Cat. No.: SP1161.
SKU: FG.55011-524-8
ISBN 9790550115248.
In Kirmo Lintinen's Rondo burlesque (2007-2008) for bassoon and piano , the qualitative elements of the bar, with their upbeats, accents and GPs, create a refined musical rhetoric and are very much to the fore. At the premiere, Lintinen's manner of playing, with its sparing use of the pedal obscuring the first beat but not the sense of time, underlined the inherent character of the piece. The roguish poetic metres gambolled jerkily along, and although at surface level the music may appear guileless, Lintinen knows his polyphony, judging by the capital roving of his voices even in the homophonic textures. Kirmo Lintinen (b. 1967) is a man of many musical talents: composer, pianist and conductor. His catalogue encompasses almost all gen-res and categories of composition, from solo work to opera, and he operates with ease from one to another without being a crossover artist; in his case, the versatility is both internalised and innate. He often finds inspiration in French music of the 1920s and its intrinsic musicality. Humour and playfulness are characteristic elements of his music, as are a natural, musicianly approach and an enchantingly effervescent, even tongue-in-cheek texture.
SKU: BR.EB-5567
ISBN 9790004164440. 9 x 12 inches.
It is considered a milestone in the repertoire for bass clarinet: Othmar Schoeck's Sonata op. 41, composed in 1927/28 for the Swiss music patron and amateur clarinetist Werner Reinhart. In the tension area between late Romanticism and currents of New Music of the 1920s, Schoeck created a work of fascinating colorfulness, which even has jazz elements flashing up in the finale. This classic work is one of the most exciting, boldest instrumental works by the important song and opera composer. CD: Renate Rusche (bass clarinet), Werner Hagen (piano) Sc 63072.
SKU: ST.C184
ISBN 9790570811847.
March of the DayThe subtitle says it all, I think. The piece has three main ideas each in the contrasting keys of Bb, Eb and F majors. Can you find a different character for each one? The danger for bassoonists in this sort of piece is that everything can sound accented, so be careful to follow the articulation marks as closely as you can.RondolettinettoThis is all about building phrases through repetition. It relies largely, therefore, on control of the sound. Try to achieve a really obvious contrast of character between the opening phrases and the less refined con spirito episode. This might be played just a touch faster than the opening and closing sections, if you wish. There is a hint of gentle parody in this piece if you can find a way of expressing that too.Sand-dance KidThis piece stretches the compass and range of expression even further. There are very obvious contrasts of staccato and legato and the phrase lengths of the middle section are far from regular. Try to scale down the dynamics at the end so that you end as softly as you can play.Three Pieces for Bassoon and PianoGrade 4Former Spartan Press Cat. No.: SP1164.
SKU: ST.C117
ISBN 9790570811175.
Seven entertaining pieces.Bassoon and PianoGrades 2–5 (Trinity Grades 3 & 4)Former Spartan Press Cat. No.: SP138.
SKU: BR.SON-421
ISBN 9790004802663. 9 x 12 inches.
Nearly an entire decade lies between the first mention (1831) and the printing (1840) of the Trio op. 49. Mendelssohn kept trying to set it to paper, but he was probably again making too many demands on this work, his first in the piano trio genre. Yet his efforts were immediately rewarded: It is the master trio of the present, and Mendelssohn the Mozart of the 19th century, proclaimed Robert Schumann, who was also to compose a landmark D minor Trio seven years later. Mendelssohn's second Trio op. 66 was composed with a relatively light hand in 1845. Over and beyond the familiar Trios opp. 49 and 66, the corresponding volume of the Leipziger Mendelssohn-Ausgabe contains sketches and drafts in the same scoring, which were not further developed.
© 2000 - 2024 Home - New realises - Composers Legal notice - Full version