SKU: ST.C210
ISBN 9790570812103.
Wedding Bells was inspired by the wedding of our eldest daughter, Tess. The Wagner and Mendelssohn wedding marches are of course ever popular and the slow movement of the Mozart clarinet concerto contrasts beautifully. My own piece Wedding Bells conveys a celebratory, loving and joyous atmosphere and on the big day I played it during the signing of the register, accompanied by the father of the bride — it was an emotional performance!These arrangements are intended to catch the mood: purists please forgive me — Wagner, Mozart and Mendelssohn may not have written every note here, but I hope that they would have approved.ContentsRichard Wagner: Bridal Chorus from LohengrinWolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Clarinet Concerto — 2nd MovementPat Goddard: Wedding BellsFelix Mendelssohn: Wedding March from the incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s DreamGrades 5–7Former Spartan Press Cat. No.: SP1370.
SKU: ST.C129
ISBN 9790570811298.
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.: SP1218.
SKU: PR.700613460
UPC: 884088946142.
Written in 1998, Pacific Serenade is a “peaceful serenade:” serenade as in: romantic, quasi improvised music which should be sung at night under the stars. The main “singer” here is the clarinet. In general the music is extremely quiet, delicate, sensuous and sentimental. The sensuousness is created by Latin song elements especially the nostalgic Brazilian folk song, which is at times combined with Blues style melody and harmony. The string quartet has a technically expressively challenging part which is not merely the accompaniment to the clarinet, but rather it is responsible for setting the mood in which the clarinet sings. This is Aguila’s opus 59 and it was commissioned by Pacific Serenades Ensemble of California who premiered the work in 1998. Of course the ensemble's name inspired the name of this work as well as its mood. In an age of boom boxes, media bombardment of information and pop culture becoming increasingly aggressive, boisterous and violent, I felt the need to write just the opposite… to show once more that less is more. -- Miguel del Aguila.
SKU: M7.DOHR-88835
ISBN 9790202098356.
There comes a time in life when your parents have passed on. What we are left with is the memories of their love, guidance, support, and the happy times together. Last August when my mum sadly passed away, I wrote an Elegy as part of my grieving. However, as a family we had happy times together and it seemed only right to compose a work which would celebrate this. So, I added a first and last movement to create a short concertino. The movements are: Prelude: Peter John Connell: The Cheeky Chap Elegy: Mavis June Connell (Time To Remember) Rondo: Family Fun (Adrian Connell) Performance note A version with accompaniment of string orchestra and Harp is also available (E.D. 88833). This version for clarinet and piano is also the piano reduction of that version.
SKU: P2.30110
Nick DiBerardino says, Madison Avenue is a work full of whimsy, bustle and effervescent energy. Composed with New York City's famous Madison Avenue in mind, this piece attempts to capture the action of New York's busy streets, the mass of its towering buildings and the thrill - and occasional anxiety - of participating in its frenetic rituals. Madison Avenue's celebrated advertising history plays a role here, as well; I like to think you can hear somewhere in the work the furious typing of secretaries or the insistence of a hard sell. Above all, this is a playful piece, a romp and a gallop, a miniature rhapsody infused with the spirit and drive of the city. In it, I hope you hear an unbridled enthusiasm and an unyielding optimism, both marked on the music by the persistent energy of the human spirit..
SKU: P2.30093
The titular confusion of this work came about in this way: the tunes first appeared in a 1991 musical I wrote based on Moliere's Le Malade Imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid). Lacking faith in the musical but liking the tunes, I fashioned a few of them into the symphony - a comic symphony. Yet, it seemed to lack luster. When the opportunity came to write a work for my friend and fellow Snark Ensemble performer Ben Redwine, I decided what the material lacked was a solo voice. The tunes are still there, but now greatly elaborated and expanded upon. The final work is still very much a symphony - and no other title seems to suit it - but symphonies are generally for orchestra. Still, the size and the instrumentation for the form we call symphony have varied greatly over the years, so perhaps it's the nature of the music that makes it a symphony and not the scoring.
