SKU: BT.DHP-1115250-140

9x12 inches. English-German-French-Dutch.

The Soldier’s Wife is a short and simple piece commissioned by the Singapore Ministry of Education. It was originally intended as a compulsory piece for the 2012 Singapore Youth Festival. Because many school bands in Singapore are incomplete, the composer was specifically asked to create a work that could equally be played by a limited ensemble—which explains various doubled and optional parts. The warm tones of a melodic passage open this short work: the wife of the wooden soldier sings a kind of lullaby. This lyrical section is followed by a more powerful part which is, however, based on the same melodic material. The rhythm, syncopated at times, infuses thissection with a particular energy. The harmony, too, has some surprising turns—and we must never lose sight of the restrictions imposed by the limited level of difficulty of the piece. Although the work begins softly and sweetly, much more ‘feminine energy’ is projected by the close.

The Soldier’s Wife is een kort en eenvoudig werkje dat is geschreven in opdracht van het Singaporese ministerie van Onderwijs. Het was aanvankelijk bedoeld als verplicht werk voor het Singapore Youth Festival 2012. Omdat veelschoolorkesten in Singapore een onvolledige bezetting hebben, kreeg de componist het nadrukkelijke verzoek om het werk zo vorm te geven dat het ook met een beperkt ensemble uitgevoerd kan worden: dat verklaart een aantal verdubbelingenen instrumenten ad libitum.Een warme, melodische passage opent dit korte werkje: de vrouw van het - houten - soldaatje zingt als het ware een wiegeliedje. Nadat dit lyrische deel is afgerond, volgt een energieker gedeeltedat qua melodisch materiaal op dezelfde bouwstenen is gebaseerd. De hier en daar gesyncopeerde ritmiek verleent dit deel een bijzondere energie, en ook harmonisch zijn er een paar verrassende wendingen - waarbij rekening is gehoudenmet de beperkingen die verbonden zijn aan werken voor dit muzikale niveau. Begon het werkje zacht en liefelijk, aan het slot is er heel wat meer ‘girl power’ voelbaar!

The Soldier’s Wife ist ein kurzes, einfaches Werk, das im Auftrag des Bildungsministeriums von Singapur geschrieben wurde. Es war zunächst als Pflichtstück für das Singapurer Jugendfestival 2012 gedacht. Da viele Schulblasorchester in Singapur unvollständig besetzt sind, bat man den Komponisten ausdrücklich, das Werk so zu gestalten, dass es auch mit einem begrenzten Ensemble gespielt werden könne: Dies erklärt einige Verdopplungen und optionale Instrumente. Eine warm klingende, melodische Passage eröffnet dieses kurze Werk: Die Frau des - hölzernen- Soldaten singt eine Art Wiegenlied. Nach diesem lyrischen Abschnitt folgt ein kraftvollerer Teil, der aber aufdemselben melodischen Material aufbaut. Der hier und da synkopierte Rhythmus verleiht diesem Teil eine besondere Energie und auch harmonisch gibt es einige überraschende Wendungen - wobei immer an die auferlegten Beschränkungen durch den Schwierigkeitsgrad gedacht werden muss. Ist das Werk zu Beginn noch leise und lieblich, ist zum Schluss doch schon wesentlich mehr weibliche Energie“ spürbar...!

The Soldier’s Wife (L’épouse du soldat) est une pièce courte et simple commandée par le Ministère singapourien de l'Education. Cette œuvre a été initialement écrite comme pièce imposée pour le Festival de la Jeunesse se déroulant Singapour en 2012. Comme de nombreuses formations scolaires présentent quelques lacunes au niveau de certains pupitres, Jan van der Roost a été sollicité afin de composer une œuvre qui pourrait également être jouée par une formation incomplète - ce qui explique le doublement de certaines parties et les voix optionnelles.Cette œuvre concise débute par une chaleureuse et expressive mélodie : la femme du soldat chante une sorte deberceuse. Ce passage lyrique est suivi d’une partie plus puissante qui est, cependant, basée sur le même matériel thématique. Le rythme, parfois syncopé, insuffle cette partie de l’œuvre une énergie toute particulière. La trame harmonique, elle aussi, subit quelques surprenantes contorsions sans jamais dépasser les limites imposées par le degré de difficulté de la pièce. Cette composition commence doucement et gentiment, et se termine par un motif empreint d’un dynamisme singulièrement féminin.

“Guarda, è la moglie del soldato di legno”! All’inizio, canta una dolce ninnananna, che precede una sezione più potente dai ritmi sincopati e con sorprendenti cambiamenti di armonie. The Soldier’s Wife inizia in modo calmo e dolce per poi trovare un’energia tipicamente femminile verso il finale. The Soldier’s Wife è un brano breve e semplice, perfetto anche per formazioni a organico ridotto grazie alle parti raddoppiate e opzionali.

SKU: CF.YPS212F

ISBN 9781491152997. UPC: 680160910496.

Taking its title from a poem about grief and loss by Chrissie Pinney, Live On honors the life of band director Linda Mann, to whom the piece is dedicated. The piece begins with a pensive intro before shifting to a whimsical theme that brings about happy thoughts of a life well-lived. After a return to the poignant opening material, the music surges to a triumphant conclusion based on an augmented version of the whimsical theme.
Live On was commissioned by Diplomat Middle School's staff, faculty and students, in Cape Coral, Florida, and is dedicated to the memory of their Director of Bands, Linda Mann. Director of Orchestras, Roland Forti, championed the commissioning of this piece to honor the life of Linda after her untimely passing in February of 2017. Linda Mann’s impact on the field of music education was profound and wide-reaching. She was a beloved member of the staff at Diplomat Middle School, as well as the music community of Cape Coral and the state of Florida. Linda was highly respected throughout the state, serving as recent past-president of the Florida Bandmasters Association.In discussing the type of piece the school wanted to honor Ms. Mann, they indicated the piece should “depict Linda’s personality: dynamic, sassy, yet thoughtful and almost mentor-like.” They wanted a piece that was upbeat, yet still had moments that were thoughtful, portraying the grief that the Diplomat Middle School community has suffered from the sudden loss of such a beloved teacher.After contemplating their thoughts, I did some research to find inspiration for the piece. This led me to poetry about grief and loss. In time, I stumbled upon a short, yet poignant poem that I felt perfectly depicted the sentiment that I wanted the piece to convey.  That poem is entitled Live On by Chrissie Pinney.Live OnNow as I live onWithout youI hope to keepThe pieces of youThat I loved so dearlyYour mannerismsAnd compassionate characterAnd smiles through struggleSo that youMay live on too -Chrissie PinneyI reached out to Ms. Pinney, and she graciously agreed to allow me to quote her powerful poem in these notes. She expressed that she was deeply touched that her work would inspire me to write a piece in honor of Linda Mann.The piece begins with a poignant, pensive opening section. The use of the musical interval of a tritone between the first two openly voiced chords are used to represent the sadness we all feel from this type of loss. When I sat in front of my piano and started to work on this piece, my hands seemed to naturally and immediately play these first two chords, which set the process in motion of composing the piece.After the somber opening, the piece shifts to a whimsical theme that I hope brings about happy thoughts of Linda and her personality. It was also my intent, however, to include some musical dissonance in the theme that still reflected the bittersweet loss at the same time. The piece develops into a secondary theme that is a quasi inversion of the main fast theme. This section is followed by a return of the opening material, with snippets of the fast theme intertwined, before the piece builds to a triumphant, augmented presentation of the main theme in a lush form to complete the work.It is my hope that in some small way, this piece will bring comfort to those affected by the loss of Linda Mann, and that the music will allow her memory to Live On.–Larry ClarkLakeland, FL 2017.