SKU: CF.YPS200

ISBN 9781491152201. UPC: 680160909704. Key: D minor.

Step right up, ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, step right up! See the exotic, the strange, and the magical at the Cirque de L’étrange, or “Circus of the Strange.” This piece evokes a bygone era when circuses and carnivals provided people from all walks of life a chance to see human and animal oddities. Cirque de L'étrange is an original concert march written in standard march form, but its sound is anything but standard. This piece is playable by younger groups and is a great way to expose students to the march form and style without sounding like your typical march.
Step right up ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, step right up! See the exotic, the strange, and the magical at the Cirque de L’étrange. Welcome to the Cirque de L’étrange, known in English as the “Circus of the Strange.” This piece evokes a time of a bygone era, a time when circuses and carnivals provided people from all walks of life a chance to see human and animal oddities that were sources of both delight and horror. While many of these sideshow attractions were deemed fraudulent, it did not deter the crowds from flocking to be shocked and awed. I have always held a special place in my heart for the showmanship of carnivals, because my grandfather dearly loved them. For much of his life, he worked at fairs and carnivals selling cotton candy and candy apples. A large portion of my days when growing up were spent running around fairgrounds and helping my grandfather with his stand. He imparted in me a love for the cunning, magic, and sheer joy that only carnivals and circuses can bring. In Cirque de L’étrange, I sought to capture the the mirthful, yet uncanny mood of the carnivals that I grew up exploring, thus transporting you to a different time.Cirque de L'étrange is an original concert march written in standard march form, but its sound is anything but standard. This piece is playable by younger groups, as it is a great way to expose students to the march form and style while not sounding like your typical march.Opening in D minor, the piece combines the playful feel of a march and a macabre tango. The second time through the First Strain (mm. 5-23), the upper woodwinds and bells add a second counter melody based in D harmonic minor, which heightens the peculiar nature of the piece. The Second Strain (mm. 24-43) by contrast, is a little more upbeat, thus evoking the magical ebullience of a circus, which is further highlighted by the xylophone part. The Second Strain ends in the key of F major and sets up the transition to the Trio in the key of G minor. The Trio (m. 44) begins with the G harmonic minor melody in the clarinets and a counter melody in the bassoon and tenor saxophone. The rest of the woodwinds and bells join in at m. 60 while the percussion adds a Gypsy-like feel with tambourine and triangle. At m. 76 the full band joins in the macabre parade with the trombones and baritones harmonizing the counter melody. The conclusion of the march has the upper woodwinds, adding a second counter melody complete with trills to bring the march to an exciting and dramatic finish.As the World’s Greatest Showman, P.T. Barnum, a man my grandfather greatly admired, once said “The noblest art is that of making others happy.” It is my hope that through this piece you will experience the thrill, delight, and fright that only carnivals can bring as you visit the Circus of the Strange!

SKU: CF.BPS122F

ISBN 9781491152768. UPC: 680160910267.

As the title implies, this piece is written in a contemplative manner for beginning students.  It is a good piece to demonstrate basic compositional techniques that the students will be able identify easily in the piece. It begins with a lush opening section with an elegant melody to work on musicianship. This is contrasted by the uptempo section of the piece based on the same basic musical material, but in a varied style and frolicking feel. A very satisfying piece for beginning wind players.
Contemplation: the action to look thoughtfully at something for a long time.When composing music that will be used with younger students, I want to stimulate thoughtfulness in them. In this particular piece I want the students to be able to stretch their musicianship beyond their experience on their instruments to play in a contemplative manner. To me, this is the essence of musical playing in an emotional and thoughtful way. It is something that cannot be stressed enough, even in students that have just begun to play. As soon as possible, they should be asked to put themselves into the music and make it more than the notes and rhythms on the page.This piece is my attempt to provide very young students, who are just beginning their musical journey, with something they can reach technically, but have to stretch for musically. The amount of notes and rhythms is limited, but students should strive for beauty of tone, good phrasing and emotional involvement.After a short introduction, the heartfelt main theme begins at a lyrical and slow tempo. This is developed with the addition of a secondary theme, featuring the lower voices, before the piece leads to an Allegro section that is based on the same musical material with a difference in tempo and a variation in rhythm patterns. The piece can serve to show students that the same basic music can have an entirely different emotional connection with differences in tempo, rhythm and style, with the first section of the piece being sentimental and the faster section being more joyous in nature.  As with all of my pieces for younger students, it is completely acceptable to me for you to adjust the tempo to fit the educational needs of your students.It has been my pleasure to have the opportunity to write this piece. I hope you and your students enjoy it and find it useful for your program.—Larry ClarkLakeland, FL 2018.

SKU: BT.DHP-1063948-140

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

This piece was inspired by a variety of music such as Broadway musicals, French cancan, and circus marches. A special rhythm pattern called “Ipponjime” (or “Sanbonjime”) is played by the percussion (3 + 3 + 3 + 1) in the first four measures.This is how people freely clap their hands when ceremonies or parties end in Japan. This custom of clapping hands reflects Japanese people’s spirit to readily move on to the next step. As the infectious work comes to its exciting conclusion every player shouts “yeah!”ensuring you will definitely hear rapturous applause!

Aan dit werk liggen diverse muzikale inspiratiebronnen ten grondslag, zoals Broadwaymusicals, de Franse cancan en circusmarsen. Een Japans ritmepatroon komt in de eerste vier maten naar voren in het slagwerk. Het centrale deel bevatsolo’s voor xylofoon en piccolo, die in de smaak zullen vallen bij uw publiek, zeker wanneer de solisten al improviserend een aantal technische staaltjes laten horen. Indien gewenst kan de instrumentatie worden gewijzigd. Na hetsologedeelte komt het eerste thema terug en volgt er een opbouw naar een opwindend slot, waar iedere speler “yeah!” roept. Met wat aanvullende showelementen zal het applaus nog uitbundiger zijn.

Zu diesem Werk ließ sich der Japaner Takamasa Sakai von einer breiten Palette an unterhaltsamen Musikstilen inspirieren, wie z.B. Broadway-Musicals, französischem Cancan und Zirkusmärschen. Aufregende Soli für Xylophon und Piccolo, Gelegenheiten zur Improvisation, ein traditionelles japanisches Klatsch-Rhythmusmuster sowie ein spannendes Finale sind die Zutaten zu einem Stück, das dem Publikum mit Sicherheit den im Titel versprochenen Applaus entlocken wird!

Applause! (“Applaudissements”) s’inspire de divers styles musicaux tels que les comédies musicales de Broadway, le célèbre French cancan et plusieurs airs de marches de cirque. Le développement est surprenant, rafraîchissant et plaisant la fois pour les musiciens et le public.

Applause! s’ispira a diversi stili musicali quali le commedie musicali di Broadway, il celebre cancan e marce circensi. Lo sviluppo è sorprendente, fresco e piacevole per i musicisti ed il pubblico.