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.

SKU: HL.4003586

UPC: 884088945800. 9x12 inches.

The Four Winds is an homage by the composer to some of the well-known|band composers, such as Clifton Williams and John Barnes Chance, as well as earlier wind masters like Holst and Mahler. Evan Hause|was a student of William Bolcom, and his more advanced band work, Tango Variations, has been performed and recorded by some of the|top university ensembles. This fantasy-overture is appropriate for the|intermediate high school band, contrasting brisk fanfare music with|variations on a Romantic theme. (Grade 4) Duration: 6:00.

SKU: AP.1-ADV60005

English.

Diese Ausgabe ist eine überarbeitete Fassung mit einigen Änderungen in der Orchestrierung: statt verschiedener Instrumente der ursprünglichen russischen Militärkapelle wie das B-Bassetto und das Corno basso nun eine Bassklarinette und ein Euphonium. Dieses Stück eignet sich hervorragend, um ein Ensemblemitglied oder einen Gastsolisten herauszustellen.

This edition is a revised version with some changes in the orchestration: instead of different instruments of the original Russian military band like the B-bassetto and corno, it is now written for a bass clarinet and a euphonium. This piece is perfect to highlight an ensemble member or guest soloists. (German Edition).

SKU: CF.YPS214

ISBN 9781491152331. UPC: 680160909834. Key: Bb major.

This new piece from composer George Sweet is a delightful combination of Scotland the Brave and Amazing Grace. Each tune on its own is wonderful, but in Sweet's setting, they are masterfully layered to reflect the composer's Scottish-American heritage. This presentation of a Scottish melody with Americana-inspired harmonies is a stunning example of compositional craft.
Bravery and Grace is a setting of the unofficial Scottish national anthem, Scotland the Brave. While the melody is taken from Scotland the Brave, the accompaniment and harmony both have a “Western Americana” feel, reminiscent of composers like Roy Harris and Aaron Copland.  This combination of a Scottish melody with American harmony is a reflection of the composer’s Scottish-American Heritage.The piece begins with a fragment of Scotland the Brave presented in a lush and reflective context. The main theme is performed in full by the upper voices at m. 9. The middle voices perform the material at m. 17, and the lower voices perform it again at m. 33. This results in a loud passage representing pipers at m. 46. The traditional spiritual Amazing Grace appears suddenly at m. 51 in a somewhat polytonal setting. This is, once again, reminiscent of practices of the aforementioned American composers.  After this lyrical presentation, a fragment of the main theme returns at m. 66. This is followed by a broad restatement of the theme at m. 70 and a brisk conclusion with a final flair of polytonality.