SKU: CF.YPS208
ISBN 9781491152287. UPC: 680160909780. Key: D minor.
A stunning and heart-wrenching composition based on the Jewish folk son Shlof, Mayn Kind. You can hear the emotional content pour out of this piece written in memory of an outstanding orchestra director. The piece beginnings with original material to set the tone, followed by a clarinet solo on the song. It then develops through a variety of different harmonic presentation before building to a nice key change and climatic moment. The piece ends as it began, but with a more hopeful tone. An amazing piece.Sleep, My Child was commissioned by the Madison Middle School Band and Orchestra in Tampa, Florida, and is dedicated to the memory of their Director of Orchestras Kevin Frye. Director of Bands Chris Shultz championed the commissioning of this piece to honor Kevin after he passed away in December 2016. Mr. Frye was a beloved member of the staff at Madison Middle as well as the music community of Tampa and the state of Florida. I was a personal friend of Kevin’s. We were in several musical groups together when we were young that were formative to both of our musical careers. I also guest conducted his Madison Middle School Orchestra several times over the past four years. His musicianship, teaching skills and love for his students were exemplary.When taking on the challenge of writing a piece to honor Kevin’s legacy, Mr. Shultz and I decided to try and include several important aspects of Kevin’s life into the piece. Kevin was proudly Jewish, a fantastic trumpet player and loved Jazz. With that in mind, and after a lot of research, a Jewish folk song Shlof, Mayn Kind was selected as the basis for the piece, not to be religious, but to honor his faith and heritage. Plus it is a beautiful song, and I felt the title reflected the sentiment I was looking to express, which is of someone taking rest after a long battle with illness. Thus, a lullaby seemed appropriate.I also wanted to incorporate Jazz into the piece, but in a concert setting, so you will hear as the piece develops, the harmonies of the folk song expand into ones found more commonly in Jazz compositions. Not in a far out way, but in a subtle way to again honor this part of his life. For example the climactic moment of the piece at the fermata in m. 57 is a Dbmaj9#11 chord. It appropriately give the piece the angst that I was looking for at this moment in the piece, while honoring the importance of Jazz in Kevin’s musical life.The piece was also conceived to include both the Madison band and orchestra in the performance at the premiere. I wanted the pieces to work separately by the band and separately by the orchestra, but I also wanted them to be able to play the piece together to honor Kevin.The piece begins with original material designed to set the mood of the piece with a tempo/style marking of pensive, but also as material that I used as connective musical tissue between statements of the folk song. After this introduction, the folk song is presented by a solo violin (or clarinet) with orchestral accompaniment in a simple straight forward presentation of the song. This is followed by a woodwind section statement of the folk song accompanied by muted trumpets. During this presentation the harmony starts to expand with more color notes in the chords. The low brass are added half way through this statement to add depth and lushness.The introductory material returns, but with some angry hits in the lower voices. This leads to a full ensemble state of new material that is used to transition to the climax of the piece, and to build tension. After the build, the piece modulates to a shortened statement of the folk song with more advanced harmonies and an active counter line in the violas, horns, saxes and first clarinets to further build the tension. This tension is released at the fermata in m. 57, as mentioned above. After a thoughtful pause, the piece concludes with a completion of the folk song again with a solo violin (or clarinet) followed by a return of the introductory material to tie the piece together. The piece ends hopeful, with a solo trumpet (Kevin’s instrument) that is dissonant at first, but then resolves as if to say - everything will be OK! It has been my distinct honor to have been asked to write this piece in Kevin’s memory! I hope that in some small way the piece helps to bring comfort to his family, students, colleagues and to all those that knew him!–Larry ClarkLakeland, FL 2017.
SKU: MH.1-59913-054-8
ISBN 9781599130545.
Royal Coronation Dances is the first sequel to the Fanfare Ode & Festival, both being settings of dance music originally arranged by Gervaise in the mid 16th-century (the next sequel is The Renaissance Fair, which uses music of Susato and Praetorius). Fanfare Ode & Festival has been performed by many tens of thousands of students, both in high school and junior high school. I have heard that some of them are amazed that the music they are playing was first played and danced to over 400 years ago. Some students tend to think that music started with Handel and his Messiah to be followed by Beethoven and his Fifth Symphony, with naught in between or before of consequence. Although Royal Coronation Dances is derived from the same source as Fanfare Ode & Festival, they are treated in different ways. I envisioned this new suite programmatically -- hence the descriptive movement titles, which I imagined to be various dances actually used at some long-ago coronation. The first movement depicts the guests, both noble and common, flanked by flag and banner bearers, arriving at the palace to view the majestic event. They are festive, their flags swirling the air, their cloaks brightly colored. In the second movement, the queen in stately measure moves to take her place on the throne as leader and protector of the realm. In the third movement, the jesters of the court entertain the guests with wild games of sport. Musically, there are interesting sonorities to recreate. Very special attention should be given to the tambourine/tenor drum part in the first movement. Their lively rhythms give the movement its power. Therefore they should be played as distinctly and brilliantly as possible. The xylophone and glockenspiel add clarity, but must not be allowed to dominate. Observe especially the differing dynamics; the intent is to allow much buzzing bass to penetrate. The small drum (starting at meas. 29) should be played expressively, with attention to the notated articulations, with the brass light and detached, especially in a lively auditorium. It is of some further interest that the first dance is extremely modal. The original is clearly in G mixolydian mode (scale: G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G). However, other editors might put in F-sharps in many places (changing the piece almost to G major), in the belief that such ficta would have been automatically put in by the 16th-century performers as they played. I doubt it. I have not only eschewed these within the work, but even at the cadences. So this arrangement is most distinctly modal (listen to the F-naturals in meas. 22 and 23, for instance), with all the part-writing as Gervaise wrote it. In the second movement, be careful that things do not become too glued together. In the 16th century this music might have been played by a consort of recorders, instruments very light of touch and sensitive to articulation. Concert band can easily sound heavy, and although this movement has been scored for tutti band, it must not sound it. It is essential, therefore, that you hear all the instruments, with none predominating. Only when each timbre can be heard separately and simultaneously will the best blend occur, and consequently the greatest transparency. So aim for a transparent, spacious tutti sound in this movement. Especially have the flutes, who do this so well, articulate rather sharply, so as to produce a chiffing sound, and do not allow the quarter-notes to become too tied together in the entire band. The entrance of the drums (first tenor, then bass) are events and as such should be audible. Incidentally, this movement begins in F Major and ends in D Minor: They really didn't care so much about those things then. The third movement (one friend has remarked that it is the most Margolisian of the bunch, but actually I am just getting subtler, I hope) again relies upon the percussion (and the scoring) to make its points. Xylophone in this movement is meant to be distinctly audible. Therefore, be especially sure that the xylophone player is secure in the part, and also that the tambourine and toms sound good. This movement must fly or it will sink, so rev up the band and conduct it in 1 for this mixolydian jesting. I suppose the wildly unrelated keys (clarinets and then brass at the end) would be a good 16th-century joke, but to us, our put-up-the-chorus-a-half-step ears readily accept such shenanigans. Ensemble instrumentation: 1 Full Score, 1 Piccolo, 4 Flute 1, 4 Flute 2 & 3, 2 Oboe 1 & 2, 2 Bassoon 1 & 2, 1 Eb Clarinet, 4 Bb Clarinet 1, 4 Bb Clarinet 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 3, 2 Eb Alto Clarinet, 1 Eb Contra Alto Clarinet, 3 Bb Bass & Bb Contrabass Clarinet, 2 Eb Alto Saxophone 1, 2 Eb Alto Saxophone 2, 2 Bb Tenor Saxophone, 2 Eb Baritone Saxophone, 3 Bb Trumpet 1, 3 Bb Trumpet 2, 3 Bb Trumpet 3, 4 Horn in F 1 & 2, 2 Trombone 1, 4 Trombone 2 & 3, 3 Euphonium (B.C.), 2 Euphonium (T.C.), 4 Tuba, 1 String Bass, 1 Timpani (optional), 2 Xylophone & Glockenspiel, 5 Percussion.
SKU: CF.YPS208F
ISBN 9781491152966. UPC: 680160910465.
SKU: CF.YPS207
ISBN 9781491152270. UPC: 680160909773. Key: C minor.
Factory Child is a protest song against child sweatshops. The piece depicts the factory life of children laboring many hours a day and manufacturing the shoes and clothes that end up in American retail stores. Young performers will find this thought-provoking piece an excellent way to use their musical voice to affect change.Factory Child is a protest song against child sweatshops. Written in memory of Mrs. Peterson, who loved children dearly, the piece depicts the factory life of children laboring 16+ hours a day, manufacturing the shoes and clothes that end up in American retail stores.Factory Child begins with factory sounds and an oppressive, repetitive pattern that supports the melody carried by the upper voices. The second section is composed of wistful, dream-like sounds and melodies that have traces of children’s songs that remind us that these children forced into labor would love to have the opportunity to play, attend school, and dream, but cannot and realistically have little hope for a life we consider normal. The middle section gives way to more sounds from the factory. The climax is a raucous circus-like waltz using themes from both sections.The percussion parts can be covered by six players. Some players will need to cover two parts. Use someone from the wind section if you do not have six, as some of the parts, although important, are not very difficult. The second clarinet never goes over the break and the bass line is usually doubled in the euphonium as well as in the low reeds.This piece is an excellent way for young performers to use their musical voice to affect change. It is a great discussion starter for researching where our apparel comes from and why to stay away from some brands. It can also make students aware of the fantastic opportunity they have to attend school that children in other parts of the world do not. Young students will find this piece very thought provoking.Ed Kiefer .
SKU: CF.SPS82
ISBN 9781491152591. UPC: 680160910090. Key: Bb major.
Resignation was composed in memory of one of Ed Kiefer's best friends. Evoking the struggle of coming to grips with the loss of a dear friend, the piece is based on the hymn, My Shepherd Will Supply My Need. It is dramatic, heartfelt, and overwhelmingly beautiful. As Hans Christian Andersen once said, When words fail, music speaks..Dr. David S. Kirby Commission Consortium Phillip Riggs, Commission CoordinatorNorthwest District Bandmasters AssociationRodney Workman, Past-Chair Andrew Jimeson, ChairWestern North Carolina Bandmasters AssociationAllen Klaes, ChairNorth Carolina School of Science and MathPhillip Riggs, DirectorA.C. Reynolds High School BandSean Smith, DirectorSouth Caldwell High School BandJason Childers, DirectorJay M. Robinson Symphonic BandAndrew Carter, DirectorApex High School BandDaniel Jarvis, DirectorPanther Creek High School BandDavid Robinson, DirectorEastern Randolph High School BandCarolina Perez, DirectorStanley County Concert Band/Pfeiffer University Concert BandCarmella Hedrick, Tim Hedrick and Frank Poolos, DirectorsLenoir Rhyne University Wind SymphonyDr. Daniel Kiser, ConductorDr. Christopher NegrelliNumerous colleagues, fellow teachers, and former studentsProgram NotesThere is no possible way I could compose a piece of music worthy of the memory of my close friend, Dr. David Kirby, who died very suddenly at an early age. Neither could I write a piece that could come close to reflecting his kind spirit, wit, personality or talent. In fact, it was almost impossible for me to write anything at all. My own grief and the stages of my grief kept getting in the way. I ended up with a setting of the hymn-tune, Resignation. Resigned. To the fact that he is no longer with us. I know he is in a better place, but we are not. We miss him very much. And so, My Shepherd Will Supply My Need seems to speak to those of us he left behind. I apologize if this piece does not reflect your special feelings for him or help you celebrate his moving on. Unfortunately, I could only put down what I have come to accept and hope in some way it may speak to any of you that knew him or to others of you who have also lost a close friend. My Shepherd Will Supply My Need. That is my hope and my hope for you.Although technically very easy, this composition requires a maturity of musicianship to be performed properly. The Bb contrabass clarinet part is integral to the composition, but there are cues in the tuba part if you need them.  Make sure you bring horns to the fore at m. 53 and the low brass at m. 59 so the melody can be heard without effort. Exaggerate dynamics to bring more emotion to the piece. Be careful not to diminuendo too soon near the end or it will be difficult to diminish even further at the very end, where the lone clarinetist holds over a couple of measures, fading into nothing. I hope your students will enjoy this piece and take from it a greater appreciation for the way making music can express feelings.
SKU: MH.1-59913-070-X
ISBN 9781599130705.
Program Notes: Stylistically diverse -- tranquil, spirited pastoral, sensitive, energetic -- exhibiting a remarkable palette, the five movements of SINFONIA IX form a unique symphonic statement. Movement I, Prelude, is about contrasts: A lazy, smooth, motive in brasses alternates with, and then joins, an active and detached motive in woodwinds. The spirited Movement II, Morley's Ghost, is an intricate canonic collage and homage to that venerable theoretician & composer, Thomas Morley. By contrast, movement III, Dialog, speaks in a relaxed, lyrical, and pastoral language as it develops its gently rising and falling motives. Movement IV, Waltz, innocently celebrates the joys of childhood with a lilting melody and rondo form. For the rousing Finale, Movement V begins with a martial call of repeated-notes, heralding a headstrong journey of power and excitement. Like a number of the composer's other works, SINFONIA IX is based on earlier material: A brass sextet, written in 1966 when the composer was nineteen years old, forms the raw material for the first, third and fifth movements, while a later work, Martin's Waltz (a children's piece for flutes and clarinets composed in 1975) is the basis of the fourth movement. The second movement, however, is a fanciful contrapuntal commentary on Thomas Morley's 16th-century canzonet, Fire and Lightning. SINFONIA IX is dedicated to John Raforth, a distinguished band director and music educator at West High School in Madison, Wisconsin. The work was commissioned by his friends and former students, and was completed in 1977. Its first publication some twenty years later is a result of the increasing attention paid by university band directors to the earlier Sinfonias, particularly Sinfonia III (Hymns and Dances); Sinfonia V (Sinfonia Sacra et Profana); and now, Sinfonia IX. Whereas the first two works are wind ensemble compositions that have been championed equally by the concert band, Sinfonia IX is the composer's first college-level Sinfonia written especially for concert band. Ensemble instrumentation: 1 Piccolo, 8 Flute 1-2, 2 Oboe, 1 Eb Clarinet, 4 Bb Clarinet 1, 4 Bb Clarinet 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 3, 3 Bb Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoon, 4 Eb Alto Saxophone, 2 Bb Tenor Saxophone, 1 Eb Baritone Saxophone, 3 Bb Trumpet 1, 3 Bb Trumpet 2, 3 Bb Trumpet 3, 2 F Horn 1-2, 2 F Horn 3-4, 3 Trombone 1, 3 Trombone 2, 3 Baritone B.C., 2 Baritone T.C., 4 Tuba, 3 String Bass, 2 Timpani, 5 Percussion.
SKU: MH.1-59913-071-8
ISBN 9781599130712.
SKU: MH.0-931329-53-1
ISBN 9780931329531.
Journey back to ancient Greece and view a place of long-gone legend. Follow the trail to the Kingdom of Ithaca, from the heroic palace, to a place of tranquility, to a reckless dance of abandon, to the return of Odysseus. The melodic material used in 200 B.C. is from a two thousand year old Greek hymn to Apollo. The legendary adventures of Odysseus as described by Homer in the Odyssey (ca. 700 B.C.) provide the programmatic material. The music is freely based upon the First Delphic Hymn (or Paen to Apollo), composed ca. 200 B.C. The source is a transcription appearing on pages 363 - 367 of Ancient and Oriental Music, Edited by Egon Wellesz (Oxford University Press: London, 1957). Each movement of the work depicts a key event in the epic Homeric poem, as described below. Movement I: Intrada - The first four notes of this movement, C - Bb - G - Bb, are the melodic and harmonic foundation for the entire work. These pitches, introduced in a simple and direct manner, are subsequently developed in more complex fashions throughout the suite. Following this stately introduction is a militaristic fanfare that introduces the dotted-eighth and sixteenth-note figure later reprised in the second and fourth movements. Indeed, all the musical ideas which will be central to the remaining movements first appear in the Intrada. This movement depicts the grandeur of Odysseus and his kingdom in Ithaca, and establishes the heroic mood of the entire work. Movement II: Ballad - After a brief restatement of the opening dotted-eighth-and-sixteenth fanfare, the second movement extracts the falling third (Bb to G) from the C - Bb - G - Bb motif and extends it and expands it into a haunting solo for alto saxophone. The C - Bb - G - Bb motif appears again (see measures 23 - 33 in trumpets) as counterpoint to this melody, now pulsing through the thick texture of the band. Many performers have come to view the Ballad as the emotional epicenter of the entire suite; my conception of the Ballad is to achieve a union of pathos and strength. Programmatically, this movement depicts Odysseus's son, Telemachos, as he both longs for Odysseus's return and stoically defends his father's kingdom. Movement III: Dance - It will take Odysseus twenty years to return to Ithaca. During his absence, noblemen besiege his palace, violating the sanctity of the household and seeking the hand of his wife, Penelope. This movement depicts the wanton revelries that result. The original four-note motif is chromatically altered and the meter is made irregular. The rapid tempo, driving percussion, and angular meter and melodies combine in an explosion of reckless abandon. Movement IV: March Building from a delicate woodwind ensemble accompanied by finger cymbals to a fully orchestrated statement replete with thundering percussion, this is a resounding march of victory. Odysseus has returned in triumph to restore dignity to his household and to reclaim the throne of the Kingdom of Ithaca. Ensemble instrumentation: 1 Piccolo, 8 Flute 1 - 2, 2 Oboe 1 - 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 1, 4 Bb Clarinet 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 3, 1 Eb Alto Clarinet, 3 Bb Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoon 1 - 2, 3 Eb Alto Saxophone 1, 3 Eb Alto Saxophone 2, 2 Bb Tenor Saxophone, 1 Eb Baritone Saxophone, 3 Bb Trumpet 1, 3 Bb Trumpet 2, 3 Bb Trumpet 3, 2 F Horn 1-2, 2 F Horn 3-4, 2 Trombone 1, 2 Trombone 2, 2 Trombone 3, 3 Euphonium (B.C.), 2 Euphonium T.C., 4 Tuba, 1 Timpani, 2 Mallet Percussion: Bells, Xylophone, 2 Percussion 1: Snare Drum, Tambourine, 2 Percussion 2: Crash Cymbals, Suspended Cymbal, Tom-Tom, Finger Cymbals, 1 Percussion 3: Bass Drum.
SKU: CF.CPS133F
ISBN 9780825888434. UPC: 798408088439. 9x12 inches.
A More Perfect Union is inspired by the strife of the Boston Tea Party before the American Revolution, as well as other struggles throughout the history of the United States. It is cast in three distinct parts, with the first portraying the early struggle of the colonies to unify, the second part reflecting the unification of our country after a tumultuous civil war and finally, demonstrating the spirit and fight of the current divide in today's political atmosphere. It is a welcome addition to the concert band repertoire with a strong musical message.
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