SKU: PR.110406720

UPC: 680160001316.

I have always been fond of writing works for specific people or organizations. It has been my good fortune during most of my creative career to be asked to compose for many extraordinary performers. The Sonata for Harpsichord Solo is such a case in point: it was written in 1982 for Barbara Harbach, a superb performer, close friend, and collaborator on many musical projects. The Sonata was premiered on March 2, 1984, in a recital given by Dr. Harbach at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. During my formative years as a composer, one seldom heard of the harpsichord as a modern instrument, though while I attended undergraduate school at Boston University, some of us banded together to construct a small harpsichord from one of the first do-it-yourself kits which began to appear in the late '40s. It was also during this time that I heard the Sonatina for Violin and Harpsichord by my teacher Walter Piston and consequently specified that the accompanying instrument for my second violin sonata could either be a piano or a harpsichord. It was not until recently, however, that my interest in the harpsichord as a solo instrument for new music was aroused. This was because of the emergence of so many young virtuosi, such as Barbara Harbach, who are interested in the performance of new music besides the great harpsichord music of the Classical, Baroque, and pre-Baroque eras. The keyboard music of Domenico Scarlatti has always intrigued and fascinated me. The brevity, excitement, and clarity of this sparkling music is charming as well as exhilarating. It is this type of Baroque sonata that inspired the conception and form of my harpsichord sonata. The entire work is loosely based on the musical translation of Barabara Harbach's name, especially the conflict of the B (B-flat) and H (B-natural in German notation). This secondo rub or dissonance especially pervades the first movement, which is in a modified sonata form, pitting jagged and tense melodic elements against most lyrical and smooth lines. This second movement is a song-like melody accompanied by rolled chords which may be played on the lute stop of the instrument if this sonata is performed on a two-manual harpsichord. The final movement is an ever-driving joyous toccata which brings the work to an exciting close with a coda made up of accelerating repeated chords. --Samuel Adler.

SKU: UT.MAG-274

ISBN 9790215326859. 9 x 12 inches.

Rediscovering, studying and analyzing the musical art of Philipp Joseph Hinner means enhancing a piece of the eighteenth-century harp music mosaic. Hinner's work intrigues for its extraordinary simplicity, for its regularity and harmony; the ordered balance of the parts, symmetry and sense of proportion are essential elements for the author, and give character and unity to his work. The harp repertoire has long been overshadowed by the keyboard one, which boasts extensive solo and chamber literature, and consolidated for over two centuries. The rediscovery of the history of our instrument, however, is still recent and the research work in the field of harp music is still long.
Hinner, with the apparent simplicity of his opus 10, can thus regain his role in the harp repertoire of the eighteenth century, as well as covering a considerable didactic value today. The part of the first harp undoubtedly presents characteristics of greater rhythmic and virtuosic complexity than that of the second, which consists of a continuous accompaniment interspersed with simple thematic imitated episodes. Furthermore in the composition are included arias such as O ma tendre Musette, a French popular melody of the 18th century (previously set to music by Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny), and <>, taken from the opera-comique L'erreur d'un moment ou la Suite de Julie by Nicolas Dezede, as well as themes from Gluck's Iphigenie en Aulide, which had been all used also by Hinner's first harp master, Francesco Petrini (1744-1819).
Hinner's opus 10, originally written in separate parts for two harps, or harp and fortepiano, is presented here updated and completed with its score, for a thorough perception of the work.

SKU: MB.95472

ISBN 9780786604951. UPC: 796279025461. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

The book, musician, entertainer, teacher, and recording artist Carol Stober provides melody lines, lyrics, chord symbols, and melody tablature for 35 tunes she learned in Appalachia. The stories woven through the music portray a mixture of life situations that were ever-present in the difficult struggle for survival of our ancestors. The lyrics of many of these songs, although sometimes harsh, give insight into the values of the Appalachian people. The autoharp tablature provides detailed indications for different types of thumb and finger strokes, plucking, and string pinching.

SKU: CF.H82

ISBN 9781491160183. UPC: 680160918782.

Maurice Ravel's Mother Goose is arguably one of the most well-known and well-loved of Ravel's works. Whether one encounters it first in its original iteration for piano, four hands, or in the sweeping orchestra transcription, Mother Goose leaves an impression that isn't soon forgotten. The pieces are short, simple, and descriptive, but are nonetheless ravishing, and beautifully showcase Ravel’s genius and compositional skills. Now for the first time, the entire work has been transcribed for solo harp by harpist Carl Swanson. Each of the original five movements has been carefully edited, making the pieces playable on solo harp, while keeping the spirit that Ravel intended. Here is a valuable addition to the harp repertoire by one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century, Maurice Ravel.