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: HL.48181033

UPC: 888680868758. 9.0x12.0x0.198 inches.

Written by Francois Joseph Naderman (1781-1835), Sonatinas Progressive, Op. 92 consists of a series of seven small sonatas. The level of difficulty alternates between intermediate and advanced as these can be played at different speeds but necessitates some strong technique as well as some pedal changes. These Sonatinas Progressive, Op. 92 are still considered as some of the most famous pieces of the harp repertoire today. Francois Joseph Naderman was a classical harpist, composer and teacher at the Paris Conservatoire. His vocation was developed by growing up as the son of a Luthier harp maker. He also wrote Sonatas for harp, harp and cello, studies and other pieces.

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: HL.48181035

UPC: 888680787653. 9x12 inches.

French born harpist and composer, Marcel Grandjany (1891-1975) studied at the Paris Conservatoire before spending much of his working life in America. His Trois petites Pièces were composed in Grandjany's early career and are simple and enjoyable works, suitable for beginner harpists. Grandjany was a teacher of harp at the Julliard School for 37 years whilst also composing and transcribing many works for the instrument. Made up of three movements, Trois petites Pièces begins with a delicate Rêverie (daydream). The second piece, a Nocturne, contains variations in tempo, time signature and dynamics. The Barcarolle third movement is the most challenging of the three pieces, in 6/8 time signature and sixteenth-note flourishes. All these combined aspects of Trois petites Pièces by Grandjany make for a thrilling performance for beginner harpists.

SKU: UT.MAG-266

ISBN 9790215326439. 9 x 12 inches.

Posse’s compositions for harp are rich and varied, and range from the easy pieces dedicated to his students to the virtuoso concert pieces; we must also remember his didactic works, in particular the ‘Six Small Studies’ and the universally known ‘Eight Great Concert Studies’.
It is not easy to draw a balance of his legacy in the harp world. On one hand his technical vision of virtuosity combined with a great stability of the hand and rigor of the fingerings certainly contributed to the development of the 20th Century harp technique; on the other hand, his use of the pedals, often driven by two together with the same foot (a very old French technique), has gradually become more and more difficult on modern harps. From the point of view of his contribution to the harp repertoire, the constant run-up to the piano has heavily influenced his compositional production, making him often completely miss the idiomatic effects of 19th Century harp music (except for the use of harmonic sounds), which were so loved by his friend Liszt in the compositions of Parish Alvars.