SKU: SS.50006300
Copyright 1986.
SKU: SS.50029040
SKU: SS.50000140
SKU: SS.50009910
SKU: CF.H84
ISBN 9781491165539. UPC: 680160924530.
Marcel Tournier (1879–1951) was one of the most important harpist/composers in the history of the harp. Over his long career, he added a significant catalogue of very beautiful works to the harp repertoire. Many of his solo works, almost one hundred, have been consistently in print since they were first published. But in recent years harpist Carl Swanson has discovered a treasure trove of pieces by Tournier heretofore unknown and unpublished. These include the Déchiffrages in this edition, as well as songs set for voice, harp, and string quartet, and ensemble arrangements of some of his most beloved works.All of the works that Carl Swanson found were in manuscript only. With the help of the great harpist Catherine Michel, he has put these pieces into playable form, and they are being published for the very first time. He and Catherine often had to re-notate passages to show clearly how they could be played, adding fingerings and musical nuances, tempos, pedals, and pedal diagrams.Tournier wrote these pieces when he was in his 20s, and before he became the impressionistic composer those familiar with his work know so well. They are written in the late nineteenth-century romantic style that was being taught at that time at the Paris Conservatory. They are beautiful short, intermediate level pieces by a first rate composer, and add much needed repertoire to that level of playing.Marcel Tournier (1879–1951) was one of the most important harpist/composers in the history of the harp. He graduated from the Paris Conservatory with a first prize in harp in 1899. He also studied composition there and won a second prize in the prestigious Prix de Rome competition, as well as a first prize in the Rossini competition, another major composition competition of the day. From 1912 to 1948 he taught the harp class at the Paris Conservatory. But composition, and almost entirely, composition for the harp, was the main focus of his life. His published works, including many works for solo harp, a few for harp and other instruments, and several songs, number around one hundred pieces.In 2019, while researching Tournier for my edition MARCEL TOURNIER: 10 Pieces for Solo Harp, I discovered that there was a significant list of pieces by this composer that had never been published and were not included on any inventory of his music. Principal on this list were his déchiffrages (pronounced day-she-frahge, like the second syllable in the word garage).The word déchiffrage means sight-reading exercise, and that was their original purpose. Tournier numbered and dated these pieces, with dates ranging from 1900 to 1910, indicating that they were in all likelihood written for Alphonse Hasselmans’ class at the Paris Conservatory. Tournier was probably told how long to make each one, and how difficult. They range in length from two to four pages, with only one in the whole series extending to five, and from thirty to fifty-five measures, with only one extending to eight-five. The level of difficulty for the whole series is intermediate, with some at the easier end, and others at the middle or upper end.We don’t know if they were intended to test students trying to enter the harp class, or if they were used to test students in the class as they played their exams. The fact that they were never published means that students had to not only sight read them, but sight read them in manuscript form!I worked from digital images of the original manuscripts, which are in the private music library of a harpist in France. She had twenty-seven of these pieces, and this edition is the second in a series of three that will publish, for the first time, all of the ones that I have found thus far. The manuscripts themselves consist of little more than notes on the page: no pedals written in, no fingerings, few if any musical nuances and tempo markings, and no clear indication as to which hand plays which notes. These would have been difficult to sight read indeed! My collaborator Catherine Michel and I added musical nuances, fingerings, pedals and pedal diagrams, and tempo indications to put them into their current condition.At the time these were written, Tournier would have been in his twenties, having just graduated from the harp class himself (1899), and might still have been in the composition class. These are the earliest known pieces that he wrote, and they were written at the very beginning of a cultural revolution and upheaval in Paris that was to completely and profoundly alter musical composition. Tournier himself would eventually be caught up in this new way of composing. But not yet.All of the déchiffrages are written in the late romantic style that was being taught at that time at the Paris Conservatory. Each one is built on a clear musical idea, and the variety over the whole series makes them wonderful to listen to as well as to learn. They are also great technical lessons for intermediate level players.The obvious question is: Why didn’t Tournier publish these pieces, and why didn’t he list them on his own inventory of his music? Actually, four of them were published, with small changes, as his collection Four Preludes, Op. 16. These came from the ones that will be in volume three of this series from Carl Fischer. His first large piece, Theme and Variations, was published in 1908, and his two best known and frequently played pieces, Féerie and Au Matin, followed in 1912 and 1913 respectively. We can only speculate because there is so much still unknown about Tournier and about these unpublished pieces. He may have looked at them, fresh out of school as he was, as simply a way to make some quick money. The first several pieces that he did publish are much longer than any of the déchiffrages. So it could be that, because of their shorter length, as well as the earlier musical style that he was moving away from, he chose not to publish any more of them. We may never know the full story. But all these years later, more than a century after they were composed, we can listen to them for their own merits, and not measured against whatever else was going on at the time. The numbers on these pieces are the ones that Tournier assigned to them, and the gaps between some of the numbers suggest that there are perhaps thirty or more of these pieces still to be found, if they still exist. They will, in all likelihood, be found, as these were, in private collections of harp music, not in institutional libraries. We can only hope that more of them will be located in years to come.—Carl SwansonGlossary of French Musical TermsTournier was very precise about how he wanted his pieces played, and carefully communicated this with many musical indications. He used standard Italian words, but also used French words and phrases, and occasionally mixed both together. It is extremely important to observe and understand everything that he put on the page.Here is a list of the French words and phrases found in the pieces in this edition, with their translation.bien chanté well sung, melodiousdécidé firm, resolutediminu peu à peu becoming softer little by littleen diminuant becoming softeren riten. slowing downen se perdant dying awayGaiement gayly, lightlygracieusement gracefully, elegantlyLéger light, quickLent slowmarquez le chant emphasize the melodyModéré at a moderate tempopeu à peu animé more lively, little by littleplus lent slowerRetenu held backsans lenteur without slownesssans retinir without slowing downsec drily, abruptlysoutenu sustained, heldtrès arpegé very arpeggiatedTrès Modéré Very moderate tempoTrès peu retenu slightly held backTrès soutenu very sustainedun peu retenu slightly held back.
SKU: PR.114417670
ISBN 9781491107973. UPC: 680160636228. 9x12 inches.
The inscription above Carter Pann's Emerald's on Artemis reads: A music box for Emerald Weber (born 18 June, 2010) on Morgan Black's harp Artemis. The title of this 2010 composition is a bit cryptic, but Artemis is the given name of harpist Morgan Black's instrument. The music is both out-and-out tender and exuberant, clearly celebrating the birth of Emerald, the first daughter of one of Pann's dear childhood friends. For advanced harpists._______________________________________Text on the scanned back cover:Composer/pianist Carter Pann (2016 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Music) has written for and worked with musicians around the world, garnering performances by ensembles such as the London Symphony and City of Birmingham Symphony, the Tchaikovsky Symphony in Moscow, many radio symphonies around Europe, the Seattle Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, the youth orchestras of New York and Chicago, and countless wind ensembles.He has written for Richard Stoltzman, the Antares Ensemble, the Capitol Saxophone Quartet, the West Coast Wind Quintet, the River Oaks Chamber Ensemble, and many concert pianists. His String Quartet No. 2 “Operas†was commissioned by the Takács Quartet. Pann has been awarded a Charles Ives Fellowship, a Masterprize seat in London, and many ASCAP awards over the years. His numerous CDs encompass solo, vocal, chamber, orchestral, and wind music, and have received two Grammy nominations. He currently teaches at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
SKU: PR.114415700
ISBN 9781598064711. UPC: 680160612284. 9x12 inches.
Schocker's first harp Sonata offers three movements (1. Changes; 2. Procession, Remembering; 3.Facing Forward) in approachable form for advancing students Perfect for year-end recitals. For intermediate to advanced. Duration: 8'_______________________________________SONATA NO. 1 for Harp (114-41570)With the same spontaneous gift and gusto that Gary Schocker has offered the flute world, providing a rich library of solo works and chamber music, Schocker has recently turned his creative generosity to harp. The 8-minute SONATA NO. 1 is within the reach of intermediate players, and set in three movements: Changes; Procession, Remembering; and Facing Forward. .
SKU: HL.48180980
UPC: 888680878504. 9x12 inches.
Composed by the famous harpist Henriette Renié, Pine trees of Charlannes is an easy small piece for lever harp with piano or harp accompaniment. This piece for beginners is really nice to play and to start playing ensemble music. The principal harp sections feature some really melodious sections and some sections with quavers going up. It alternates these sections with the accompaniment played by the piano or a second harp. Henriette Renié was a virtuoso French harpist born in 1875. With professors such as Alphonse Hasselmans and Théodore Dubois, she received the First Prize for the Harp in 1887. She wrote numerous works for harp including chamber music, and a concerto.
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: PR.411411250
UPC: 680160590636. 9 x 12 inches. Text: Stephen Crane. Stephen Crane. Poems by Stephen Crane.
SKU: PR.UE021672
ISBN 9783702474645. UPC: 803452071754.
The Celtic god Dagda is said to have had a harp, through which he could affect changes, whether calling men to battle or playing the music of sleep. Coles reflects on Dagda's Harp in three short pieces, evoking the music of dreaming, of sorrow, and of joy. For advanced guitarists.
SKU: HL.48187550
UPC: 888680850388. 9.0x12.5x0.112 inches.
“Christmas Pastoral by André Jolivet is a piece for Flute, Bassoon and the Harp lasting nearly 13 minutes. This piece is really gentle and restrained which demonstrates the quality of Jolivet?s work but also reflects that period of WWII when France was under occupation. These scores are of medium level of ability. Christmas Pastoral features four sections: L?étoile (the Star), Les Mages (the Wisemen), La Vierge et l?Enfant (the Virgin and the Child) and Entrée et Danse des Bergers (the Shepherds? dance). Each of these parts describes a part of the Christmas story, starting with the Flute and the Bassoon in a duet, followed by the entrance of the Harp to settle the first part. The second section is quieter, expressing the walk in the desert. The Virgin and the Child is like a lullaby and the piece finishes on a joyful dance to express happiness and devotion. André Jolivet is a French composer who was really inspired by the Antiquity, and had a strong interest for atonality. He also wrote many chamber music pieces, eleven concertos, some orchestral and some vocal music.â€.
SKU: CF.H68SB
ISBN 9781491149669. UPC: 680160907168. 9 x 12 inches.
World renowned harpist Yolanda Kondonnassis shares the wealth of her artistic gifts in this spiral-bound collection of over thirty harp solos. Complete with editorial markings and extensive performer's notes, this volume offers a wide variety of selections from Bach, Handel, Telemann, Scarlatti, Vivaldi, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Puccini, Satie, Faure, Debussy, and Respighi, making it an essential addition to any harpist's library.
SKU: BT.ALHE31254
French.
Pastoreles De Noël by André Jolivet is a piece for Flute, Bassoon and the Harp lasting nearly 13 minutes. This piece is really gentle and restrained which demonstrates the quality ofJolivet’s work but also reflects that period of WWII when France was under occupation. These scores are of medium level of ability. Pastoreles De Noël features four sections:L’étoile (the Star), Les Mages (the Wisemen), La Vierge et l’Enfant (the Virgin and the Child) and Entrée et Danse des Bergers (the Shepherds’ dance). Each of these parts describes a part oftheChristmas story, starting with the Flute and the Bassoon in a duet, followed by the entrance of the Harp to settle the first part. The second section is quieter, expressing the walk in the desert. The Virgin and the Child islike a lullaby and the piece finishes on a joyful dance to express happiness and devotion. André Jolivet is a French composer who was really inspired by the Antiquity, and had a strong interest foratonality. He also wrote many chamber music pieces, eleven concertos, some orchestral and some vocal music.
SKU: PO.PE017
ISBN 9781877218170.
Commissioned by Carolyn Mills, principal harpist of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, this mysterious solo work dwells somewhere between consonance and dissonance, evoking the otherworldly quality of the ancient. The work's spacious, senza misura opening gradually reveals its scalar material, coloured with harmonics, before eventually settling into an undulating odd-metered pattern. Musical elements never remain static, with incremental harmonic changes taking place alongside gentle tempo fluctuations.
SKU: HL.48023946
SKU: HL.48014758
UPC: 073999747669. 9.0x12.25x0.095 inches.
SKU: CF.H78
ISBN 9781491156919. UPC: 680160915460. Text: Yolanda Kondonassis.
SKU: CF.O5022
ISBN 9780825890215. UPC: 798408090210. 9 X 12 inches.
