SKU: PR.41641576L

UPC: 680160636549. 11 x 17 inches.

The 1712 Overture stands out in P.D.Q. Bach's oeuvre for two reasons, among others: it is by far the most programmatic instrumental piece among those by the minimeister of Wein-am-Rhein so far unearthed, and 2) its discovery has led to a revelation about the composer's father, Johann Sebastian Bach, that has exploded like a bombshell on the usually serene musicological landscape. The overture is based on an anecdote told to P.D.Q. Bach by a cousin, Peter Ulrich. Since P.U. Bach lived in Dudeldorf, only a few miles down the road from Wein-am-Rhein, he was P.D.Q.'s closest relative, and he was, in fact, one of the few members of the family who was on speaking terms with P.D.Q. The story, related to P.D.Q. (fortunately for us posterity types) in a letter, may be summarized thus: The town of Dudeldorf was founded by two brothers, Rudi and Dieter Dudel, early in the 18th century. Rudi remained mayor of the newborn burg for the rest of his long life, but Dieter had a dream of starting a musicians' colony, an entire city devoted to music, which dream, he finally decided, could be realized only in the New World. In 1712, he and several other bagpipers sailed to Boston, never to return to Germany. (Henceforth, Rudi became known as der deutscher Dudel and Dieter as the Yankee Dudel). Unfortunately, the head of the Boston Musicians' Guild had gotten wind of Dudel's plans, and Wilhelm Wiesel (pron. VEE-zle), known none too affectionately around town as Wiesel the Weasel, was not about to share what few gigs there were in colonial America with more foreigners and outside agitators. He and his cronies were on hand to meet Dudel's boat when it pulled into Boston Harbor; they intended to prevent the newcomers' disembarkation, but Dudel and his companions managed to escape to the other side of the bay in a dinghy, landing with just enough time to rent a carriage and horses before hearing the sound of The Weasel and his men, who had had to come around the long way. The Germans headed West, with the Bostonians in furious pursuit. soon the city had been left far behind, and by midnight so had the pursuers; Dieter Dudel decided that it was safe for him and his men to stop and sleep until daybreak. When they awoke, they found that they were in a beautiful landscape of low, forested mountains and pleasant fields, warmed by the brilliant morning sun and serenaded by an entrancing variety of birds. Here, Dudel thought, her is where I will build my colony. The immigrants continued down the road at a leisurely pace until they came upon a little church, all by itself in the countryside, from which there suddenly emanated the sounds of a pipe organ. At this point, the temptation to quote from P.U. Bach's letter to P.D.Q. cannot be resisted: They went inside and, after listening to the glorious music for a while, introduced themselves to the organist. And who do you think it was? Are you ready for this -- it was your old man! Hey, no kidding -- you know, I'm sure, that your father was the guy to get when it came to testing new organs, and whoever had that one in Massachusetts built offered old Sebastian a tidy sum to go over there and check it out. The unexpected meeting with J.S. Bach and his sponsors was interrupted by the sound of horse hooves, as the dreaded Wiesel and his men thundered on to the scene. They had been riding all night, however, and they were no spring chickens to start with, and as soon as they reached the church they all dropped, exhausted, to the ground. The elated Germans rang the church bells and offered to buy everyone a beer at the nearest tavern. There they were taught, and joined in singing, what might be called the national anthem of the New World. The melody of this pre-revolutionary patriotic song is still remembered (P.D.Q. Bach quotes it, in the bass instruments, near the end of the overture), but is words are now all but forgotten: Freedom, of thee we sing, Freedom e'er is our goal; Death to the English King, Long live Rock and Ross. The striking paucity of biographical references to Johann Sebastian Bah during the year 1712 can now be explained: he was abroad for a significant part of that year, testing organs in the British Colonies. That this revelation has not been accepted as fact by the musicological establishment is no surprise, since it means that a lot of books would have to be rewritten. The members of that establishment haven't even accepted the existence of P.D.Q. Bach, one of whose major works the 1712 Overture certainly is. It is also a work that shows Tchaikowsky up as the shameless plagiarizer that some of us have always known he was. The discovery of this awesome opus was made possible by a Boston Pops Centennial Research Commission; the first modern performance took place at the opening concert of the 100th anniversary season of that orchestra, under the exciting but authentic direction of John Williams.

SKU: BR.PB-14615

The study score (,,Studien-Edition) is available at G. Henle Verlag.

ISBN 9790004214909. 10 x 12.5 inches.

The Famous One in the Leading EditionBeethoven spent a relatively long time on his 5th Symphony. Thus, first sketches can already be found from as early as 1804, four years before the work was premiered in Vienna in December 1808. Not only impressive is its striking opening theme, letting everyone know immediately that this is Beethoven being played, but also its nickname symphony of fate. Nothing in the sources prefigures the much-cited fate, musically knocking here at the door. The autograph of the score and the set of parts prepared from it, including Beethoven's revisions, serve as the main sources of this Urtext edition, together with the missing copy of the score, now extant only incomplete in photographs, and the original edition of the parts authorized by Beethoven. The new performance material is based on the recently published volume of the New Beethoven Complete Edition.

SKU: HL.132289

ISBN 9788392036524. UPC: 884088971236. 9.25x12.0x0.277 inches.

The historical version of the score is what Chopin agreed to have published, for various reasons, but it is contaminated by involvement of foreign editorial input. The performance full score 00132241 or its 2 piano reduction 00132132242 are practical editions that are considered more authoritative for performance. The National Edition of the Works of Fryderyk Chopin Published by PWM Exclusively Distributed by Hal Leonard Corporation Co-Editors Jan Ekier and Pawel Kaminski The objective of the National Edition is to present Chopin's complete output in its authentic form, based on the entire body of available sources. Sources were analyzed with up-to-date scientific and musicological methodology. The National Edition was based on sources originated from the composer, mainly autographs, copies of autographs and first editions with the composer's corrections, and pupils' copies with Chopin's annotations. In cases when original sources were lacking, the closest possible materials were used. Collecting the source materials was a laborious task which took years of effort. The characteristics of sources, the links and discrepancies between them as well as the reasons for particular editorial decisions are discussed in the Source Commentary in each volume. The Performance Commentary appended to each volume includes: the realization of ornaments, comments on pedal markings (the original markings sometimes are inadequate, due to the difference in sound between pianos used in Chopin`s times and modern pianos), suggestions as to the harmonic legato (a performance technique often used by Chopin and now forgotten). About the National Edition Full Introduction to the Polish National Edition of the Works of Fryderyk Chopin.

SKU: HL.51489817

UPC: 840126932782. 6.75x9.5x0.341 inches.

The premiere of this work in December 1813 ranks among the greatest successes Beethoven ever celebrated in public as a composer. One reviewer wrote at the time that in its themes the new symphony was “so favourable and easily comprehensible that every music lover falls for the powerful allure of its beauty.” The incisiveness of the themes is fundamentally related to the basic ostinato rhythms, which help shape each movement’s distinctive character. Richard Wagner even called the composition, with its ecstatic finale, an “apotheosis of the dance.” Based on the musical text of the Beethoven Complete Edition and furnished with a new preface, this recently prepared edition reflects the latest in Beethoven scholarship. Now, in this study edition, it is available to everyone at a reasonable price and in a handy format.

About Henle Urtext

What I can expect from Henle Urtext editions:

• error-free, reliable musical texts based on meticulous musicological research - fingerings and bowings by famous artists and pedagogues
• preface in 3 languages with information on the genesis and history of the work 
• Critical Commentary in 1 – 3 languages with a description and evaluation of the sources and explaining all source discrepancies and editorial decisions 
• most beautiful music engraving 
• page-turns, fold-out pages, and cues where you need them 
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• longest Urtext experience (founded 1948 exclusively for Urtext editions)

SKU: BR.EOS-20472-00

Today, it is hard to believe that Bedrich Smetana kept receiving rejections when he tried to get his enormously popular Moldau printed.

ISBN 9790004780008. 10 x 12.5 inches.

What is also amazing is that the first text-critical edition prepared by the Czech Smetana expert Milan Pospisil in 1999, which had entailed an exhaustive evaluation of the sources and been given a full text-critical editorial treatment as a Eulenburg study score, had no resonance of any kind among performers since no performance material had been published. After 15 years, Pospisils edition is finally being completed in a manner suitable for practice: with a conducting score and orchestral parts which will ensure that all future performances are based on a musical text that is as reliable as can be.

The work depicts the course of the river Vltava, beginning with its first two sources, the cold and warm Vltava, and the confluence of the two streams that join to form a single river; then the course of the Vltava through forests and meadows, and through open countryside where a peasant wedding is being celebrated; water-sprites dance by the light of the moon; on the nearby cliffs castles, mansions and ruins rise proudly into the air; the Vltava eddies in the St John's Rapids, then flows in a broad stream as it continues its course towards Prague, where the Vysehrad appears, before the river finally disappears into the distance as it flows majestically into the Elbe.

Vltava (The Moldau), Smetana's best-known and most frequently performed orchestral work, was written between 19 November and 8 December 1874, at a time when Smetana was already completely deaf. The world premiere took place in Prague on 4 April 1875, but the score was not published until 1880.

SKU: FG.55009-402-4

ISBN 979-0-55009-402-4.

According to Rautavaara The name of the work is a quotation from the libretto of my opera The House of the Sun: . . .like a butterfly in a dark autumn garden. . .. The motif to which these words are sung is the theme for the variations in the first movement. Their texture gradually grows and becomes denser. Following on without a break is a slow, poetic movement of even rhythms and dynamics. The quick, lively finale begins giocoso e leggiero. But autumn is also a time of colour, and of death. At the end the music thus turns into a festive dance con grandezza. Maybe it bears the echo of a sarabande to the dying splendour of summer - or as T.S. Eliot put it: late roses filled with early snow. Autumn Gardens was commissioned by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and premiered at the London Proms in July 1999.