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-5558

Tchaikovsky's Hamburg Symphony in the Urtext

ISBN 9790004213681. 10 x 12.5 inches.

Like Hamlet Overture, originating at about the same time, Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony, composed in 1888, focuses on the human existential question: To be or not to be - triumph over fate or triumph of fate? The per aspera ad astra dramaturgy underlying the symphony culminates in triumphant certainty. If Tchaikovsky was initially euphoric, then severe self-doubts befell him after he conducted the premiere in St. Petersburg. These doubts demonstrably led him to make interpretative changes for the Hamburg performance in 1889, including a cut in the finale. Only with the extremely positive response to this performance did his doubts dispel. Nevertheless, Tchaikovsky himself never again conducted the 5th symphony. It was only posthumously established in the repertoire through Arthur Nikisch's commitment. The new edition's textual criticism takes into account besides the autograph and first edition also the first edition's orchestral parts, together with the piano arrangement produced from the autograph by Sergei Taneyev. In addition to thoroughly clarifying dynamics and articulation, the source comparison also corrected many errors and solved problematical passages, such as, for instance, the trombone entry in m. 372 of the finale. Considered, moreover, for the first time has been the composer's doubts about his work and its ambiguities, frequently successfully suppressed in the history of its performance and reception. Tchaikovsky's conductor's copy is unfortunately lost, hence his alterations made for the Hamburg performance are not precisely known. They have survived only indirectly through remarks that Willem Mengelberg left to posterity, for which he could draw on Tchaikovsky's conductor's score and oral references by the composer's brother Modest. So, anyone wishing to deal seriously with the work's certainties will not be able to do so in the future without having also to deal with its uncertainties.

Tchaikovsky's Hamburg Symphony in the Urtext.

SKU: AP.36-A128148

ISBN 9798892702294. UPC: 659359602160. English.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) completed his Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor in 1803, not long after writing the famous letter to his brothers, the Heiligenstadt Testament, in which he lamented his increasing deafness. He gave the first performance of the piece, as soloist, on April 5 in a public benefit concert at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. The opening melody in the first movement bears striking similarity to the first theme heard in Mozart's 24th piano concerto. As a whole, the piece provides an essential link between the Mozartean charm of the two earlier concertos and the more idiosyncratic work found in his middle period. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 2.2.0.0: Timp: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set): Solo Piano.

These products are currently being prepared by a new publisher. While many items are ready and will ship on time, some others may see delays of several months.

SKU: HL.49006396

ISBN 9790001069472. UPC: 884088464165. 9.0x12.0x0.417 inches. German - English.

Carl Orff's Der Mond (or The Moon) is an opera in one act, based on a fairy tale written by The Brothers Grimm.This Vocal score contains a Piano reduction of the original Orchestral accompaniment.

3 (auch 3 Picc.) * 3 (3. auch Engl. Hr.) * 3 (3. auch Bassklar.) *
2 (2. auch Kfg.) - 4 * 3 * 3 * 1 - P. S. (gr. Tr. * kl. Tr. * Ruhrtr. * Tamb. * Trgl. * Xyl. * Cymb. * versch. Beck. * gr. Tamt. * Ratsche * Rute * Schlittenschellen * Kast. * Uhrgl. * Rohrengl. * Glasersp. * Glsp. * Met.) (5 Spieler) - Hfe. * Cel. * Klav. * Harm. * Akk. *
Zither - Str.
Buhnenmusik: gem. Chor - Wachterhr. (Tuba) - Org. - S. (Glocke * 3 Ruhrtr. * gr. Tr. * Beck. * Tamt. * Donnermasch. * Windmasch. * Blitz, Einschlag).